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
Cartoon Tuesday: Who’s Gonna Keep You Supplied, Man?
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From cartoonist Mark Fiore comes this animation of a hyperactive Ziploc baggy. Before clicking through to see why it’s so amped up, here’s some suggested reading from the New York Times: Sex, Drug Use and Graft Cited in Interior Department Frustration in the South as a Gasoline Shortage Drags On Enjoy the afternoon and Shana […]
Memo to MTV: “Pimp My Bike” = Ratings Gold
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Via TreeHugger, this YouTube clip features Oakland’s Trunk Boiz boasting about their scraper bikes, which sport custom-painted frames and rims to match (more photos here). The video has become an online sensation, drawing more than two million views. Tyrone Stevenson, one of the creators of the scraper bike style, is ready to capitalize, reports NPR: […]
America’s Least Wanted Highways
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The Congress for New Urbanism released a highly entertaining top ten list today: the North American highways most in need of demolition. At the top is Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct, a structurally damaged elevated highway that, if removed, would free up 335 acres of public land by Elliott Bay. New York’s Sheridan Expressway, which traverses […]
Brookings: Feds Should Stop Giving Transit Projects the Run-Around
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Americans are moving to areas with better transit access, but their options are limited. Via Dave Roberts at Grist, this congressional testimony from Robert Puentes of the Brookings Institution [PDF] is a must-read for anyone interested in how the country can reduce dependence on cars and fossil fuels. High gas prices and soaring transit ridership […]
Cartoon Tuesday: On-Street Edition
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This intriguing bit of street art is the work of Peter Gibson, a.k.a. "Roadsworth", who’s been painting Montreal streets, sidewalks, and public spaces since 2001. He’s motivated by "a desire for more bike paths in the city and a questioning of ‘car culture’ in general," according to the design blog Toxel, where you can catch […]
Urbanism: Not Just for Lefties
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The American Prospect reports on a bi-partisan panel at the University of Minnesota last week where some dyed-in-the-wool Republicans declared their affinity for urbanism and opposition to sprawl: Policies in favor of dense development shouldn’t be viewed on a left-right spectrum and certainly needn’t be filtered through culture-war rhetoric, the panelists said. In fact, one […]
U.S. Senate Getting Serious About Transit Stimulus
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The Wall Street Journal reports that momentum is building in the Senate for additional federal transit funding: The Senate banking committee will hold a hearing Tuesday to examine how the government can strengthen mass-transit options as a way to reduce dependence on imported oil. Meanwhile, House and Senate leaders debating a new energy bill are […]
Who Loves Traffic? Dan and the Highway Lobby
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U.S. PIRG has picked a winner in its "21st Century Transportation" video contest, and it’s this irony-soaked entry. Meet "Dan," a guy who just can’t get enough stop-and-go time on the highway. He loves sitting in traffic, and the last thing he wants to see is adequately funded transit giving people an attractive alternative to […]
Wiki Wednesday: Beijing
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All the overhead shots of the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube on NBC’s Olympic coverage don’t leave much room for views of Beijing’s streets. But that’s where much of the commotion about smog, absentee athletes and particle masks originates. While the city has taken the unwieldy step of rationing license plates to clear the […]
Transit Stimulus Bill Needs Co-Sponsors in Senate
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Two weeks ago, Hillary Clinton introduced a bill in the Senate to provide emergency funds for local transit agencies. Since then, the rest of the delegation from New York and New Jersey appears to have lined up behind the legislation. "We believe that Senators Schumer, Lautenberg, and Menendez support it," says Larry Hanley of the […]
Bike-Share Debuts in Washington D.C.
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Public bike-share in the U.S. hit a milestone yesterday when SmartBike DC, the first program of its kind in an American city, launched in full. Coverage in the Washington Post was heavy on the implications for D.C.’s image: Today the city will join the ranks of Paris and Barcelona with the launch of the first […]
Wiki Wednesday: Urban Bicycling With Children
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Already a prolific contributor to the Streetsblog Flickr pool, BicyclesOnly has recently put together a StreetsWiki guide to "Urban Bicycling With Children." The entry kicks off with a look at some of the less obvious benefits to biking with kids: Bicycling with children initiates so-called "virtuous cycles" that further promote bicycling. Parents who bicycle with their children […]