Noah Kazis
Noah joined Streetsblog as a New York City reporter at the start of 2010. When he was a kid, he collected subway paraphernalia in a Vignelli-map shoebox.
Before coming to Streetsblog, he blogged at TheCityFix DC and worked as a field organizer for the Obama campaign in Toledo, Ohio. Noah graduated from Yale University, where he wrote his senior thesis on the class politics of transportation reform in New York City. He lives in Morningside Heights.
Recent Posts
Clinton Hill Celebrates Putnam Plaza With Dance Party
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Last Monday, DOT workers laid down gravel and epoxy on top of the asphalt on a block of Putnam Avenue, transforming the area between Fulton Street and Grand Avenue from through street to public space. On Sunday, Clinton Hill came out to celebrate. The opening weekend block party was captured by local documentary maker Adele […]
Bike Lane Opponents File Appeal in Prospect Park West Lawsuit
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They’re back. Opponents of the Prospect Park West bike lane filed an appeal in their unsuccessful lawsuit against the city yesterday, hoping for a second chance to rip out the safety-enhancing redesign or, perhaps more likely, attract a few more months of headlines. As Streetsblog previously reported, the bike lane opponents will have even lower […]
City Council Singles Out Bike Lanes in Bills to Codify DOT Outreach
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The City Council Transportation Committee held hearings on three bills today, each of which would add more requirements to the Department of Transportation’s review process for street redesigns, especially bike lanes. For the most part, the bills codify what DOT already does: present bike projects to community boards, coordinate with other agencies before implementation, and […]
With CB 8 Vote, East Side Bikeway Ready to Run From Houston to 125th
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Last night, the full board of Manhattan Community Board 8 voted in favor of building a protected bike lane on First Avenue between 60th Street and 96th Street. Once construction is finished, the lane will be one segment of a complete street running from Houston to 125th with Select Bus Service, protected bike lanes and […]
Hylan Blvd SBS Relies More on Fast Payment and Signals, Less on Bus Lanes
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When it comes to Staten Island, the Department of Transportation and MTA are considering a different model for Select Bus Service. The service planned for Hylan Boulevard will provide dedicated bus lanes for less of the route than on existing SBS lines, but high-tech features like transit-friendly traffic lights and even a possible pilot of […]
CB 4 Committee Says Yes to West Side Protected Bike Lanes Up to 59th Street
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DOT’s plan to extend the protected bike lanes on Eighth and Ninth Avenues from the low 30s north to 59th Street won unanimous approval from the transportation committee of Community Board 4 last night. With the exception of two blocks of Eighth Avenue in front of the Port Authority, the lanes will be fully protected […]
Comptroller: Paying for MTA Capital Plan With Debt Will Crush Riders
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What does it look like when mild-mannered accountants hit the panic button? Something like the latest report on MTA finances from State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office [PDF]. According to the comptroller, the MTA is entering a financial situation unprecedented since the agency’s first capital plan in 1982. In 2009, the transit agency put forward its […]
Community Board 11 Approves East Harlem Protected Bike Lanes
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The full board of Community Board 11 voted to approve protected bike lanes on First and Second Avenues last night. The news was first reported by Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson over Twitter this morning. When complete, the bike lanes and pedestrian refuge islands will run from 96th Street to 125th Street on both avenues. Construction […]
Village Residents Fight to Keep Fourth Parking Garage Off Single Block
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Last year, due to protracted financial difficulties, St. Vincent’s in Greenwich Village closed its doors after 150 years, one-and-a-half centuries that saw the hospital play a major role treating victims of the AIDS crisis and the 9/11 attacks. Though many in the neighborhood hoped to see a full-service hospital remain in the Village, a plan eventually […]
Labor, Elected Officials and Community Groups Rally For Transit Lockbox
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Dozens of transit workers, transportation advocates and elected officials rallied on the steps of City Hall this morning to urge Governor Cuomo to sign the transit lockbox bill, which passed both houses of the legislature unanimously in June. “New York communities are not standing alone,” said TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen. “Transit workers are […]
Study: 1,000 Peds Injured Annually By Cyclists Statewide; Number Is Dropping
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Follow the tabloid media, and you’d think that New York City has been swept by “bike bedlam,” a tide of scofflaw cyclists striking fear into the hearts of pedestrians everywhere. Sift through actual pedestrian safety data, and the actual risk posed by cyclists pales in comparison to that posed by motor vehicles: while over the […]
Park(ing) Day Once Again Sweeps the Globe
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[smooth=id:33] One of our favorite aspects of Park(ing) Day is its international scope. Across the world, people know that street space is public space. Today’s the day they show how it can be re-purposed to provide more than parking. Check out the Park(ing) Day Flickr tag to see some truly impressive curbside installations from places like […]