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
To Stay Connected to Jobs, New Yorkers Need Better Bus Service
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Over the last decades, the economic geography of New York City has begun to shift. While Midtown and Lower Manhattan remain job centers without peer, more and more of the city’s jobs are located outside of the central business districts. As employment shifts into the other boroughs, however, the transit system hasn’t shifted with it. […]
Senior Philly Planner, Unlike NYC Peers, Says Parking Minimums Matter
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We reported last week that Boston, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. are each making policy shifts to curb the proliferation of off-street parking even as New York City continues to enable the construction of more and more traffic-inducing, land-devouring parking. Streetsblog followed up with Debbie Schaaf, a senior transportation planner at Philadelphia’s planning department, about her […]
T.A.’s Online Ticket Tracker Helps Map Bike Crackdown
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Tracking the NYPD’s enforcement of traffic laws, including tickets issued to cyclists, has long been part of Transportation Alternatives’ job. A new tool on their website makes it easier than ever — especially relevant while the city’s bike ticketing blitz continues. The new web form looks just like a traffic ticket, so you can just […]
Bloomberg Budget Sets Up Round Two of Parking Meter Fight
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Mayor Bloomberg unveiled his budget plan yesterday, including hundreds of measures to close a deficit of billions of dollars [PDF]. While the most controversial element may be Bloomberg’s plan to lay off thousands of teachers, included among the smaller-scale deficit-closing measures is one that is sure to set up a fight over transportation policy. The […]
One Winter’s Extra Pothole Costs Exceed Price of Entire DOT Bike Program
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While it may be a freakishly warm 57 degrees out today, this winter has been a pretty tough one weather-wise. Anyone using New York City’s streets, whether on two wheels or four, can attest to a big downside to all that snow: potholes. In response, DOT announced yesterday that it is upping its repaving effort […]
New York Falls Behind Big Northeast Cities on Parking Policy
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The city of Philadelphia recently released a draft of its new comprehensive plan, Philadelphia2035 [PDF]. The plan’s release makes New York the last city in the four largest Northeastern metro areas that hasn’t so much as stated a commitment to cutting back on off-street parking. Philadelphia2035 calls for controlling congestion by adding parking maximums into […]
City Council Unanimously Passes Bill to Open Street Safety Data
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The City Council passed three bills to open up traffic information unanimously today, according to Juan Martinez of Transportation Alternatives. The most far-reaching of those bills, Jessica Lappin’s legislation forcing the city to release fine-grained data about traffic crashes and traffic summonses every month, is expected to be signed by Mayor Bloomberg, the Daily News reported […]
Chuck Schumer’s Office Has No Comment on Prospect Park West
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Streetsblog has contacted Senator Chuck Schumer’s press office twice asking for comment on the Prospect Park West bike lane and received no reply. Reports have recently surfaced personally tying Schumer to efforts to reverse the Prospect Park West redesign, which enjoys broad popular support according to a web survey of nearly 3,000 Brooklynites. Schumer’s wife, […]
Quinn’s Top Transpo Priority in 2011: Convenience For Car Owners
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In her State of the City address this afternoon, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn laid out her priorities for the year ahead. Her speech focused on four issue areas: balancing the city budget, creating jobs, preserving affordable housing and parking. Quinn’s parking platform isn’t aimed at making parking cheaper or more plentiful — though she’s […]
Driver Kills Pedestrian at Delancey and Bowery
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A driver struck and killed a pedestrian at the corner of Delancey and Bowery at 1:45 p.m. yesterday, according to the NYPD. The victim, a 54-year-old Asian man, was declared dead at Bellevue Hospital. The police did not have any additional information about the crash or any charges brought against the driver at this time.
Tonight: Learn All About Tearing Down the Sheridan
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With a new administration at the state DOT, now is a critical moment for the fight to tear down the under-used Sheridan Expressway and turn the area into new housing, jobs, and public space. Tonight, bring your questions and ideas to a town hall hosted by the South Bronx River Watershed Alliance. SBRWA will make […]
City Council Bills to Release Traffic Data Pass Committee Unanimously
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Three bills to open up information about traffic and street safety to the public cleared the City Council’s transportation committee unanimously today. According to committee chair James Vacca, the bills are scheduled for a floor vote this Wednesday. Two of the bills, in particular, should provide New Yorkers with a much clearer picture of what’s […]