Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Dealing With New York Traffic

By Kristen Baird


Driving conditions will vary depending on what type of city one is traveling through as well as its region and how well it was planned. While smaller cities tend to be easy to navigate, some of the larger ones are famous for their difficulty. In the U. S., New York traffic is considered to be the worst, outdone only by that of Los Angeles.

When most people are asked for their opinion about driving in the city and its boroughs, they will generally advise that anyone who is not extremely familiar with the streets stick to public transportation. The subway is by far the quickest way to make any distance, followed by the buses and cabs. When going just a few blocks, many even suggest that walking or biking could be faster than taking a car.

Navigating downtown will require both driving finesse and personal confidence. One should be aware of how far ahead their turn is and plan to switch lanes as soon as possible since this task is not easily performed. The folks who drive their daily routes are often quite intolerant of anyone trying to go against the flow or holding things up more than normal.

What the regulars consider the flow is actually a rather slow crawl compared to the national average. The average between 7am and 7pm is about 16mph, though it has moments when it drops down as low as 6mph. Congestion is the norm.

Multiple factors contribute to the frequent jams and occasional gridlock that occurs in the streets of the big apple. First of all, the city is a leading business metropolis filled with corporate headquarters, leading fashion houses, premier shopping and exquisite dining, not to mention Wall Street and the United Nations. The second big issue is that many areas are only accessible through the limited number of bridges and tunnels leading into and out of them.

One must be quite brave to attempt parking in the downtown area. There are plenty of garages available, though their fees can be quite high depending on which block they are located and finding a parallel space during the peak hours is both hazardous and difficult. Those driving personal vehicles should be prepared to spend a lot of time searching a spot or be ready to pay the cost for an enclosed structure.

Cyclists are a common feature on the streets as more people find that for traveling the distance of a few city blocks, it is not only a healthier option, but a much quicker one. Although there are dedicated bicycle lanes, they are viewed more of a guideline instead of a rule. This is primarily because they are often used as parking spaces which forces the bikes either onto the sidewalk or weaving between the crawling vehicles.

Many radio stations provide up to the minute reports on which areas to avoid and there are televised channels and websites available for people to view the live feed from street cameras. There are certain days that are far less congested than others, mainly because many of the corporate business offices are closed. Before traveling, one should check to see if any celebrations or events like parades, fleet week or marathons, are scheduled.




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