Aaron Naparstek
AARON NAPARSTEK is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparsteks journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. Naparstek is the author of "Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage" (Villard, 2003), a book of humorous haiku poetry inspired by the endless motorist sociopathy observed from his apartment window. Prior to launching Streetsblog, Naparstek worked as an interactive media producer, pioneering some of the Web's first music web sites, online communities, live webcasts and social networking services. Naparstek is currently in Cambridge with his wife and two young sons where he is enjoying a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He has a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Naparstek is a co-founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group and the Grand Army Plaza Coalition. You can find more of his work here: http://www.naparstek.com.
Recent Posts
Report: New Parks Dept. Policy to Clip Locks and Seize Bikes
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Just in case you thought all of the bike-related news today was good, a Streetsblog tipster in Queens reports that Parks and Recreation Dept. agents were clipping bike locks and seizing bicycles in Forest Hills, Queens yesterday. She was told by a city employee that the bike seizures are part of a new, citywide Parks […]
Construction of Piazza de Meatpacking is Underway
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Dept. of Transportation street design projects are moving incredibly fast these days. Only a few weeks ago the City announced that, in response to long-standing community requests, it would create a new public plaza, buffered bike lane, and major pedestrian improvements at that big, crazy intersection in the middle of the Meatpacking District. Work has […]
New High-Visibility Bike Lanes in Brooklyn
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The McBrooklyn Blog spots this freshly painted high-visibility bike lane on Henry Street in Brooklyn: Could be that the NYC Department of Transportation actually listened to groups like Transportation Alternatives, which advocates painting bike lanes a solid color in order to improve visibility and curb blockage by motor vehicles. Bikers have reported that the Tillary […]
An NYC First: On-Street Parking Spaces Replaced by Bike Racks
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The new bike racks have been installed at the Bedford Avenue L subway station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As the Dept. of Transportation announces in today’s press release, "The facility marks the first time car parking spaces have been removed to accommodate bicycle parking in New York City." DOT extended a 76-foot section of the sidewalk […]
It’s Alive. It’s Dead. It’s Three Men in a Room!
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Erik Engquist at Crain’s says a potential deal is in the works that would nix Gov. Spitzer’s call for campaign finance reform and give Albany legislators a long-sought pay raise in return for congestion pricing approval. An Assembly Member that I spoke with this morning, however, says that congestion pricing is totally dead or, as […]
London Releases Its Fifth Annual Congestion Pricing Study
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Transport for London is out today with its fifth annual Congestion Charging Impacts Monitoring Report. If you’ve never seen any of the previous reports, it’s worth a look. The 279-page document — you can download the whole thing here — provides a remarkably detailed assessment of the overall performance of London’s surface transportation system […]
$300+ Million in Bus Improvements Held Hostage in Albany
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One of the most destructive pieces of misinformation currently floating around the New York State Assembly is this oft-repeated line from Richard Brodsky’s newly released report: The City has no plan to improve mass transit prior to the implementation of congestion pricing. This is a serious if not fatal defect in the proposal in the […]
Brodsky Represents NYC’s Wealthiest Car Commuters
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Here is a complete copy of Assembly Member Richard Brodsky’s "Interim Report and Inquiry" into New York City’s long-term planning and congestion pricing proposals. Brodsky, you may recall, is the powerful state lawmaker with the moneybag full of parking industry contributions. Brodsky’s 20-page report concludes: The Mayor deserves great credit for thinking seriously about the […]
McCaffrey: The Subway is Crowded. Let’s Keep it That Way.
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Walter McCaffrey’s Committee to Keep New York City Congestion Tax Free has torn a page from StreetFilms’ book and put out its very own propaganda video. The quiet, elegant two-minute SubFilm shows crowds of people using New York City’s subway system with quotes like, "Here come the sardines," mixed in. The producers clearly intended this […]
Queens Legislator Offers Congestion Pricing Torpedo
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Assembly Member Rory Lancman from Fresh Meadows, Queens has sent a three-page letter to his fellow legislators soliciting their support for a legislative alternate to Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing proposal and long-term planning ominbus bill, Sewell Chan reports. "Instead of threatening to beat New Yorkers over the head with a $2,000 a year stick if […]
StreetFilms Film Festival Tonight in the East Village
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Tonight, you’re invited to come see some of StreetFilms‘ greatest hits on the big screen. Clarence Eckerson has put together a 60 minute program including 13 videos. Afterwards, there will be a reception including free beer and pizza. 7:00pmPioneer Theater 155 E. 3rd St. (at Avenue A) Manhattan Cost: $6.50 to $10 Buy tickets online
Brooklyn Merchants Fight for Parking Over Affordable Housing
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A group of profoundly confused Brooklyn merchants have convinced themselves that a nearby empty lot is better used for motor vehicle storage than affordable housing for 152 families. Oh, and by the way, the affordable housing plan includes an even larger parking lot beneath the building. The Daily News reports: A group of Williamsburg merchants […]