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
From Minnesota to Mississippi, Telling Congress to Save Bike-Ped Programs
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Ed. Note: As of 3:30pm EDT, the House has concluded debate on a 60-day extension of transportation programs, with a vote scheduled for later tonight. Stay tuned for further coverage. For more than 20 years, federal funding for bike and pedestrian safety has enabled American cities and towns to invest in transportation projects that state […]
A Bike Company Offers a Prescription for America’s Health Care Cost Crisis
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One of the most talked-about presentations at this week’s National Bike Summit came from Jason Gaikowski, director of sales for the Bloomington, Minnesota-based wholesale distributor Quality Bicycle Products. Over the last several years, QBP has ramped up its employee health and wellness program, which includes incentives to bike to work. At a time when most employers […]
Americans Can’t Afford a Highway-Centric Transportation Bill
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Gas prices, you may have heard, are on the rise again. And so is pandering about pain at the pump. Four years after $4 a gallon gas spawned “Drill, Baby, Drill” and insane political gimmickry on the presidential campaign trail (remember the “gas tax holiday” favored by John McCain and Hillary Clinton?), gas price populism […]
Six Lies the GOP Is Telling About the House Transportation Bill
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The transportation-plus-drilling bill that John Boehner and company are trying to ram through the House is an attack on transit riders, pedestrians, cyclists, city dwellers, and every American who can’t afford to drive everywhere. Under this bill, all the dedicated federal funding streams for transit, biking, and walking would disappear, leading to widespread service cuts […]
Say Hello to Luna Blue Evans-Snyder
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Introducing the newest member of the Streetsblog family… Luna Blue Evans-Snyder was born the afternoon of January 13. She weighed in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces. As you might imagine, Tanya’s byline is going to be a little scarce over the next several weeks. If you’d like to send her well-wishes and recommendations for a […]
Give This Week and Levi’s Commuter Jeans Could Be Yours
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I’m pleased to announce that thanks to an outpouring of support these past two weeks, Streetsblog and Streetfilms are more than halfway to our goal of raising $25,000 by the end of the year. If you haven’t given yet and you value the high-impact reporting and videos that we produce day in and day out, […]
NJ Senator Lautenberg Introduces Bill to Limit Bridge and Tunnel Tolls
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Last summer, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey raised EZPass tolls from $8 to cross a bridge into the city during peak hours to $9.50, with planned increases to $12.50 in a few years (cash tolls are increasing somewhat more). Tolls for five-axle trucks will rise as high as $125. The hikes […]
Give to Streetsblog and Streetfilms and Enter to Win a Rickshaw Bag
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The year-end pledge drive for Streetsblog and Streetfilms is in full effect. Thanks to everyone who’s contributed so far to support high-impact news, commentary, and videos that make the case for safer streets and sustainable transportation. If you haven’t contributed yet, here’s a little extra incentive. Give between now and the end of the week, […]
Support a Strong Network of Livable Streets Advocates: Give to Streetsblog
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Hardly a day goes by here at Streetsblog without news of another American city getting serious about a new bike-share system, transit boulevard, or highway teardown. Cities are grappling with how to move beyond the 1950s-era, cars-first mentality, and the opportunities for change are palpable. It’s also unusual to go a day without seeing some […]
What If Washington Never Built Metro?
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Rail~Volution 2011 marks the first time since 2002 that this conference for all things transit and smart growth has taken place in the nation’s capital. When it comes to livability, Washington and neighboring Arlington County have some great stories to share with the rest of the country. At the heart of the region’s success is, […]
Arturas Zuokas, World’s Most Bike-Friendly Mayor
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From the Irish Independent: Rebellious Lithuanian mayor Arturas Zuokas has taken clearing bike lanes of illegally parked cars into his own hands. He drove an army personnel carrier over an old Mercedes-Benz S-Class that had been parked in a bike lane in the capital Vilnius in a bid warn owners of “posh” cars that they […]
Got a Job Opening? Place Your Ad on the Streetsblog Jobs Board
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I’m pleased to announce that Streetsblog is adding a new service: the Streetsblog jobs board. If you have a job opening in the fields of urban planning, transportation engineering, or livable streets advocacy, you’ll reach a talented pool of people by placing the position on Streetsblog. Posting on Streetsblog gets the word out about your […]