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
Families of NYC Traffic Violence Victims Band Together for Safer Streets
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On Sunday, New Yorkers who’ve lost loved ones to traffic violence gathered on the steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan to launch Families for Safe Streets, a new initiative advocating for street designs and traffic enforcement that will save lives. In this moving Streetfilm, members of Families for Safe Streets talk about their goals […]
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 […]
Why TIME Magazine Got the Bixi Story Wrong
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Major media have a habit of blowing bike-share problems out of proportion. Witness the 2009 BBC story that cast theft and vandalism as an existential threat to Velib in Paris. Five years later, Velib is still going strong. The most recent entry in the genre is Christopher Matthews’ misguided story on the Bixi bankruptcy in TIME. Headline: […]
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 New York’s Citi Bike and Chicago’s Divvy, 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. […]
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 […]
NYC’s Next Transportation Commissioner Is Polly Trottenberg
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Bill de Blasio has appointed U.S. DOT Under Secretary for Policy Polly Trottenberg to lead the New York City Department of Transportation. Trottenberg is a veteran federal policy maker, whose resume includes stints working for New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan on the 1998 federal transportation bill and for Senator Chuck Schumer. At the Obama […]
New Layer of Red Tape From FHWA Threatens to Delay NYC Bike Projects
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The Federal Highway Administration is seeking to impose a new layer of bureaucratic review on New York City bike projects, which could significantly delay the implementation of street redesigns that have proven to reduce traffic injuries and deaths. According to a source in city government, FHWA wants the New York State DOT to review each […]
NYC DOT Shares Its Five Principles for Designing Safer Streets
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Earlier this month, NYC DOT put out a major new report, Making Safer Streets [PDF], that collects before-and-after data from dozens of street redesigns and distills five key principles to reduce traffic injuries. The excitement of election week overshadowed the release, but this is an important document that livable streets supporters will want to bookmark. […]
Bid While You Can: Streetsblog’s Online Auction Ends Tomorrow at Midnight
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There are less than 36 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 […]
Help Streetsblog Keep the Lights on — Donate Today
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We’re extending our spring pledge drive til the end of the week to reach our target of $40,000 in reader donations. If you haven’t given already, please make a tax-free gift today and help keep Streetsblog and Streetfilms going strong this year. Streetsblog and Streetfilms rely on individual donations, foundation support, and sponsorships and ads […]
Support Pro-Human Transportation Journalism – Give to Streetsblog
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We are rolling right along with our spring pledge drive. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far — your donations will be converted into Streetsblog posts making the case for more livable streets and Streetfilms videos showing success stories and ideas from cities around the world. But we need more readers to step up […]
Pledge to Streetsblog and This Awesome Elly Blue Collection Could Be Yours
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Have you given to Streetsblog’s spring pledge drive yet? If not, may I suggest that this is the week to do so. In addition to supporting livable streets journalism and putting yourself in the running to win a Dahon folding bike, you could take home a sweet collection of books and zines courtesy of eminent […]