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
Cuomo Wants Budget Fix ASAP, So Another MTA Raid May Be Coming Soon
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If Andrew Cuomo has his way, the state legislature and Governor Paterson will close the state’s $315 million shortfall before he takes office. The push from the governor-elect means that in the next two months, New York state’s current leadership may again determine whether to close a budget gap by raiding MTA dedicated funds. Nearly […]
Bloomberg Opens Up More Crime Data, So Why Not Traffic Safety Info Too?
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Bloomberg administration officials have now twice appeared in front of the City Council to oppose legislation requiring that the city post up-to-date information about traffic crashes and summonses online. In April, the NYPD testified that such a reporting requirement would be a burden on the department and that the public couldn’t interpret that kind of […]
Merchant Ire Over Deliveries, Placards Dominates UWS Bike Lane Meeting
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Columbus Avenue merchants on the two blocks between 81st and 83rd Street led a chorus of complaints against that avenue’s new protected bike lane at a raucous meeting of Manhattan CB 7’s transportation committee last night. The committee co-chairs limited the discussion only to criticism of the bike lane, which runs from 96th to 77th […]
Can Andrew Cuomo Stop Albany From Raiding Transit Again?
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Yesterday, City Council transportation committee chair Jimmy Vacca and leading transportation advocates sent a letter to New York state’s current leadership urging them not to raid the MTA’s dedicated funds to close an impending $315 million budget deficit. As long as the MTA’s finances are vulnerable to Albany incursions, transit riders will be at risk. […]
Gale Brewer Pessimistic About Further Riverside Center Parking Reductions
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Now that the City Planning Commission has called for 1,260 parking spaces at the Riverside Center development — instead of the 1,800 requested by the developer — the project moves on to the City Council for the final step of the city’s land use process. Traditionally, the local Council member representing the district is given […]
CB 12 Squabbling Delays Upper Manhattan Bike Lane Discussion
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Build bike lanes? Manhattan’s Community Board 12 doesn’t even want to talk about bike lanes. When members of the Inwood-Washington Heights Livable Streets Group showed up with local bike lane supporters to what was supposed to be a public hearing on the issue Monday night, the transportation committee chair informed them that there wasn’t any […]
After NYPD Kills Bill, Council Pushes for Traffic Safety Data From DOT
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The City Council Transportation Committee held a hearing yesterday on four bills that would release new information about traffic crashes and how the Department of Transportation decides whether to install traffic calming measures and traffic control devices like stop lights and stop signs. All together, the bills would cover a wide spectrum of information, but […]
Gene Russianoff on What to Look for From Governor-Elect Andrew Cuomo
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Andrew Cuomo won his election yesterday by an enormous margin, racking up 62 percent of the vote. When he takes office, he will be the most powerful man in New York state politics. During his campaign, Cuomo dodged and pandered on the difficult question of how to fund the state’s transit systems, a policy decision […]
City Planning Okays 1,260 Parking Spaces for Riverside Center
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We got our hands on a copy of the City Planning Commission’s report on the Riverside Center mega-development [PDF], and as we reported last week, the commission is allowing Extell Development to construct 1,260 parking spaces under two Upper West Side blocks. It’s possible that the number of parking spaces could drop lower when the […]
Cuomo’s Green Agenda Comes Out Swinging for Smart Growth
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Last Friday, Andrew Cuomo released his green agenda, the final installment in a series of policy papers his campaign published over the last few months. In it, Cuomo strongly endorses smart growth and suggests the creation of a competitive grant program to encourage better planning. He also expresses his support for high speed rail, public […]
Suburban State Senate Candidates Campaign Against MTA Payroll Tax
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With the MTA at least $9 billion short on funding for its five-year capital plan, New Yorkers who ride buses and subways should be counting on legislators to secure a new revenue stream for transit. But after tomorrow’s elections, the first transit fight in Albany may not be over new revenue at all. Repealing the […]
State DOT Delays Funding for NYC Bike-Ped Projects [Updated]
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Last week the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s Michelle Ernst reported that an important funding stream for bike and pedestrian projects is currently stalled. New York State DOT’s Transportation Enhancements Program, which is largely funded by the feds, normally distributes grants for bike and pedestrian projects every two to three years. As Ernst reports, however, it’s already […]