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
Coming Next Week: Streetsblog Chicago
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After setting up transportation news sites covering New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and national policy, next Tuesday Streetsblog will be expanding for the first time in four years with the launch of Streetsblog Chicago. The reporters producing Streetsblog Chicago are John Greenfield and Steven Vance, who have built an impressive audience for local transportation […]
How Bike Corrals Expand New Yorkers’ Access to Businesses
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A quick note about the new bike corral on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights, which got a vote of approval from the local community board after hundreds of signatures were gathered in support of it. The Prospect Heights Patch reports that two local residents see the on-street bike parking as a symbol of gentrification and […]
The Public Process for Bike Lanes Right Under Christine Quinn’s Nose
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Ignoring the 66 percent approval rating for bike lanes in the latest New York Times poll, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn dropped this whopper in an interview with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer at a tourism industry event last Friday: “Bike lanes are clearly controversial,” Quinn said. “And one of the problems with bike lanes — and I’m […]
NYC DOT Prepares for 12,000 Parking Meter-to-Bike Rack Conversions
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The Post reported some good news this morning: NYC DOT has contracted with Louis Barbato Landscaping to make 12,000 bike racks that can be affixed to defunct single-space parking meter poles. A few years ago, when DOT started phasing out single-space meters en masse and replacing them with Muni meters, it seemed like there was […]
Thanks to Everyone Who Gave to Streetsblog and Streetfilms in 2012
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On behalf of the staff of Streetsblog and Streetfilms I’d like to extend a warm thank you to everyone who donated to our year-end pledge drive. Reader support is what keeps us going, and this year everyone contributed in a big way. We’ve counted up the online donations and the checks that came in the […]
Private Dump Truck Driver Kills Woman at 23rd and Madison
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Gothamist reports that a private dump truck driver ran over and killed a woman this afternoon in Manhattan: A woman was fatally struck by a private sanitation truck in the Flatiron district in Manhattan today. According to police, the incident happened around 12:26 p.m. at East 23rd Street and Madison Avenue. An NYPD spokesperson confirmed […]
Brooklyn CB 16 Committee Votes to Bring Bike Lanes to Brownsville
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The transportation committee of Brooklyn Community Board 16 last night voted in favor of a plan to stripe Brownsville’s first bike lanes, reports Nupur Chaudhury of the local non-profit Brownsville Partnership. The plan presented by NYC DOT would stripe four bike routes in Brownsville and East New York: on New Lots Avenue, Pitkin Avenue, Mother […]
Lentol: DOT Study of Pulaski Bridge Bike Lane Slated to Wrap By March
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Quick update on the campaign for a protected two-way bikeway on the Pulaski Bridge: We don’t know if DOT is going to implement one yet, but we know when they’ll make a decision. Yesterday, Assembly Member Joe Lentol sent out word that DOT chief Janette Sadik-Khan told him the agency will wrap up its feasibility […]
Tomorrow: Manhattan CB 2 Takes Up Ped Safety Fixes and Bike Corrals
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The 2013 Streetsblog calendar kicks off with a slate of pedestrian safety measures and bike corrals up for discussion at Manhattan Community Board 2. The traffic and transportation committee will be considering safety improvements for the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Canal Street, as well as a package of sidewalk extensions, daylighting, and other upgrades […]
The 2012 NYC Streetsies, Part 3
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Welcome to the third and final installment of the 2012 NYC Streetsies. If you’re just joining us, read parts one and two first. Note: The Streetsblog and Streetfilms year-end pledge drive ends at midnight, which means time is running out to enter to win a Specialized hybrid bike courtesy of Bicycle Habitat. Everyone who gives […]
The 2012 NYC Streetsies, Part 2
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The second installment of the Streetsies is reserved for everyone who made the year’s worst news. Streetsie aficionados will recognize a lot of familiar faces in the 2012 edition. For the best local transportation projects of the year, check out part one. We interrupt this installment of the Streetsies for a year-end pledge drive update. […]
The 2012 NYC Streetsies, Part 1
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Streetsblog NYC is kicking off our annual awards bonanza with a look at the projects that did the most to improve walking, biking, and transit on New York City streets in 2012. Catch up on the people’s choice voting before you dive in, and stay tuned for more Streetsies before the new year. Also, we […]