Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.
Ben Fried
Recent Posts
Eyes on the Street: U-Perpendicular-Park-in-the-Bike-Lane
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Reader Liam Quigley of Cyclosity fame sends this shot of the Grand Street bike lane on Saturday evening. He tells us the production company crew unloading this box truck between Bowery and Elizabeth stayed long enough to force at least five cyclists to ride up on the sidewalk and three others to ride into car […]
Tuesday: South Side of Willy-B Path Closed for Repair; TA to Survey Cyclists
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Image: NYCDOT via @nycbridgereport Starting Tuesday, the south bike-ped path of the Williamsburg Bridge will be closed for resurfacing and other improvements. The changes on the way will introduce new markings, reducing conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians by separating bike and foot traffic into different lanes. Users will be re-routed to the north path until […]
Real Cops Dress Like Bunnies
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I linked to this in the headlines this morning, but news is slow on Good Friday and it just feels right to have a rabbit at the top of Streetsblog over Easter weekend, so here goes. This is how police in Glendale, California execute the street safety operation known as the crosswalk sting. If you […]
Eyes on the Street: “RUDE 1” Jumps the Curb on East 12th Street
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Photo: JRomanceOnline Via EVGrieve, this was scene on East 12th Street near First Avenue on Wednesday evening. A crew of local bloggers and tweeters have crowdsourced some of the details about what happened. Five people were hurt, luckily none seriously, according to EVGrieve’s email tipster. Neighborhood blogger Chris O’Leary found out from an officer at […]
Ad Nauseam: Nissan Goes Car-Free for NYC Promo
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Bicycles seem to figure more prominently in Nissan’s Leaf promotion than Leafs (or Leaves, as the case may be). It looks like one car maker has figured out an intriguing way to market its product to a city audience: Just don’t show it at all. In fact, try to sell it by appealing to the […]
PlaNYC Mastermind Rohit Aggarwala Leaving NYC
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Rohit Aggarwala (better known as Rit), the lead author of PlaNYC 2030 and director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, is leaving the post he created from scratch, the Bloomberg administration announced today. Aggarwala will be stepping down in June to join his soon-to-be wife in California. Aggarwala was tapped in 2006 […]
Bloomberg, Burden, and Pinsky Vow to “Finish the Job” on PlaNYC
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Please note: This was an April Fool’s Day post… Planning commissioner Amanda Burden and NYCEDC chief Seth Pinsky joined Mayor Bloomberg this morning at City Planning HQ to preview a major announcement scheduled for Earth Day, the third anniversary of the official launch of PlaNYC 2030. The mayor indicated that the city is preparing to […]
How Will NYC’s Progressive Caucus Approach Progressive Transportation?
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Last week a group of 12 City Council members announced that they’re forming a new bloc, called the progressive caucus, "dedicated to creating a more just and equal New York City." The Times notes that the caucus signifies an unusual development, in that the members came together around shared ideology, not racial or sexual identity. […]
Do Bus Cams Cost Too Much? Actually, They Pay for Themselves
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We have yet to get an official reply from the state Assembly about why bus lane cameras were not included in their budget proposal last week, but the excuse that’s floating around is that camera enforcement just costs too darn much. That’s what Assembly member Jim Brennan said in a constituent letter, and one reader […]
Ed Skyler Departs. Who Will Take Over NYC’s Street Safety Portfolio?
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The Bloomberg administration announced this morning the departure of deputy mayor Ed Skyler, who will be taking a position in the financial industry, the Times reports. While Skyler isn’t quite a household name in livable streets circles, his portfolio made him an important mayoral advisor on sustainable transportation and street safety policies. As deputy mayor […]
Jim Brennan on Bus Cam Rejection: NYC “Irrationally Expanding” Bus Lanes
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Thanks to reader Geck for sending along this email from Brooklyn Assembly member Jim Brennan, who was replying to a question about the rejection of bus lane cameras in the Assembly’s draft budget. The district that Brennan represents doesn’t include any bus lanes, existing or proposed. That didn’t stop him from offering this excuse: There […]
Streetfilms: SFPD Chief Bikes With Cycling Advocates. Ray Kelly, Let’s Ride.
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When it comes to making a public commitment to taming lawless driving and making streets safe for biking, police departments in major west coast cities are starting to leave Ray Kelly’s NYPD in their wake. Advocates in Los Angeles recently started regular meetings with LAPD about traffic enforcement, crash responses, and other issues related to […]