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
ITDP: American Bus Rapid Transit Can Catch Up to the Rest of the World
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Attempts by U.S. cities to build Bus Rapid Transit systems tend to get stymied by a Catch-22: Most Americans have no experience riding great BRT, so mustering the political will to build full-fledged systems — and reallocate the necessary street space from cars to buses — is often fiendishly difficult. The results — incremental bus […]
Angie Schmitt Goes Toe-to-Toe With Northeast Ohio Sprawl Boosters
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Angie’s on sabbatical this week attending the Knight Digital Media Center’s News Entrepreneur Bootcamp in Los Angeles. To help tide you over until she gets back, here’s a clip from a northeast Ohio radio show she recently appeared on called “The Civic Commons.” Inspired by a post Angie put together a few weeks ago (headline: […]
Chuck Schumer: America Needs More Streets Like Prospect Park West
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Senator Chuck Schumer broke his long public silence on the redesigned Prospect Park West in dramatic fashion this morning, leading members of Congress on a two-wheeled tour of the physically separated bike lane that runs past his Brooklyn home. Schumer used the occasion to announce that he’ll be introducing new legislation to promote investment in […]
Help Us Build a Better Blog: Take the Streetsblog Reader Survey
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I promise this will be quick, and probably even fun. We’ve put together a short questionnaire for our readers. Take the survey and tell us a little bit about yourself, why you read Streetsblog, and any feedback you have about the site. It takes a couple of minutes and will do a world of good […]
Fred Barnes: Americans Mainly Want to Stay in Their Cars
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After yesterday’s electoral drubbing, the Obama administration will have to deal with a starkly different Congress when they make their expected push for a multi-year transportation bill early next year. We know that some influential House Republicans, like John Mica, don’t necessarily believe that bigger highways will solve America’s transportation problems. And we know that […]
Ray LaHood, Chris Christie Extend ARC Talks
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Well, we’ve now entered a phase of the ARC drama where I think it’s fair to wonder whether Chris Christie may simply be adept at brinkmanship. After having a sit-down with Ray LaHood in Trenton today, Christie agreed to reconsider his decision to kill the trans-Hudson rail tunnel project. Sprawl vs. compact development, traffic vs. […]
Introducing Tanya Snyder, Streetsblog’s New National Reporter
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You may have noticed a new byline popping up on Streetsblog lately, and it’s time to finally make it official: We’re pleased to announce the arrival of Tanya Snyder as our new reporter tracking the national transportation policy beat. Before joining Streetsblog, Tanya covered Congress for Pacifica Radio’s Washington Bureau and for public radio stations […]
Is Your Home Less Affordable Than You Think, or More?
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This spring, the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology made a big policy splash when they released the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index. CNT’s work — including a nifty mapping tool — made it easy to see that "affordable" housing wasn’t so affordable when it’s located in car-dependent areas that come saddled with high but underappreciated […]
Today Denverites Ride Public Bikes. Tomorrow They’ll Speak Esperanto.
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The Colorado governor’s race was always going to be one for sustainable transportation advocates to keep an eye on. The likely Democratic nominee, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, has built a solid resume of support for transit and bicycling. But recent events suggest the green transportation/livable streets stakes may be waaaaay higher than expected. Dan Maes: […]
Livable Communities Act Clears Senate Committee
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The Senate Banking Committee voted 12-10 yesterday in favor of the Livable Communities Act, legislation that would bolster the Obama administration’s initiatives to link together transportation, housing, economic development, and environmental policy. Shaun Donovan, Ray LaHood, Lisa Jackson: Together forever? The Livable Communities Act would codify the partnership between HUD, US DOT, and the EPA. […]
Why Isn’t Traffic Reduction a Top Public Health Concern?
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Earlier this week, Ken Archer at Greater Greater Washington posted this revealing graphic showing the relationship between the amount of driving we do in the United States and the death toll on our roads. Even as conventional traffic safety techniques have made driving less deadly, the rise in miles driven knocked back those improvements. It […]
Why Isn't Traffic Reduction a Top Public Health Concern?
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Earlier this week, Ken Archer at Greater Greater Washington posted this revealing graphic showing the relationship between the amount of driving we do in the United States and the death toll on our roads. Even as conventional traffic safety techniques have made driving less deadly, the rise in miles driven knocked back those improvements. It […]