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
Changes at Streetsblog in 2015
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When Streetsblog launched in 2006, the site made an impact almost immediately. The daily scrutiny of NYC transportation agencies and elected officials created new opportunities for policy reform, leading to real change in the design and operation of our streets. It wasn’t long before advocates from out of town contacted Streetsblog about bringing this model […]
Wishing for “Truly Open Streets” in 2015
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It’s a new year, and around the Streetsblog Network people are posting their 2014 retrospectives and resolutions for the year ahead. Kristen Jeffers at The Black Urbanist shares these thoughts to kick off 2015: Remember this picture of me? I was playing on a B-cycle demonstration bike on the street that I helped paint, to […]
The 2014 NYC Streetsies, Part 3
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We’re putting a bow on 2014 with this, the third and final Streetsies post. (Just joining us? Have a look at parts one and two). If you haven’t given to our year-end pledge drive yet and want to support media that makes an impact on your streets, don’t forget to donate before the ball drops. […]
The 2014 NYC Streetsies, Part 2
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Enjoy the meaty middle installment of Streetsblog NYC’s annual-awards-slash-year-in-review. Here’s where to catch up on the first part if you missed it yesterday, and here’s where you can enter to win a fantastic PUBLIC R16 road bike by making a tax-deductible year-end gift to support our work. Elected Official of the Year Streetsblog bestowed this […]
The 2014 NYC Streetsies, Part 1
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Happy holidays everyone, and welcome to the first installment of the 2014 NYC Streetsies. The polls are closed, the people have voted, and now it’s time to present the winners. Before I get to that, please take a moment to support Streetsblog and Streetfilms with a tax-deductible year-end gift. I cannot emphasize the importance of […]
Cast Your Vote for the 2014 Streetsies — Then Give to Streetsblog
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With the end of the year approaching, it’s time to take stock. How did New York City make progress toward safer, more livable streets in 2014? Where did NYC DOT really nail a great street redesign? Who’s still lagging behind on Vision Zero? Who was the most clownish oaf on Twitter? You decide how to […]
NYPD Still Doesn’t Investigate All Fatal Traffic Crashes
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In 2013, Ray Kelly made the only significant traffic safety policy change in his exceptionally long tenure as police commissioner. Kelly promised to increase the staffing of NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad — where, at the time, only 19 detectives were assigned to investigate crashes in a city with about 300 traffic deaths and 3,000 serious injuries […]
Stringer’s Citi Bike Report Is Woefully Behind the Times
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Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office took so long to produce an audit of Citi Bike maintenance that major issues flagged in the report no longer appear to be affecting the system. The report dropped Thursday night, and on Friday several media outlets came out with stories following the lead of Stringer’s “scathing” press release, which emphasized Citi […]
Keep Streetsblog Going Strong – Donate and Enter to Win a New PUBLIC Bike
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If you look at the state of American streets, the scale of our transportation dysfunction is epic. Nothing conveys the failure of the car-based system better than this: More than 30,000 people lose their lives in traffic annually — which means the U.S. could prevent about 20,000 premature deaths each year if we catch up […]
The Most Important Bus Routes in NYC Tend to Perform the Worst for Riders
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The slowest bus in New York City is the M79, and the least reliable is the local M15, according to the Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives, which today awarded these two routes the “uncoveted” Pokey and Schleppie awards, respectively. On weekdays at noon, Straphangers measured the crosstown M79 at an average speed of 3.2 miles […]
Eyes on the Street: The Williamsburg Bridge Bike Path Freezes Over
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The Williamsburg Bridge is a sheet of ice. #bikenyc pic.twitter.com/2hLMDYW4yM — Will Sherman (@WillSherman) December 11, 2014 Courtesy of Will Sherman, here’s what the Williamsburg Bridge bike path — one of the most important bike transportation connections in the city — looked like this morning after the season’s first snowfall. Icy and unbikeable. Sherman says […]
How Does the Threat of Police Violence Affect How You Use the Street?
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When the news came out yesterday that a Staten Island grand jury had failed to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo for killing Eric Garner with an illegal chokehold, like many people I found the outcome difficult to comprehend. With clear video evidence showing that Pantaleo broke NYPD protocol and a coroner’s report certifying that Garner’s death […]