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Ben Fried

@benfried

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.

Recent Posts

Shared bikes in Shanghai. Photo: Mark Gorton

Bike-Share as a Speculative Venture

By Ben Fried | Apr 21, 2017 | 17 Comments
New York, you may have heard, is about to get invaded by a swarm of bike-share companies - often described as "dockless" bike-share because they use "smart locks," not fixed stations, to secure the bicycles. But dockless systems have been operating in American cities for some time now. The real distinguishing feature of the new arrivals is that they're financed like Silicon Valley start-ups.
At mixing zones, turning drivers are required to yield to passing cyclists, but not enough do.

Another Bizarre Victim-Blaming Crash Account From NYPD

By Ben Fried | Apr 17, 2017 | 110 Comments
It happened again. After a turning truck driver struck and killed cyclist Kelly Hurley on First Avenue at Ninth Street, NYPD has concluded that the victim caused her own death.
Ryan Russo walks through the redesign of Queens Boulevard for Streetfilms.

NYC Streets Maestro Ryan Russo Heading to Oakland

By Ben Fried | Mar 31, 2017 | 5 Comments
NYC DOT's top planner and a key figure in the ongoing evolution of New York City streets is moving on. Deputy Commissioner for Transportation Planning and Management Ryan Russo will be heading to Oakland as the city's first-ever DOT chief.
Poor intersection design at 23rd Avenue at 94th Street in East Elmhurst contributed to the crash that killed Skylar Perkins. Image: Google Maps

Reckless Driver and Poor Street Design Kill Skylar Perkins, Age 1, in Queens

By Ben Fried and Brad Aaron | Mar 24, 2017 | 4 Comments
The intersection where Skylar was struck has not been identified by the city as a priority under the Vision Zero initiative, but conditions there invite drivers to take turns at dangerous speeds.
Goodbye, illegally parked police cars and press vans on Park Row. Hello protected bikeway. Image: DOT

DOT Has a Fix for the Crummy Bike Connection Between Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge

By Ben Fried | Mar 15, 2017 | 30 Comments
The big change in DOT's plan is a two-way section of bike lane protected by a concrete barrier on Park Row, plus a short contraflow lane on Spruce Street. It's not a lot of bike lane mileage, but it's a key link in the network that will be dramatically improved.
The Brooklyn Bridge promenade. Photo: NYC DOT

Your Post-Stella Thread to Report Bridge Path/Bike Lane/Sidewalk Snow

By Ben Fried | Mar 15, 2017 | 12 Comments
The city isn't taking 311 complaints about sidewalk conditions, but you can vent to Streetsblog. Tell us all about your post-Stella walking and biking travails.

Postal Truck Driver Kills 83-Year-Old Man on Amsterdam and 95th

By Ben Fried | Feb 24, 2017 | 3 Comments
A postal truck driver struck and killed an 83-year-old man on Amsterdam Avenue and 95th Street at around 6:00 a.m. this morning. NYPD has yet to determine who had the right-of-way. While Amsterdam Avenue has a protected bike lane at this intersection, there is no pedestrian refuge in the north crosswalk, where the victim was struck.

While MTA Waffles on Proven Solutions, New Yorkers Continue to Abandon the Bus

By Ben Fried | Feb 22, 2017 | 58 Comments
MTA ridership numbers for 2016 are in, and it's clear that New Yorkers continue to abandon slow, unreliable bus service. If the MTA and NYC DOT don't act urgently to improve bus speeds and reliability, warn transit advocates, they risk "a downward spiral of increasing congestion, slower travel speeds, and a slower New York."
No matter how bad the service gets, transit riders will always have these USB ports.

Cuomo Breaks Another Promise to Transit Riders

By Ben Fried | Feb 14, 2017 | 7 Comments
Five years ago, Cuomo promised to allocate $320 million annually to the MTA to make up for cutting one of the agency's dedicated revenue streams. At the time, advocates warned that Cuomo wouldn't keep his promise for long. They were right: This year the governor's draft budget calls for a $65 million cut to MTA funding.

Take a Ride on New York City’s Bike Lanes — in 2002

By Ben Fried and Brad Aaron | Feb 2, 2017 | 16 Comments
New York still has a lot of work to do to create an all-ages, low-street citywide bike network, but let's pause for a moment to appreciate how far the city has come.
New York City has replaced a lot of parking spaces with pedestrian islands that save lives. More please. Photo: NYC DOT

The Scarcer the Parking, the More Room for Things That Make Cities Tick

By Ben Fried | Feb 1, 2017 | 17 Comments
More housing, more jobs, safer streets, less parking. Let's keep it up.
Safer bike signals

Will NYC DOT Test Out Protected Intersections in 2017?

By Ben Fried | Jan 26, 2017 | 20 Comments
One of the line items in City Hall's recent Vision Zero budget announcement devotes about $650,000 per year to "targeted safety enhancements and upgrades" in the city's bike network. We followed up with NYC DOT to get more details.
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