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
Want the Best Deal on Parking? Get Yourself a Police Surgeon Placard
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This unofficial placard illegally grants its owner free access to a no-parking zone near Union Square every workday. Photo: Noah Kazis For only $250, the ability to willfully disregard the parking laws of New York City can be yours. With barely a fuss, at least two different police organizations will sell you an illegitimate parking […]
New Domino Drops 266 Parking Spaces. How Low Can It Go?
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Local activists have made Williamsburg’s New Domino a little less auto-centric. Image: The New Domino How few parking spaces should be attached to new developments to make New York a more sustainable city? That’s the big question for developments like Brooklyn’s New Domino, the huge project slated for the Williamsburg waterfront where developers originally proposed […]
Pedestrian Reclamation on Tap for Deadly Ozone Park Intersection
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Pedestrian plazas planned for 94th Street and Liberty Avenue. The elevated tracks of the A train run over Liberty Ave. Image: NYCDOT One of the most dangerous intersections in Queens is slated for a DOT safety makeover. At a meeting of Queens Community Board 10 last Thursday, DOT presented a plan [PDF] to rework the […]
Even Below 34th Street, Gaps Appear in Plan for Protected Bike Lanes
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New plans call for an un-protected curbside lane on nine blocks of Second Avenue. Image: NYCDOT Yesterday brought another disappointing development in the city’s plan to re-design First and Second Avenues. While upgraded bike routes are still guaranteed below 34th Street — a far cry from what was presented to the public — even that […]
East Harlem to Bloomberg: Protected Bike Lanes Must Extend Uptown
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East Harlem will only be getting a bike lane upgrade on First Avenue this year (top). Protected lanes like those slated for downtown (bottom) have not been guaranteed. East Harlem residents are outraged by the city’s backtracking on plans to bring protected bike lanes to their neighborhood. At a public meeting about the re-design of […]
Dodd’s Livability Bill Earns Praise from Local Governments
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With financial reform nearly complete, the Senate Banking Committee turned its attention today to one of Senator Chris Dodd’s (D-CT) next priorities, the Livable Communities Act. Local government came out strong for the initiative to promote sustainable and integrated regional planning, with representatives of the nation’s cities, towns, counties, and regional planning organizations testifying in favor. Among committee members, […]
Q&A With Sam Hoyt: Why New York State Needs a Smart Growth Law
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State spending on infrastructure to support exurban McMansions drains people and resources from urban centers — and costs taxpayers a bundle. Photo: highflyingknight12/Flickr With Albany’s legislative session drawing to a close, the state legislature is considering several initiatives to promote sustainable transportation and livable communities in New York state. One of those initiatives is the […]
Albany Update: Hayley and Diego’s Law Has Momentum
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The Albany legislative session is scheduled to end two weeks from today, and time is running out for state legislators to make streets safer, buses faster, and cities more sustainable. Earlier today we discussed the prospects of bus lane camera enforcement. Here’s a survey of the other top legislative priorities for supporters of livable streets. […]
Quinn and Vacca Urge City Council Support for Bus Cameras
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New York City’s plans for dedicated bus lanes, as proposed for the Nostrand Avenue corridor in Brooklyn, depend on Albany’s willingness to allow camera enforcement. Image: NYCDOT City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and transportation committee chair Jimmy Vacca gave better service for New York City bus riders a boost yesterday, speaking in favor of bus […]
East Side Re-Design Moves Ahead, But Full Bike Corridor Is on Hold
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The re-design of First and Second Avenues has been a complex project to judge since the initial plans were unveiled earlier this year. From the beginning, it’s been the most ambitious re-envisioning of a major corridor we’ve seen in New York City to date: 250 blocks of faster bus service and safer traveling for cyclists […]
Manhattan Community Board 11: Select Bus Service Public Meeting
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Join the Public Safety and Transportation Committee of Community Board 11, NYC Dept of Transportation and the MTA to discuss the city’s upcoming select bus service design treatments for First & Second Avenues. Features include: Low-Floor, Three-Door Buses Bicycle Facilities & Pedestrian Improvements Transit Signal Priority & Off-Board Fare Collection Dedicated Bus Lanes on First Avenue and Second Avenue […]
Driver With Suspended License Critically Injures Parent at Queens School
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The site of this morning’s crash: 53rd Avenue in front of Bayside’s PS 162. Photo: Google Street View The mother of a student at PS 162 in Queens is in critical condition after a driver struck her in front of the school this morning. The crash occurred as the parent was crossing 53rd Avenue between […]