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
The 2009 Streetsie Awards, Part 1
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Here’s the first slate of winners in our annual binge of award-giving, the Streetsies. You may want to review the people’s choice poll results before diving in. We’ll be rolling out two more installments before the new year and resuming our regular publishing schedule on Monday, January 4. Enjoy… Biggest Livable Streets Victory: 2009 will […]
Cast Your Vote for the 2009 Streetsies
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Streetsblog is about to go dark for the holiday, so we’ve got something that will hopefully keep you satisfied until Monday. Polls. Lots of polls. The last thing we publish every year is the Streetsies, our final burst of awards and commentary. This time we’re adding a "people’s choice" wrinkle. The voting is open in […]
Truck Driver With Suspended License Kills Man on Midtown Sidewalk
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Via Gothamist, Channel 7 reports that a truck driver who never should have been behind the wheel killed a man walking on a Midtown sidewalk this morning: A box truck that apparently made an illegal left from Park Avenue to East 50th Street collided with a pickup truck, which was northbound on Park Avenue. The […]
Police Academy 2: Starring a 3,000-Car Garage
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Cadets will have a hard time getting to New York City’s next police academy, now under construction, without driving. Image: NYT/Michael Fieldman Architects and Perkins+Will. Last week brought another prime example of Bloomberg administration schizophrenia on urban sustainability. After his flight back from the Copenhagen climate summit, the mayor’s first stop was a former auto […]
Better Transit Service, Space for Peds Top CB4 Goals for 34th Street
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Manhattan CB4’s transportation committee passed a resolution last night in favor of speedier transit and improved pedestrian conditions on 34th Street. The vote followed a brief presentation from NYCDOT outlining several options for a second phase of transit enhancements on the crosstown corridor. It’s still very early in the process: The decision whether to pursue […]
How Much Would You Pay to Park Your Bike in an NYC Garage?
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What’s a reasonable price for off-street bike parking? As New York City parking facilities start complying with the Bicycle Access to Garages Law, which took effect a little more than a month ago, the rates are looking pretty steep. This photo comes to us from reader BicyclesOnly, who says the $6 daily rate shown here […]
The New York City Bus Lane Blues: Paint Is Not Enough
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Separated bus lanes. Elected officials are calling for them. The next version of enhanced bus service on 34th Street may include them. Why does New York City need them? Well, take a look at how the city’s current crop of bus lanes are working out for riders. Streetfilms’ Robin Urban Smith went on a couple […]
Tonight: Give DOT Your Ideas for the Future of 34th Street
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Will NYPD cruisers and other bus lane blockers steer clear of the next transit improvement on 34th Street? Photo: Chris O’Leary. Last September DOT and the MTA launched the 34th Street bus lane, New York City’s second Select Bus Service route. You could say it’s had some growing pains. Bus riders aren’t getting the speedy, […]
19 NYC Electeds Call for Separated Bus and Bike Lanes on East Side
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State Assembly member Micah Kellner, City Council members Melissa Mark-Viverito and Dan Garodnick, Council member-elect Margaret Chin, and State Senator Bill Perkins are among 19 local electeds calling on DOT and the MTA to implement "true BRT" and "complete streets" on First and Second Avenues. A group of 19 elected officials has urged NYC DOT […]
Without Road Pricing, Will the Wheels on the Bus Stop Going ‘Round?
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The city and state have paid less and less to help kids get to school. Graph of contributions to the student fare program: MTA [PDF]. Hat tip to Ben Kabak at Second Avenue Sagas for plucking this graph from yesterday’s urgent session of the MTA finance committee. It charts where the money comes from for […]
Jan Gehl on Sustainable Transport in Copenhagen and NYC
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While in Copenhagen to film the Danish capital’s world-beating bike infrastructure, Streetfilms’ Elizabeth Press caught up with urban planner extraordinaire Jan Gehl for a brief, canal-side chat. In this clip, Gehl explains how cycling and transit fit within the city’s sustainability agenda, and why "unnecessary transportation" threatens the global climate. With Mayor Bloomberg in Copenhagen […]
Who Can Make Parks Car-Free? Commissioner Hoving Says: “Benepe”
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This photo from the Parks Department vault depicts what appears to be a pavement painting during Thomas Hoving’s tenure as commissioner. If New York City had a livable streets hall of fame, Thomas P. F. Hoving would be enshrined alongside heroes like Jane Jacobs. As Parks Commissioner under Mayor John Lindsay, Hoving spearheaded the original […]