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
Bicycling Mag Names NYC the Best City for Bicycling in America
| | 32 Comments
Later this morning, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg will join the editor and publisher of Bicycling to announce that New York now tops the magazine’s list of America’s best cities for biking. The news leaked in Portland, which owned the top spot for years and where the stagnation of city cycling rates is a major story, […]
Kidical Mass NYC and Summer Streets Bring Out the Tykes on Bikes
| | 1 Comment
Mission accomplished for the first Kidical Mass NYC ride: The all-ages Saturday morning bike convoy from Brooklyn Borough Hall to Summer Streets was a ton of fun. Moms, dads, and kids — about two dozen people all told — made the trip with an assortment of box bikes, child seats, trailers, and kiddie cycles. The […]
NYC Traffic Injuries Down 6.6 Percent in First Half of 2014
| | 3 Comments
Traffic injuries in New York City declined nearly 7 percent in the first six months of 2014 compared to the same period last year, according to NYPD data compiled by Streetsblog. Fatalities have also declined slightly, from 121 to 117. The most significant drop in traffic deaths was among pedestrians, falling from 72 in the […]
Irving Schachter Killed By Cyclist in Central Park Earlier This Month
| | 83 Comments
A teenage cyclist killed a 75-year-old man jogging in Central Park earlier this month. At around 4:52 p.m. on Sunday, August 3, Irving Schachter was jogging on the east park loop near 72nd Street when he was hit by a 17-year-old cyclist traveling in the direction of traffic, according to NYPD. Schachter was admitted to New […]
Will This Year’s “Operation Safe Cycle” Make Anyone Safer?
| | 50 Comments
Yesterday NYPD showed New York that police do actually enforce the speed limit on local streets. Check out the radar guns on Broadway. Today the department is showing the city that cyclists get tickets too. NYPD’s “Operation Safe Cycle” is a two-week enforcement campaign targeting “hazardous violations that create a danger for pedestrians and cyclists.” […]
Where Cyclists Have the Power to Ride Straight Past Turning Motorists
| | 16 Comments
Hey, so it turns out the all-powerful @BicycleLobby didn’t actually scale the Brooklyn Bridge and plant white American flags at the top. That was two all-powerful German artists. But courtesy of Clarence Eckerson Jr., here’s some footage of raw bicyclist power in Copenhagen, where turning drivers defer to people on bikes at intersections. I guess […]
Eyes on the Street: Bliss Plaza Shines Under the 7 Train in Sunnyside
| | 8 Comments
Two weeks ago, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer cut the ribbon on Bliss Plaza, a new public space created with a few simple changes to the area under the 7 train viaduct at 46th Street and Queens Boulevard. Clarence sends these photos of the plaza in action this weekend: A nicer sidewalk surface, a few […]
Gov Signs 25 MPH Law — Here’s How Albany and NYC Can Make the Most of It
| | 28 Comments
On Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill lowering the default speed limit in New York City from 30 mph to 25 mph, a significant milestone for Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative and a major accomplishment for victims’ families, street safety advocates, and their legislative allies in Albany. Here’s what to keep an eye […]
Manhattan DA Subpoenas Twitter to Solve Vexing @BicycleLobby Case
| | 15 Comments
The Twitterverse had a good laugh on July 22, when the Daily News and the Associated Press reported, in all seriousness, that the @BicycleLobby had claimed responsibility for planting white flags on top of the Brooklyn Bridge. Both outlets reversed course after it was pointed out that @BicycleLobby is a self-identified parody account. But it […]
Midwest Rail Advocates Take the Fight to Scott Walker
| | No Comments
In November, voters in 36 states will head to the polls to choose governors. Among the state leaders up for reelection is Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, who faces a strong challenge from Democrat and former Trek Bicycle executive Mary Burke. Walker is one of three Republican governors who rejected high-speed rail funds from the Obama administration in 2010 […]
The Daily News Editorial Board — Still Part of the Problem
| | 23 Comments
I’ve been trying to put my finger on why this morning’s Daily News editorial about slower speed limits got under my skin so much. The core message is fine — New York does need to measure the impact of new street safety policies. But it’s obscured by a thick layer of ignorance. Start with all […]
Paint It Green: The Grand Street Protected Bike Lane Is Almost Back
| | 14 Comments
The Grand Street protected bike lane is on its way back after three years out of commission during construction of the Third Water Tunnel, the biggest capital project in New York City history. The Department of Design and Construction has repaved Grand between Lafayette Street and the Bowery, and preliminary markings for the bike lane are […]