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
Despite Pressure From CB 7, Riverside Park Keeps “No Cycling” Policy
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The parks committee of Manhattan Community Board 7 restated its support for shared bike/pedestrian paths through Riverside Park and Central Park last night. In Central Park, the shared paths would create new east-west routes through the park, while in Riverside, the community board is fighting against the Parks Department’s surprise imposition of dismount signs on […]
For Fifth Ave BID Leader, Parking’s the Whole Point of New South Slope Hotel
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There’s a lot not to like about parking in New York City. It deadens urban space. It drives up the cost of housing and doing business. And it’s a powerful generator of traffic and congestion. So why does it keep getting built everywhere? A brewing fight over a proposed hotel at the south end of […]
This Week: Pershing Square, Riverside Park, Sheridan Teardown
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There’s a lot of livable streets action packed into just two days this week, with multiple big events both tonight and on Thursday. Tonight: NYC DOT lays out the design concepts for the new Pershing Square, the space in front of Grand Central. Participate in a public workshop about the ideas at 6:00 p.m. Also […]
In Unanimous Vote, CB 2 Embraces People-Friendly Astor Place
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Last night, Manhattan Community Board 2 resoundingly endorsed the city’s plans to transform Astor Place and Cooper Square from asphalt expanses into pedestrian-friendly public spaces. After including some language in its resolution to appease the concerns of certain residents, the roughly 40 community board members in attendance voted unanimously for the plan to transform street […]
Cuomo Thinks MTA Payroll Tax Is “Onerous,” Wants Alternative
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Andrew Cuomo continues to leave the door open for cuts or changes to the NYC region’s payroll mobility tax, which raises $1.34 billion annually for the MTA. Here’s what he had to say about the tax after an event in Poughkeepsie yesterday (at minute 5:00 of the above video): It is a very onerous tax. […]
Dangerous Chelsea Intersection To Get DOT Safety Treatment
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One of the city’s most dangerous intersections, in the middle of a neighborhood full of senior citizens, is due for a safety upgrade. As part of the city’s Safe Streets for Seniors program, NYC DOT will be installing new pedestrian refuge islands and a small “transit plaza” to the corner of Seventh Avenue and 23rd […]
With the Facts In, DOT Plans More Improvements for Prospect Park West
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The city has released its final findings on the redesign of Prospect Park West [PDF]. With the data showing it a success by most any objective measure, DOT is recommending a few tweaks to further improve the design. The proposed modifications should make the new Prospect Park West even friendlier to pedestrians. At intersections, the […]
Protecting Transit Funds Tops NYLCV’s Transpo Agenda
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Environmental advocates’ agenda for the Cuomo Administration continues to take shape, with the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund yesterday releasing its Albany agenda for 2011 [PDF]. Topping the transportation agenda is a call to protect dedicated transit funds. Raiding dedicated transit funds and cutting the MTA payroll tax should be off the […]
State of the City’s Transportation: Livery Cabs and Ferries
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Mayor Bloomberg delivered his tenth State of the City address this afternoon, laying out what he believed to be the city’s accomplishments, challenges, and priorities for the future. And if the speech is any indication, taxis and ferries are at the top of his transportation agenda. Bloomberg’s plan to create a new class of taxi […]
European Parking Policies Leave New York Behind
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Flashback to Europe, sixty years ago. Just emerging from the ruin of total war, the continent was in the midst of a nearly unprecedented reconstruction. Over the next decade, industry finally was able to turn toward consumer products, from stockings to refrigerators and, of course, the automobile. Italians owned only 342,000 cars in 1950, but […]
Tell Eric Ulrich What You Think of Bike Licensing
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Think that mandatory license plates for bikes is a bad idea? That it’ll drain city resources and put a barrier between New Yorkers and a popular, efficient, and green transportation mode? That bike licensing is trying to solve a problem that only exists in some lawmakers’ imaginations? Now’s your chance to let Queens Republican Eric Ulrich […]
Schumer Calls for Increased Transit Spending, Slams Christie
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In a speech at a Crain’s breakfast this morning, Senator Chuck Schumer called for reinvesting in infrastructure, including repairs to New York’s existing transportation system and new transit projects. Schumer also blasted New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for killing the ARC tunnel and for his proposal to use Port Authority funds to pay for maintaining […]