core/paragraph

align

linkDestination

caption

credit

creditUrl

originalHeight

originalWidth

srcset

height

width

core/image

<p>Larisa Ortiz is a former New York City Planning Commissioner and expert focused on retail, commercial corridors, and downtowns. She is a managing director at Streetsense and a member of the Regional Plan Association’s New York Committee.</p>


Larisa Ortiz headshot color

Larisa Ortiz

Screenshot

e-bikes

Opinion: E-Bikes Are An Economic Boost That Cities Must Encourage

<p>Before joining Streetsblog, Sophia Lebowitz was a filmmaker and journalist covering transportation and culture in New York City.</p>


sophia lebowitz 2

Sophia Lebowitz

citi bike nj spd

Bicycling

NJ Legislature Poised to Pass Victim-Blaming E-Bike Restrictions

Delivery worker deactivation rally_3

Delivery workers

At Last: Council To Pass Delivery Worker Deactivation Protections

Ken Coughlin is a member of Community Board 7 in Manhattan. For <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2018/04/20/central-park-goes-car-free-forever-on-june-27" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than two decades</a>, no one <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2018/06/27/say-goodbye-to-cars-in-central-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worked harder</a> to get rid of cars in Central Park.

ken coughlin

Ken Coughlin

cars in central park 1

OPINION: I Led the Campaign To Get Cars Out Of Central Park, But I Strongly Oppose an E-Bike Ban

<div class="c-message_kit__blocks c-message_kit__blocks--rich_text">
<div class="c-message__message_blocks c-message__message_blocks--rich_text" data-qa="message-text">
<div class="p-block_kit_renderer" data-qa="block-kit-renderer">
<div class="p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper--first">
<div class="p-rich_text_block" dir="auto">
<div class="p-rich_text_section">Nolan Hicks is a longtime reporter in New York City, who focuses on investigative stories. He spent six years at The New York Post where his stories prompted the MTA to redesign parts of the Second Avenue Subway&#8217;s East Harlem extension and helped uncover the LIRR overtime scandal. As a contributor to Curbed/New York Magazine, he dove into Amtrak&#8217;s failing power grid, NJ Transit&#8217;s reliability crisis and why it costs the MTA $100 million to put elevators into stations. He has also worked at the New York Daily News, Austin American-Statesman and San Antonio Express-News.  He joined Streetsblog in January 2025.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>


IMG_5905

Nolan Hicks

Geoffrey Radbill and life partner, Jan Kohn, were key backers of a new center at the Bowling Green State University.

radbill-geoffrey

Carnage

Van Driver Kills Cyclist on Riverside Drive: Cops

Delivery worker on Joco e-bike busway

Report: DOT is Undercounting The E-Bike Boom

streetsblog-nyc-logo-alt

streetsblog-nyc-logo-dark

lede_post_card_default

lede_post_card_stacked

lede_post_card_featured_post

lede_post_card_featured_post_3:2

lede_post_card_featured_post_1:1

lede_post_card_featured_posts_hero

lede_post_card_featured_posts_hero_3:2

lede_post_card_featured_posts_hero_1:1

lede_post_card_featured_posts_sidebar

lede_post_card_highlighted_post

lede_post_card_horizontal_a

lede_post_card_horizontal_c

lede_post_card_related_post

lede_post_card_square

lede_article_featured_16x9

lede_article_featured_16x9_full_width

lede_article_featured_3x2

lede_article_featured_3x2_full_width

lede_article_featured_1x1

lede_article_featured_1x1_full_width

lede_article_featured_flexible

lede_article_featured_flexible_full_width

lede_article_content

lede_article_content_wide_width

lede_article_content_full_width

lede_byline_avatar_post_card

lede_byline_avatar_highlight

lede_profile_coral_avatar

lede_logo

lede_logo_banner

lede_logo_footer_banner

lede_logo_simple_header

lede_sponsorship_logo

lede_sponsorship_logo_river_card

lede_sponsorship_homepage_card_logo

lede_sponsorship_homepage_card

lede_leaderboard

Awesome Categories

Streetsblog Basics

Streetsblog Network

Top Categories

Covering the fight for sustainable cities

streetsblog-nyc-logo

Streetsblog New York City

Donate to Streetsblog

SB NYC Initials 16-9 crop

Support Streetsblog

NYPD Williamsburg Bridge

Criminal Crackdown on Cyclists 2025

‘Zohramp’ At Williamsburg Bridge Still NYPD Ticket Trap

<p>Kea Wilson has more than a dozen years of experience as a writer telling emotional, urgent and actionable stories that motivate average Americans to get involved in making their cities better places. She is also a novelist, cyclist, and affordable housing advocate. She previously worked at Strong Towns, and currently lives in St. Louis, MO. Kea can be reached at <a href="mailto:kea@streetsblog.org">kea@streetsblog.org</a> or on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/streetsblogkea">@streetsblogkea</a>.</p>


Kea-wilson-headshot square

Kea Wilson

crash-with-empty-pocket-man2

People

The ‘Affordability Crisis’ Conversation Can’t Leave Out the Cost of Cars

bloody crash with gavel

Pedestrian safety

What Is A Life Worth In NYC? In Fatal Crashes, Sometimes Just $50

<p>Tabloid legend Gersh Kuntzman has been with New York newspapers since 1989, including stints at the New York Daily News, the Post, the Brooklyn Paper and even a cup of coffee with the Times. He&#8217;s also the writer and producer of &#8220;Murder at the Food Coop,&#8221; which was a hit at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2016, and “SUV: The Musical” in 2007. He also writes the Cycle of Rage column, which is <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/category/special-features/cycle-of-rage">archived here</a>.</p>


gersh headshot horizontal square

Gersh Kuntzman

Julie Menin in council

Today's Headlines

Thursday’s Headlines: ‘It’s Menin!’ Edition

<p>David was Streetsblog&#8217;s do-it-all New York City beat reporter from 2015 to 2019. He returned as an editor in 2023 after a three-year stint at the New York Post.</p>


t6qq0j5pf-u6ra8egdr-a2a43d1daba6-512

David Meyer

oplus_0

Lawsuits

Two-Pronged Approach: City Will Appeal Judge’s Block on Astoria Bike Lane But Also Address Her Concerns

<p>Kevin Duggan joined Streetsblog in October, 2022, after covering transportation for amNY. Duggan has been reporting on New York since 2018, starting at Vince DiMiceli’s Brooklyn Paper, where he covered southern Brooklyn neighborhoods and, later, Brownstone Brooklyn. He is on Bluesky at <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/kevinduggan.bsky.social">@kevinduggan.bsky.social</a> and his email address is <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/about/staff-board/kevin@streetsblog.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kevin@streetsblog.org</a>.</p>


kevin square crop

Kevin Duggan

zohran with Tisch bubble

Mamdani Says He Opposes Tisch’s Criminal Bike Crackdown — But It’s Apparently Still in Place

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

<p>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.</p>


Ben Fried

post

burnt out moped

Lithium-Ion Batteries

‘Con’ Job: Energy Giant Cancels NYCHA E-Bike Battery-Charging Pilot