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
Be a Streetsblog Superhero and Give to Our Spring Pledge Drive
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We’ve all seen the graphs: Driving and car ownership have passed their peak in America, while transit ridership and biking are on the rise. On the ground, however, city buses still move at a crawl, bogged down in traffic. Most streets remain too dangerous for most people to feel comfortable biking on them. And the […]
Should Streets Be Designed for Easy Double-Parking or Safe Bicycling?
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After removing a downtown Providence highway segment, Rhode Island officials are figuring out how to redevelop 20 acres of prime city land. One outcome that local advocates are pushing for is a redesign of South Main Street with a two-way protected bike lane, reports James Kennedy at Transport Providence. In this proposal, most of the […]
Parking Politics Take a Bite Out of Downtown Raleigh
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Donald Shoup, the godfather of parking policy, likes to point out that city planners make decisions about parking based on the politics of avoiding on-street parking squabbles, instead of broad public policy concerns like the affordability of housing, the viability of transit, or the health of downtown. Today on the Streetsblog Network, Leo Suarez at […]
There Is No Doubt That Automated Traffic Enforcement Saves Lives
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Taking up one of the contrarian slots in today’s “Room for Debate” segment about Vision Zero and pedestrian safety in NYC, Jennifer Lynch of The Electronic Frontier Foundation staked out the civil libertarian position against automated traffic enforcement. EFF does great legal and policy work in general, but Lynch is way off base here. At […]
Streetsblog Capitol Hill Is Now Streetsblog USA
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I’m pleased to announce that our national news site has a new name: Streetsblog USA. Say it with pride. Why the change? Simply put, “Streetsblog USA” is a better reflection of the nationwide coverage that Tanya Snyder and Angie Schmitt are producing. The new name was a long time coming. Streetsblog Capitol Hill launched five […]
Bixi Bankruptcy: What Does It Mean for American Bike-Share?
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The Montreal-based equipment supplier for several American bike-share systems, including Citi Bike, filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday. It’s unclear exactly how the restructuring or sale of the company known as Bixi will play out, but the bankruptcy filing could accelerate the transition to more robust and reliable hardware and software for Citi Bike and other […]
How Liberating Is Your Transit System? An Interview With Jarrett Walker
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I first became aware of Jarrett Walker’s work through his blog, Human Transit, a few years ago. Here was someone writing about transit in a completely refreshing way, framing questions not in terms of mode or technology but through the prism of values and desires. To call Walker’s site a transit blog doesn’t quite do […]
We’re Hiring: Streetsblog Is Searching for a Managing Editor
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Streetsblog is looking for a talented journalist to shape and oversee coverage throughout our growing family of news sites. The Managing Editor will work with the Editor-in-Chief and our roster of editors and reporters to hone Streetsblog’s coverage of transportation and planning issues, grow our audience, and bring our brand of advocacy journalism to more […]
Bid While You Can: Streetsblog’s Online Auction Ends Tonight at 9 PM
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There are just over 12 hours left in Streetsblog’s first online auction, with more than a dozen items up for grabs. Whether or not you win an auction item in the end, your bids will help Streetsblog and Streetfilms produce media that makes the case for safer streets, effective transit, and livable neighborhoods. So why wait […]
Fox Business Tries and Fails to Capture the Dorothy Rabinowitz Magic
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Watch the latest video at <a href=”http://video.foxbusiness.com”>video.foxbusiness.com</a> Might the talking heads at Fox Business turn their gaze to the Plaza Hotel’s lawsuit against a nearby Citi Bike station and sneer at the frivolous litigation tying up our courts? Of course not. Watch Dorothy Rabinowitz wannabes Melissa Francis and Fred Tecce spend four and half minutes […]
NYC’s First Speed Cameras Will Go Into Effect When Kids Head Back to School
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Mayor Bloomberg joined Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and NYPD Chief of Transportation James Tuller outside a Crown Heights high school this morning to announce the impending launch of the city’s first automated speed enforcement program. Cameras issuing fines for drivers who exceed the speed limit by 10 mph or more will begin operating on September […]
Colbert Gets in on This Whole Rabinowitz Thing
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It’s not quite as brilliant as Al Madrigal’s segment on the Daily Show last week, but Stephen Colbert’s riff on Dorothy Rabinowitz at the end of this clip is totally worth your time this morning.