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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

Photo: NY Governor's Office/Flickr

Let’s Hear More About All the Money Cuomo Wastes on Not Fixing the Subways

By Ben Fried | Aug 7, 2017 | 5 Comments
De Blasio's proposal for a millionaires tax to fund transit may or may not win him some short-term political points, but it's definitely muddling the message that voters need to hear: Governor Cuomo runs the subways and should pay for fixing them.

A Look at Chicago’s New Intersection Design Where Two Bikeways Cross Paths Downtown

By Ben Fried | Jul 28, 2017 | 9 Comments
Chicago is implementing intersections with more robust safety features where bikeways intersect in the Loop. On a recent trip, Clarence Eckerson Jr. made this short Streetfilm of the intersection of Dearborn and Randolph streets.
Photo: @PatrickGilmour/Flickr

All Those NYPD Bike Tickets Aren’t Fixing the Streets Where Neftaly Ramirez Lost His Life

By Ben Fried | Jul 27, 2017 | 8 Comments
In these videos, you can see some of the major pathologies in New York City's culture of disregard for street safety: NYPD's complete disdain for bike infrastructure, the deference to placard holders, the lack of incentives for delivery fleets to park lawfully, and the absence of a coherent system for commercial loading.
Photo: NY Governor's Office/Flickr

De Blasio Should Drive a Hard Bargain With Cuomo on Transit, Not Cede to All His Demands

By Ben Fried | Jul 26, 2017 | 8 Comments
If you think transit riders would be well-served by de Blasio meekly going along with Cuomo's demands, look at what happened the last time the two struck a bargain on transit.
Transit signal priority holds green lights and shortens red lights for buses. Image: NYC DOT

There’s No Excuse to Keep NYC Bus Riders Waiting for Smarter, Faster Traffic Signals

By Ben Fried | Jul 24, 2017 | 4 Comments
Giving buses priority at traffic signals has improved speeds by an average of 18 percent on the five MTA routes where the technology is live, according to a new DOT report [PDF]. "Transit signal priority" (TSP) could reverse a citywide decline in bus speeds that has caused riders to abandon bus service in droves -- but only if DOT and the MTA apply it at scale.
Gov. Cuomo. Photo: Governor’s Office/Flickr

Andrew Cuomo’s MTA Propaganda Should Scare the Bejeezus Out of You

By Ben Fried | Jul 21, 2017 | 32 Comments
NYC transit service is starting to earn comparisons to the bad old 1980s, and Governor Cuomo wants you to know one thing -- it's not his fault.
The DOT project calls for six miles of protected bike lanes on Northern Boulevard and other streets near Joe Michaels Mile. Image: DOT

Queens CB 11 Plans Secret Meeting to Delay Northern Blvd Safety Fixes [Updated]

By Ben Fried | Jul 14, 2017 | 3 Comments
Earlier this year, Queens Community Board 11 voted for a DOT project to create several miles of protected bike lanes linking to the Joe Michaels Mile bike path. There were multiple public meetings about the redesign, but now members of the board are planning a closed meeting on Monday to hear objections to it.
Photo: Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Eyes on the Street: Introducing the 111th Street Protected Bike Lane

By Ben Fried | Jul 13, 2017 | 2 Comments
This just in: DOT crews are laying down green paint on the new 111th Street bike lane next to Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Work on the project started back in April, and new stripes have been in place for weeks, but until now people were still parking in the bike lane. With this green coat, the whole project is snapping into place.
A 7 train platform became dangerously crowded this morning.

Transit Riders Need a Crusader in Albany. Is Jeff Dinowitz Up For It?

By Ben Fried | Jul 12, 2017 | 1 Comment
The cratering of NYC transit service has created an opening to solve thorny problems that have become deeply embedded in the MTA over many years. Transit riders need public servants who'll muster every available means to shed more light on the causes of NYC's transit crisis.
To keep making progress on traffic safety, redesigns as substantial as this protected bike lane planned for Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn will have to be implemented citywide. Image: NYC DOT

Let’s Not Get Complacent as Traffic Deaths Continue to Fall in NYC

By Ben Fried | Jul 7, 2017 | 1 Comment
The de Blasio administration's Vision Zero policies are working. And the safer streets get, the harder the city will have to work to keep making progress.
Gov. Cuomo. Photo: Governor’s Office/Flickr

Crowding Is a Symptom of What Ails the Subways, Not a Cause

By Ben Fried | Jun 28, 2017 | 14 Comments
The Times came out with a piece on subway delays this morning that's getting heavy play on Twitter. It has some compelling visualizations of the rise in ridership and decline in reliability, but it starts off by framing poor service in a way that obscures the root of the subway's troubles.
Speed cameras have dramatically reduced speeding where they've been installed, but without action from Albany, most NYC school zones won't be protected. Photo: NYC Mayor's Office

A Phone Call Today to Your State Senator Could Prevent Deadly Speeding and Save Lives

By Ben Fried | Jun 27, 2017 | 2 Comments
Tomorrow the State Senate can make up for its inaction during the regular 2017 legislative session and vote to expand New York City's automated enforcement program, but it won't happen without public pressure.
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