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
The 2017 NYC Streetsies, Part 1
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Good things did in fact happen in 2017, and with this installment of the Streetsies we celebrate the good things that happened to NYC streets.
Cast Your Vote for the 2017 NYC Streetsies
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Welcome to the Streetsies, our annual year-in-review in the guise of an online awards ceremony.
Give to Streetsblog and Make New York a Better City for Walking, Biking, and Transit in 2018
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As you settle in for the holidays, please take a moment to consider making a year-end donation to Streetsblog and Streetfilms.
Bill de Blasio and the Narcissism of the Windshield Perspective
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Other New Yorkers have to lose time with their families because their bus home moves at walking speed. It's a different city than the one the mayor experiences, ferried from place to place by police escort, conducting business in the backseat of an SUV.
Marty Golden Would Have Gotten Away With Impersonating a Cop, If It Weren’t for That Meddling Cyclist
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Who do you believe: Brian Howald, who has nothing to gain from saying that Golden used his parking placard to impersonate an officer? Or State Senator Marty Golden, who has everything to lose?
State Senator Marty Golden, Flashing Parking Placard and Threatening Arrest, Bullies Cyclist Out of His Car’s Way
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In Albany, Golden is one of the chief obstructionists of expanding New York City's speed camera program, which is impervious to placard corruption and has flagged the same car he was riding in last night for several violations over the past few years.
Eyes on the Street: Jay Street Bikeway Segment Connects DUMBO to Downtown Brooklyn and the Manhattan Bridge
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This short, contraflow parking-protected bike lane segment gives cyclists a safe, direct route out of DUMBO.
Never Mind the BQX, Fix the Bus System
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New Yorkers will be fine without a Brooklyn-Queens waterfront streetcar. But without a useful bus system, the city's in trouble.
De Blasio Can Build a Progressive Transportation Legacy, But Not If He Kills Congestion Pricing
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For all his straining effort to paint himself as a progressive leader, the mayor's signature transportation initiatives have done little for New York City's working class.
What We Owe Gothamist and DNAinfo
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When I started reporting for Streetsblog in 2008, writing about biking as transportation was still an oddity in NYC media, and community boards were making crucial decisions about streets and transit with very little public scrutiny. Reporters with Gothamist and DNAinfo changed that, and I want to take a moment to recognize those contributions.
Let’s Get Serious About Capping Car Speeds in Crowded Cities
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Sound outlandish? The barriers are not as intimidating as they might seem.
Thank You for a Wonderful Streets Ball and Give It Up One More Time for Our Honorees!
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On behalf of the staff at Streetsblog and Streetfilms, thank you to everyone who came out last night to support our work at our annual benefit. It's always a thrill to be in the same room with so many people who value the media we make, and who are doing so much to improve walking, biking, and transit in their neighborhoods.