PathPath
  • About
  • Contact Streetsblog NYC
  • Staff & Board
  • Our Funders
  • Comment Moderation Policy
    Follow Us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Streetsblog Logo
    • HOME
    • USA
    • NYC
    • MASS
    • LA
    • CHI
    • SF
    • CAL
    • STREETFILMS
    • DONATE
Streetsblog NYC Logo
  • ‘Ghost Tags’
  • Parking Madness 2023
  • Streetsblog’s ‘Guide to Micro Mobility’
  • Congestion Pricing
  • Calendar
    Follow Us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Ben Fried

@benfried

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.

Recent Posts

Counting Bikes at the Manhattan Bridge With DOT’s New Totem (and Streetfilms)

By Ben Fried | Jul 17, 2018 | 10 Comments
Where would you like to see a bike counter along your route?
You won't see this site in the Rockaways any more — a man on a Pace bike. Photo: Mary Ellen Burke

Test Riding Dockless Bike-Share in the Rockaways

By Ben Fried | Jul 16, 2018 | 3 Comments
We put out a call for readers to try out the new dockless bike-share services and report back. Here's the first evaluation we got.
Mayor de Blasio is very rarely seen on a bike, but he certainly enjoyed this protected bike lane. Cyclists want more. Photo: Eric Phillips

A Brief History of New York City Mayors on Bicycles

By Ben Fried | Jul 13, 2018 | 5 Comments
Six months into his second term, Bill de Blasio became the first New York mayor since Ed Koch to be recorded riding a bicycle, or at least the first one to leave a record that Google image search is capable of retrieving.
When parallel routes are very close together, people don't have to walk far to reach a bus stop, but they have to wait longer for a bus to arrive than they would if service was concentrated on fewer streets.

Jarrett Walker on Redesigning NYC’s Bus Network: Start By Wiping the Slate Clean

By Ben Fried | Jul 5, 2018 | 39 Comments
Only by starting with a blank canvas can transit agencies produce benefits compelling enough to overcome political inertia.
Photo:  Shinya Suzuki/Flickr

What Happens When a Company That Sells Car Trips Gets Into the Bike Trip Business?

By Ben Fried | Jul 3, 2018 | 16 Comments
Lyft has acquired the nation's largest bike-share company, setting up a situation where its bike trip sales will cannibalize its car trip sales.
Marty Golden never showed up, so demonstrators stuck notes from constituents in support of speed cameras to his storefront grate to get his attention. Photo: Ben Fried

Marty Golden a No Show at His Office While Demonstrators Hold 24-Hour Vigil Demanding Speed Cameras

By Ben Fried | Jun 29, 2018 | 3 Comments
Is this how a legislator who supports the expansion of speed cameras would act?
Citi Bike's "valet service" means fewer hassles. Photo: Citi Bike

City Hall and Motivate Agree to Beef Up Citi Bike During the L Train Shutdown

By Ben Fried | Jun 27, 2018 | 18 Comments
Citi Bike will add 1,250 bicycles and 2,500 docking points to the busiest parts of its existing service area starting next spring.
Raul Ampuero, far left, was arrested for disorderly conduct along with eight other protesters demanding a special legislative session to renew and expand NYC's speed camera program. A hit-and-run driver killed Raul's son Giovanni, 9, on Northern Boulevard this spring. Photo: Ben Fried

“We Will Not Take No for an Answer”: Families for Safe Streets Demand Cuomo Act on Speed Cameras

By Ben Fried | Jun 22, 2018 | 3 Comments
"Many, many lives have been saved, but last night, the leader of our state failed us," said Amy Cohen. "He got a bridge named after his father, he got a train, but he failed to pass the speed camera program."
Cuomo’s support for speed cameras began and ended with a photo-op. Photo: @marco_conner

New Yorkers Will Die Because Cuomo Failed to Get a Speed Camera Bill Through Albany

By Ben Fried | Jun 21, 2018 | 12 Comments
Cuomo put muscle behind his pet AirTrain project, not the speed camera bill he promised to move.
Speed cameras don’t care about PBA courtesy cards.

Which Matters More to Albany: Saving Lives or Collecting Campaign Cash From the PBA?

By Ben Fried and Brad Aaron | Jun 19, 2018 | 6 Comments
The largest union representing uniformed NYPD cops is the lone source of organized opposition to the expansion of speed cameras in New York City, and has spent lavishly on campaign contributions to the players in Albany who control the fate of the speed cam bill.
Chrystie and Grand, 6 p.m. Photo: Ben Fried

Bicycle Rush Hour on Chrystie Street

By Ben Fried | Jun 15, 2018 | 9 Comments
It's now common to see bike traffic outnumber car traffic on this connection to the Manhattan Bridge. The Chrystie Street protected bike lane and the Jay Street protected bike lane, on top of the bike network development that came before them, plus the availability of Citi Bike, are clearly moving the needle.
Citywide bus speeds average just 7.4 mph. In this map, NYC DOT identifies slow zones and pinch points during the p.m. rush -- streets where bus priority would be especially useful. All graphics via NYC DOT

Eight Essential Charts and Maps From NYC DOT’s New Mobility Report

By Ben Fried | Jun 15, 2018 | 5 Comments
The topline numbers scream for congestion pricing and the rapid implementation of NYCT chief Andy Byford's Fast Forward transit plan.
Load more stories
      • About
      • Contact Streetsblog NYC
      • Staff & Board
      • Our Funders
      • Comment Moderation Policy
        Follow Us:
      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      Streetsblog NYC Logo