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 2015 NYC Streetsies, Part 3
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There’s just a few hours left in 2015 and you know what that means — this is your last chance to contribute to Streetsblog’s year-end pledge drive. We count on reader donations to keep us going, and your gift will enter you to win a versatile Tern Link D8 folding bike. Please support our work […]
The 2015 NYC Streetsies, Part 2
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The Streetsies just won’t quit. Yesterday’s awards were about projects. Today we’re focusing on people and politics. Stay tuned for the final batch tomorrow, and don’t forget you’re running out of time to make a year-end donation to Streetsblog, which enters you to win a new Tern Link D8 folding bike. Elected Officials of the […]
The 2015 NYC Streetsies, Part 1
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Welcome to the first installment of the 2015 NYC Streetsies. The votes are in, and today we’re looking back at how streets changed for walking, biking, and transit this year. Tomorrow will be all about the people who left a mark on the city’s streets. The Best Thing That Happened This Year Bike-share debuted two years ago […]
Cast Your Vote for the 2015 NYC Streetsies — And Give to Streetsblog
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It’s time for our year-in-review, the Streetsie Awards, and there are more things to vote on than ever. Before I get to that, please take a moment to consider what Streetsblog is worth to you. Streetsblog matters because policy makers and elected officials know our audience demands results. You want safer, more livable streets, and […]
Vote for the Best Urban Street Transformation of 2015
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It’s almost time to say goodbye to 2015, which means we’re about to hand out Streetsies to recognize achievements for walking, biking, and transit in American cities this year. Earlier this month we asked readers for nominations for the Best Urban Street Transformation of the year, and here are the standouts from your submissions. It’s a great batch and […]
Source: NYPD Lets Civilians Conduct Traffic Control for Hanukkah Parade
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We never did get a response from NYPD about the motorized Lubavitcher Hanukkah parade where civilians with lights and sirens on their SUVs made a mess of traffic control on Sixth Avenue. But a source affiliated with the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council filled in the blanks, saying the parade is authorized by NYPD. The source asked to remain […]
DOT Has Ruled Out a Crosstown Bike Lane on 72nd Street [Updated]
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DOT is studying routes for crosstown bike lanes on the Upper East Side, but it looks like 72nd Street, which could provide a seamless route across Central Park, won’t be one of them. With the arrival of Citi Bike, neighborhood advocates have been pressing DOT to add more crosstown bike connections on the Upper East Side, which […]
4 Things Tony Avella and David Weprin Get Totally Wrong About Toll Reform
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No, the past nine years weren’t just a dream and you didn’t wake up in 2006. State senators David Weprin and Tony Avella, the Queens Civic Congress, and a few other Queens elected officials really did put on a press conference yesterday to guard against the possibility that New York might put a rational price on the East […]
Give to Streetsblog and You Could Win a Sweet Tern Folding Bike
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Are you a regular Streetsblog reader? Do you count on our reporting to stay informed about policies that affect walking, biking, and transit? Do you value the work we do to explain streets and transportation issues and hold public officials accountable for their decisions? If you do, please keep us going strong as we head into […]
If Congress Cared About Climate, Its Transport Bill Would Look Much Different
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With a few exceptions, the five-year transportation bill heading to President Obama’s desk continues what has been the core function of federal transportation policy for more than 60 years — sending a ton of money to the states to spend on highways. Preventing a big step backward was about as much as you could hope […]
Eyes on the Street: 8-Year Downtown Greenway Detour Finally Ends
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Since 2007, people biking on the Hudson River Greenway in Lower Manhattan have had to take a circuitous detour into Battery Park City. Not anymore. This weekend, the shuttered greenway segment reopened, providing a straight shot to and from the Battery. @DataVizier called our attention to these photos he took of the reconstructed greenway at […]
Bike-Share Open Data Standard Clears the Way for Better Trip Planning Apps
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It’s about to get easier to plan trips that include bike-share. Yesterday, the North American Bikeshare Association, a trade group representing transportation agencies and private firms involved in operating bike-share systems, announced that it is adopting an open data standard. NABSA includes Motivate, the company that operates Citi Bike, Divvy, Bay Area Bike Share, and several […]