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: Behold the Beauty of a Bare Pedestrian Mall
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Here’s a shot of the Park Avenue pedestrian mall at 88th Street, taken by reader BicyclesOnly last night. Thanks to sheer luck, it appears as though no one was caught between the car and the light pole. A few well-placed bollards could reduce the element of chance here. But recall that back in early 2007, […]
It’s Time for DOT to Think Big at Grand Army Plaza
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The view of Grand Army Plaza from Union Street. DOT has proposed converting parking on Union to another moving lane. Union Street in Brooklyn has a problem: The queue of cars waiting to drive through the intersection at Grand Army Plaza sometimes stretches as far as the eye can see. The bottleneck, which causes a […]
Do Unto Others? Church Parking Placards Put Cyclists in Harm’s Way
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We posted the link in today’s headlines, but you really need the visuals that go with this story of bike-lane blocking, curb-mounting Sunday motorists, and the police who sanction them. Via Gothamist, the video comes courtesy of Ink Lake blogger Peter Kaufman, a Brooklyn Heights resident who noticed that all the cars illegally parked on […]
Speak Out at Tonight’s CB1 Meeting: Bikes Belong on Bedford
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The removal of the Bedford Avenue bike lane in South Williamsburg this morning proceeded without any public input. Although the thermoplast has already been stripped away, the cause of safer streets will be better off if New Yorkers who ride this bike lane speak out strongly in response. It’s important, if you can make it, […]
DOT Wipes 14 Blocks of Bike Lane Off Bedford Avenue
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Workers blast away at the Bedford Avenue bike lane. Photo: Elizabeth Press. As reported by Gothamist, DOT is removing a 14-block stretch of the Bedford Avenue bike lane between Flushing Avenue and Division Street in Hasidic Williamsburg. Workers were seen erasing the lane this morning, taking away a safer cycling connection to central Williamsburg that […]
NYPD Sidewalk Hogs Make Way for Bike Parking and Benches (Updated)
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Elizabeth Press sends these shots of the northeast corner of Hoyt and Schermerhorn in downtown Brooklyn. In what may be a first for New York City, this nifty little DOT reclamation includes bike racks installed on the roadbed, not the sidewalk. (Update: DOT confirms that yes, this is something new for the city.) More on […]
Ninth Ave Road Rage Case: Bengen Cleared; Gonzalez Files to Dismiss
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Gus Gonzalez and his Ford Excursion were caught on camera after knocking cyclist Ray Bengen to the pavement back in May. We’ve got a quick update on the legal aftermath of the Ninth Avenue road rage case, in which the Manhattan DA’s office charged both cyclist Ray Bengen and SUV driver Gus Gonzalez. The DA […]
A Reason to Give Thanks: State DOT Won’t Widen the Deegan
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This just in: The State DOT will not widen exit ramps from the Major Deegan Expressway, the Mott Haven Herald reports. NYSDOT Region 11 spokesperson Adam Levine confirmed to Streetsblog that the agency will also refrain from adding "auxiliary lanes" as part of its plan to fix a segment of the Deegan along the Harlem […]
City Planning Preserves Sidewalks, But Reinforces Parking Minimums
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The Department of City Planning proposed new rules last week that should keep sidewalks safer and reduce conflicts between pedestrians and cars. The zoning regs, if approved, would also cut down on the proliferation of "parking pads" — off-street spaces paved over front yards — in some parts of the city. Overall, the amendment includes […]
Dear Streetsbloggers: How Do You Spread the Word About Bike Lane Rules?
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To assist in the ongoing effort to better articulate a set of social norms for the endless variety of circumstances one encounters on city streets, we’re passing on this request from a reader. "Midtown Biker" asks for advice on the best way to handle these situations: Another biker is riding the wrong way on a […]
Eyes on the Street: Bigger Sidewalks, Better Bike Lanes, Safer Streets
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Clarence Eckerson sends these shots of DOT street safety improvements taken on a recent ride near the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront. Above is the newly traffic-calmed intersection of Joralemon and Hicks — part of the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Project — which now sports two sidewalk extensions. (According to the Post, a third corner was […]
In Progress: A More Walkable, Bikeable, Trottable Park Circle
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A protected bike path will soon wrap around the circumference of Park Circle. Some segments are bi-directional. There’s a very nice set of livable streets improvements underway at Park Circle, where Brooklynites heading to and from Prospect Park mix it up with traffic heading to and from the Prospect Expressway, Ocean Parkway, and the Fort […]