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
Will “Crash-Proof” Cars Make Drivers More Dangerous?
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Via TreeHugger, Copenhagenize reports that Volvo is in the final stages of testing technology to improve safety for people outside its products — a "pedestrian detection" system available in S60 models next year: It is meant to spot all pedestrians in front of the car as well as off to the sides in a 60 […]
Eyes on the Street: WillyB @ Delancey — Bring on the Stencils
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Fresh markings are going down on the revamped approach to the Williamsburg Bridge at Delancey Street. Courtesy of Adopt-a-Bike Lane volunteer leader Marin Tockman, here’s what the site looked like as of yesterday afternoon. Seems like a marked, one-block connection to the median at Suffolk Street is imminent. Another reader informs us that Suffolk, which […]
NYCDOT Ups the Livable Streets Ante in Revised Strategic Plan
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NYC bike-share on the horizon? DOT says it will explore a "large-scale" public bike system for Manhattan and environs. Image: Department of City Planning. Last April, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan announced the "New York City Model" — mapping out a strategic plan to prioritize greener, more efficient modes and turn city streets into world-class public […]
Eyes on the Street: Crash Aftermath on First Avenue [Updated]
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A reader sent in this picture of the scene at First Avenue and 4th Street in Manhattan this morning. I won’t speculate too much about what sheared the roof off this minivan or what happened to the people involved. Perhaps the car was pried open deliberately to rescue those inside. Details are scarce: An investigation […]
Celebrate With Streetsblog and Streetfilms at TSTC’s Annual Benefit
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Mark your calendars: The Tri-State Transportation Campaign is honoring Streetsblog and Streetfilms at its annual benefit next Thursday. We hope to see you there, so here’s our pitch. In addition to watching Aaron Naparstek and Clarence Eckerson share the stage with the other honoree, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, you’ll be contributing to an exceedingly […]
Last Night’s CB Action: A Big Vote of Confidence for Protected Bike Lanes
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Manhattan Community Board 8 issued a strong call for safer streets on the Upper East Side last night, voting 38 to 1 for a resolution supporting protected bike lanes. The reso asks DOT to come back to the CB with a neighborhood bike plan that includes physically protected lanes, though it refrains from mentioning specific […]
Manhattan CB8 Comes Out Strong for Protected Bike Lanes on East Side
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After the roll call at tonight’s full Community Board 8 meeting, the tally for a resolution supporting protected bike lanes on the East Side stood at 38 yeas, 1 nay. Lots of hard work went into this vote — congrats to all who made it happen. More details tomorrow.
Eyes on the Street: A Smoother Approach to the Willy-B
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We’ve received a few reports in the past week about construction work on the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg Bridge. DOT’s press office says six bike ramps are being installed, and we hear from observers on the ground that construction is largely complete as of this morning: The bridge approach at Delancey and Clinton Street […]
Streetfilms Shorties: Why Don’t We Plant Trees in the Road?
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Clarence recently dug up a few unused nuggets from last year’s junket to Melbourne, Australia. Watch and see how curbside space in residential neighborhoods has been repurposed for plantings that double as traffic calming treatments. Whatever red tape they had to hack through to plant trees in the roadbed, not just on the sidewalk, they’ve […]
Thompson: Baseless Speculation Trumps Safety Gains on Grand Street
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Mayoral contender Bill Thompson continues to elaborate on his opposition to the city’s expanded bike infrastructure. In an interview published Friday, Thompson told the Downtown Express that just because injuries are down on Grand Street since the installation of a protected bike lane last year, doesn’t mean those improvements should be preserved. According to Dept. […]
TOD Stalls as Lenders Continue to Bank on Parking
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Elana linked to this story out of Salt Lake City in the Capitol Hill headline stack this morning, and it’s worth everyone’s full attention. Derek Jensen reports on what may be the biggest impediment to urbanism of them all: The widespread bias of banks against walkable development. Salt Lake City’s new-urbanism epiphany — fervently backed […]
“New York” Post to Pedestrians: Drop Dead
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Can’t make the light in time? In the eyes of the Post, you’re a scofflaw. In case you missed it, the New York Post officially ceded the right to speak for "real New Yorkers" this morning, when it printed a piece of anti-pedestrian pabulum masquerading as a prescription for street safety. Noting that 178 people […]