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
Hundreds of Neighbors Press NYPD for Justice for Slain Mother of Three
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Aileen McKay-Dalton The death of Aileen McKay-Dalton, a mother of three who was struck and killed by an SUV driver while riding her Vespa earlier this month, has galvanized friends, neighbors, and Fort Greene residents trying to make sense of their sudden loss and the anemic NYPD response that followed. In the late afternoon on […]
Summer Streets 2010: Dumpster Diving for the Masses
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See the full-size route map. Here we are, halfway through July, which means Summer Streets are coming around again. NYCDOT announced today that the city’s flagship car-free event will be happening on three Saturdays in August — the 7th, 14th, and 21st. The route and the times haven’t changed — you’ll need to get an […]
NYC’s Car-Free Majority Deserves a Share of Defunct Bus Stops
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Photo: cyclosity/Flickr When the MTA service cuts took effect last month, 570 bus stops around the city suddenly became a collective no-man’s land. Buses weren’t pulling up to the curb anymore, creating an irresistible vacuum for motorists. If you belong to a neighborhood message board or listserve, you may have come across a few dispatches […]
Facebook Tally: PPW Bike Lane Support Outnumbers Opposition 4 to 1
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A lot of neighborhood activists swear by the maxim that it’s easier to organize against something than to drum up support for something new. But apparently this rule of thumb doesn’t apply to the Prospect Park West bike lane. Based on the latest tallies from Facebook, the incipient skirmish over New York’s newest two-way protected […]
Eyes on the Street: Sidewalk Sinkhole in Sunset Park
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A reader sent in these photos of a sidewalk cave-in next to the office of Assembly member Felix W. Ortiz, on Fourth Avenue and 55th Street in Sunset Park: Over the weekend, a bunch of neighbors called in the ominous crack in the sidewalk to 311 (resulting in tape! And a safety horse!), and this […]
We’re Hiring: Lead Streetsblog’s National Coverage
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Editor’s note: Our search for a national reporter to take over Streetsblog Capitol Hill wouldn’t be complete without putting out a call to the audience with the greatest passion for livable streets and sustainable transportation policy — our readers. To apply, send a resume, cover letter, and relevant clips to jobs [at] streetsblog [dot] org. […]
Eyes on the Street: The Nascent First Avenue Bike Lane
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The beginnings of the First Avenue protected bike lane, at St. Mark’s Place. Photo: Ben Fried It’s not finished yet, but some segments of the First Avenue bike lane are quite rideable. I used about eight blocks of it this weekend. This Saturday, I was able to bike from my apartment in Prospect Heights to […]
Accounting for the Economic Payoff of Streetcars and Buses
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Lots of reaction from Streetsblog Network members to yesterday’s big transit grant announcement. They’re thrilled in Fort Worth and Cincinnati, where the FTA distributed the maximum $25 million for new streetcar lines. They’re disappointed in D.C., where the request to fund a streetcar segment linking up with Metro lines was denied. When a billion dollars […]
Feds Announce Winners of $293 Million in Transit Grants
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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FTA chief Peter Rogoff announced the winners of $293 million in competitive grants for bus and streetcar projects today. The biggest chunks of funding will help build streetcar projects in Cincinnati, Charlotte, Fort Worth, and St. Louis, as well as rapid bus corridors in New York and Chicago. All told, […]
Ohio DOT Can’t Fathom Bike-Ped Access on Downtown Cleveland Bridge
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Ohio DOT says this concept drawing of a bike-ped path on the Innerbelt Bridge does not convey a realistic expectation. Image: GreenCityBlueLake We’ve got an update today on a storyline we’ve been following for months: The Ohio Department of Transportation’s refusal to build a path for biking and walking when they replace Cleveland’s I-90 Innerbelt […]
Yes, You Can Move the Needle on Public Support for a Gas Tax Hike
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Public support for increasing the federal gas tax rises if revenues will be spent to combat global warming. Graphic: Mineta Transportation Institute Last week, USA Today reported rather gleefully that the U.S. gas tax has never been lower. Having remained unchanged at 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993, American drivers are now paying half as […]
The Freedom to Not Drive
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The thought of the day comes to us from the island of Oahu, where Doug Carlson writes the "Yes to Rail" blog. Carlson advocates for construction of the Honolulu rail system, recent recipient of a key approval from the Federal Transit Administration. Over the July 4th weekend, he wrote: Traffic backed up after a collision […]