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
Petition: Support a Climate Bill That Invests in Green Transportation
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At the end of March, representatives Henry Waxman and Ed Markey introduced an ambitious federal climate bill. This is the real deal — the legislative centerpiece of President Obama’s effort to combat global warming. Transportation contributes about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., so any climate bill will have to green […]
Obama Falls Prey to Ribbon-Cutting Syndrome
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Obama greets construction workers at a DC photo op. Photo: AFP via Infrastructurist. At a press event in DC yesterday, President Obama touted the two thousandth transportation project to receive federal stimulus funds. I’m speculating a bit here, but the White House probably had some discretion when choosing which item to highlight for this milestone. […]
NYC Stim Projects Help Fund Big Bike-Ped Improvements
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Brooklyn Bridge upkeep grabbed headlines this morning, but wait til you see what’s happening on Houston Street. Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg unveiled the list of city transportation projects set to receive an injection of federal stimulus cash. Budget-wise, the big ticket items are mostly bridge repair projects, but channeling those stim bucks toward necessary maintenance also […]
Back to the Grid, Part 2: John Norquist on Reclaiming American Cities
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Brady Street, which boasts some of the best street life in Milwaukee, has flourished thanks in part to the defeat of a nearby freeway spur and the redevelopment that followed. Photo: Steve Filmanowicz. As mayor of Milwaukee from 1988 to 2004, CNU President John Norquist made urbanism and livability top priorities. Some of his most […]
Back to the Grid: John Norquist on How to Fix National Transpo Policy
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How can federal policy encourage walkable street networks instead of highways and sprawl? Image: CNU The news coming out of Washington last week jacked up expectations for national transportation policy to new heights. Cabinet members Ray LaHood and Shaun Donovan announced a partnership to connect transportation and housing policy, branded as the "Sustainable Communities Initiative." […]
AARP Joins Campaign to Reform National Transpo Policy
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Photo: AARP AARP announced today that it will join the Transportation for America campaign to advocate for a "broad restructuring" of national transportation policy. In a letter sent to Congressional leaders last week [PDF], AARP said that it is "working to enable older adults to live independently in their homes and communities throughout their lifespan, […]
U.S. DOT: We’re Looking to Build Communities
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Earlier today, New York’s transportation establishment got a feel for the livable streets vibe that’s been emanating from Washington this week. Vice Admiral Thomas Barrett, Deputy Secretary at U.S. DOT, was on hand to deliver the keynote at the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council‘s annual meeting. Here’s one passage that stood out: The one-size-fits-all transportation […]
National Complete Streets Bill Back in Play
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There’s a new Complete Streets Act pending in both chambers of Congress, and it needs co-sponsors. The bill would require federally-funded road projects to meet the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders — not just drivers. To ask your representatives to sign on as co-sponsors, head over to Transportation for America’s e-campaign. Sacramento representative […]
LaHood to Bike Advocates: U.S. DOT Will Be Your “Full Partner”
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BikePortland‘s Jonathan Maus is down in D.C. today for the National Bike Summit, where Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gave the opening address this morning. From Maus’s recap: Photo: Jonathan Maus At the outset of his remarks, he said, “I want all of you to know you have a full partner at the US DOT in […]
Impromptu Shared Space Calms Soho Intersection
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Reader Tim Koelle sends this report of a busted traffic signal gone terribly right at the intersection of West Broadway and Grand yesterday morning: I watched for an hour while cars, trucks and pedestrians shared this space quietly… with civility! Little honking, no aggressive driving, no traffic cop. Why? Because the light was out. No […]
One More Reason to Tear Down the Sheridan Expressway
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The Post reported last week that the Cross-Bronx Expressway — perhaps the most infamous urban freeway on the planet — has earned the title "America’s worst highway." According to traffic analysis firm INRIX, several of the nation’s top bottlenecks are located on the Cross-Bronx: Westbound exits at the Sheridan Expressway rank third worst, White Plains […]
Hope Springs Eternal for American Transpo Policy
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In case you missed the broadcast on Friday, watch this episode of NOW. Told mostly from the perspective of Charlotte’s Pat McCrory, the Republican mayor who brought light rail to North Carolina’s biggest city, the show hits just about every major transportation issue to surface during the stimulus bill debate. Federal policies that discriminate against […]