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
Queens CB 6 Eager for Safety Fixes (Just Don’t Touch Their Parking)
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The Rego Park senior focus area, which includes several blocks of Queens Boulevard, is slated for pedestrian improvements. Click here to enlarge. Image: NYCDOT. As we’ve recently seen in Astoria, DOT doesn’t always bring innovative traffic calming tools to streets that need them. What happens when they do? At a community board meeting in Rego […]
Electeds React: East Side Plan Should Do More for Buses
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Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, and State Senator Liz Krueger want to see the MTA and DOT take their plan for First and Second Avenues further. Elected officials gave plans for redesigning First and Second Avenues positive reviews today, tempered by the desire to improve the initial outline presented by the MTA […]
MTA, DOT Sketch Out East Side Plans: Separated Lanes for Bikes, Not Buses
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One configuration in the plan calls for a protected bike lane and a curbside bus lane. Image: MTA/NYCDOT The MTA and NYCDOT released an outline last night for faster bus service and safer biking and walking on First and Second Avenues. The redesign is the flagship project in New York City’s plans to enhance its […]
DOT Shows No Traffic Calming Ingenuity for Astoria’s Deadly 21st Ave
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Astoria residents demanding a safer 21st Avenue. Image: indiejourno.com. Over the last six weeks, Astoria residents have made a strong push for a safer 21st Avenue, a street plagued by speeding cut-through traffic. In response to requests for traffic calming, NYCDOT recently sent what one resident called a "cryptic letter" explaining only that the street […]
Bill to Protect Pedestrians and Cyclists Will Resurface in Albany
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Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, speaking, with Daniel Squadron and Scott Stringer at last year’s rally for Hayley and Diego’s Law. To Squadron’s right are Wendy Cheung, Hayley Ng’s aunt, and Jon Adler, representative for the families of Ng and Diego Martinez. With the state legislative session underway, Albany will soon turn its attention to business […]
NewSpeak From Detroit: GMC Pitches “Tool For Urban Living”
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Nothing represents city life like a miniaturized SUV. Image: NYT In a turn of phrase straight out of "1984," Detroit is touting a new concept car as a "tool for urban living." At this week’s Detroit auto show, the industry’s premier showcase, GMC revealed its Granite concept car. The truck and SUV manufacturer, which owes […]
What’s Next at Grand Army Plaza?
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The asphalt expanse where Flatbush and Vanderbilt Avenues meet at the north end of Grand Army Plaza. Photo: Google Street View We missed it in the run-up to the holidays last month, but this item in the Brooklyn Paper is worth a longer look. DOT has announced its intention to implement some safety fixes at […]
Video: Copenhagen’s All-Weather Bike Infrastructure
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In case you missed it in Friday’s headlines, here’s a video from Copenhagenize with some inspiration for this cold spell we’ve been having. The video shows Copenhageners — lots of ’em — making their way through the January snow. It’s an instant retort to the old claim that "no one uses bike lanes in the […]
NYPD Failing to Keep Kids Safe From Traffic at Bronx School
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The frequently-ignored "One Way" sign at Briggs Avenue and East Moshulu Parkway. Image: NY1 A report from NY1’s Susan Jhun today describes the dangerous conditions at an intersection right next to P.S. 8 in the Norwood neighborhood of the Bronx, where parents and students constantly contend with cars darting the wrong way down the block. […]
The $290,000 Speeding Ticket
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The record-setting ticket was given to the driver of a red Ferrari Testarossa. Photo: SeeMonterey via Flickr. It would be a red Ferrari, wouldn’t it? The Swiss courts just handed down the world’s most expensive speeding ticket: 299,000 Swiss francs, or just under $290,000. According to the BBC, the motorist was barreling through a small […]
Gerson Bill Mandating Review of Transpo Projects Is Now Law
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In one of his final acts as a City Council member, Alan Gerson won passage for a bill that may slow down major street projects. New York City’s 2009 legislative session didn’t end without a parting gift from outgoing Lower Manhattan rep Alan Gerson. A new law that passed City Council unanimously before the end […]
Seniors Survey Manhattan’s Deadliest Street
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Hours after the Tri-State Transportation Campaign released a report yesterday identifying New York’s deadliest roads, 13 AARP volunteers surveyed part of Third Avenue in an effort to make walking in New York safer. AARP volunteer Marlene Ramsey tracks safety conditions on Third Avenue. Photo: Noah Kazis. The surveyors braved the January cold to spend their […]