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
NYC’s Next Transportation Commissioner Is Polly Trottenberg
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Bill de Blasio has appointed US DOT Under Secretary for Policy Polly Trottenberg to lead the New York City Department of Transportation. Trottenberg is a veteran federal policy maker, whose resume includes stints working for New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan on the 1998 federal transportation bill and for Senator Chuck Schumer. At the Obama […]
The 2013 NYC Streetsies, Part 2
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Before we get to the Streetsies, an important announcement: Neighborhood street safety advocates and victims’ families will be gathering at tomorrow’s inauguration to mark the beginning of Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic deaths. If you’d like to volunteer or participate, organizers are asking people to arrive at City Hall at 10:45 […]
The 2013 NYC Streetsies, Part 1
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The Streetsie votes are in and it’s time to hand out virtual hardware. But first, a friendly reminder that Streetsblog needs your support. Reader donations are what Streetsblog runs on. Contribute to our year-end pledge drive and you’ll help produce reporting and commentary that makes a difference, so that when this time rolls around next year, […]
Cast Your Vote for the 2013 NYC Streetsies — and Give to Streetsblog!
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Welcome to the reader’s choice portion of the 2013 NYC Streetsies. Before you vote, take a moment to consider everything that’s changed this year. Look at all the pedestrian, bike, and bus improvements we have to sift through to anoint the best. Six years ago, before the Janette Sadik-Khan DOT had time to really get […]
New Layer of Red Tape From FHWA Threatens to Delay NYC Bike Projects
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The Federal Highway Administration is seeking to impose a new layer of bureaucratic review on New York City bike projects, which could significantly delay the implementation of street redesigns that have proven to reduce traffic injuries and deaths. According to a source in city government, FHWA wants the New York State DOT to review each individual […]
Give to Streetsblog NYC and Your Contribution Will Be Doubled. Doubled!
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Your donation to Streetsblog will go twice as far if you contribute to our year-end pledge drive by December 31. Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, all contributions to Streetsblog NYC will be matched up to $10,000 — you’ll get more bang for your livable streets buck by giving today. In just a few days there’s going to […]
We Know Where NYC’s Next Mayor Will Live, But How Will He Get to Work?
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Earlier today Bill de Blasio settled one of the big questions of the transition period, announcing that he’s going to move into the mayoral residence at Gracie Mansion. Next question: How’s he going to get to work? Michael Bloomberg, who lives in his Upper East Side townhouse while using Gracie for special events, made a habit […]
Bill Bratton Will Be the Police Chief Tasked With Implementing Vision Zero
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Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has selected Bill Bratton to serve as New York City’s next police commissioner. Bratton occupied the same post from 1994 to 1996 under the Giuliani administration and is credited with pioneering data-driven policing techniques. After Bratton left, one of the innovations his deputies introduced was TrafficStat, a system that tracked crash […]
De Blasio Selects Anthony Shorris as His Top Deputy
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Earlier today Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio named Anthony Shorris to the post of first deputy mayor. An experienced public official whose resume in city government extends back to the Koch administration, Shorris will be tasked with the day-to-day running of the city. His selection is seen as reassuring the city’s business establishment without alienating de […]
Give to Streetsblog and Streetfilms and Enter to Win a New PUBLIC Bike
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As recently as 2007, there were no protected bike lanes in New York City, plans to enhance major bus routes were sitting on a shelf, and city transportation officials were still trying to do things like convert neighborhood commercial streets into high-speed traffic sewers. Streetsblog and Streetfilms helped change that. We raised expectations for our […]
You Know What’s Fundamentally Regressive? NYC’s Current Toll System
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Well, a few words from Andrew Cuomo made clear that fixing NYC’s broken road pricing system won’t be on the table before next year’s statewide elections. But some opponents of congestion pricing — notably, Eastern Queens City Council Member Mark Weprin — are warming to Sam Schwartz’s toll reform plan, which calls for a uniform […]
NYC DOT Shares Its Five Principles for Designing Safer Streets
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Earlier this month, NYC DOT put out a major new report, Making Safer Streets [PDF], that collects before-and-after data from dozens of street redesigns and distills five key principles to reduce traffic injuries. The excitement of election week overshadowed the release, but this is an important document that livable streets supporters will want to bookmark. […]