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
NYLCV Asks Pols About Smart Growth and Complete Streets, Not Transit
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The New York League of Conservation Voters just released the questionnaire that will be guiding their endorsements for state legislators in 2010. NYLCV is one of only two organizations in the state that endorses candidates based on their support for sustainable transportation. While the organization will be judging candidates on their support for important transportation […]
Cyclists Struck in Separate Crashes in Brooklyn and Manhattan; One Dead
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The scene after a cab hit and seriously injured a cyclist at 23rd and Lexington. Photo: Gothamist. One person is dead and another appears to be seriously injured after two separate car-on-bike crashes in New York City today. Via Gothamist, a driver struck and killed a cyclist at Flatbush Avenue and Duryea Place in Ditmas […]
Streets for Walking, Part 2: Dan Burden on Building Support for Change
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Burden leads a workshop helping a hospital in Calgary design its pedestrian space. Photo: Dan Burden. Last week Streetsblog spoke to walkability expert Dan Burden about how new design guidelines for urban streets can replace the suburban, car-oriented standards that have become the norm throughout America (read the interview here). Burden has been advocating for […]
State’s Top Court Sets Precedent to Hold Dangerous Drivers Accountable
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When does just plain bad driving cross the line and become criminally negligent driving? According to the State of New York, almost never. As advocates and legal experts will tell you, our laws make it notoriously difficult to bring appropriate charges against those who cause serious injury or death with their cars. But a decision […]
Making Streets for Walking: Dan Burden on Reforming Design Standards
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A template for an urban street in "Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares." Source: Claire Vlach, Bottomley Design & Planning. One of the foundational documents in our country’s history of car-centric street design is what’s known as the Green Book. These engineering guidelines, which have been published in various editions by the American Association of State Highway […]
What Can Taxi Data Tell Us About NYC Streets?
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The average density of taxi pick-ups at 1 a.m. on Saturdays in 2009. The most rides originated from the Meatpacking District and the Lower East Side. Image: NYT. When New York City installed GPS units in its taxi fleet in 2007, it began an ambitious initiative to gather information about how traffic functions. Over the […]
Midtown BID May Transform Empty Lot Into Secure Bike Parking
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The bicycle parking laws passed in New York City last year were important steps in taking the worry out of bike commuting. But many New Yorkers are still far from guaranteed a secure place to park their bike when they get to work. So this is welcome news: The 34th Street Partnership is looking to […]
MTA Committed to October Launch Date for East Side Select Bus Service
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Two months after the MTA and NYCDOT first presented East Side Select Bus Service to Manhattan Community Board 6, officials were back with a modified plan last night, hoping to get a vote from the transportation committee. After a combative couple of hours, they didn’t get one. The committee chose to put off a vote […]
Rev. Jackson Joins Labor, Enviro Groups in Call for Transit Funding
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At a rally yesterday headlined by Rev. Jesse Jackson, a new coalition of labor unions and environmental organizations stood together to demand more funding for transit agencies across the country. With service cuts afflicting bus and train riders in dozens of major cities, the "Keep America Moving" coalition is focused on securing funds to maintain […]
NYPD Slams Doored Cyclist with Two Summonses, Lets Driver Off the Hook
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While riding home from work on the morning of March 22, Rodney Seymour was doored by a truck driver. When the police responded to his 911 call, instead of ticketing the doorer, they hit Seymour with two summonses for improperly equipping his bike. Rodney Seymour, after being doored and ticketed, and before having his bike […]
Port Authority Commits to Agency-Wide Plan for Better Bike Access
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Bike racks, like these at the Grove Street PATH Station, could be a more common sight at Port Authority facilities. Image: City of Jersey City The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a huge player in the region’s transportation system. It manages the PATH train, the world’s busiest bus terminal, all the […]
Is New York City the Car Culture Capital of America?
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When you hear the words "car culture," what — or where — do you think of? The freeways of Los Angeles? The factories of Detroit? With its new show, "Cars, Culture and the City," the Museum of the City of New York attempts to retell the history of the automobile with New York City at […]