New York City Traffic: On Purpose

Although I was born there, I do not live in New York City. For medical treatment I have to drive a family member there at least once a month, occasionally more frequently. We try to schedule the appointment for 11:00 so that we miss the morning commuter traffic and resulting delays, but have no option as to when we return as the visits can take from one to five hours.

During the last eight months we have made eleven trips and have gotten caught in what I would describe as a serious traffic situation six times. Only once was this due to an accident. The other five occurrences were due to “construction.”

Today’s trip was a typical example. The total distance from our house to the hospital is around 80 miles, most of it done on highways where the speed limit is 55 or higher. It took 55 minutes to get to the George Washington Bridge, two minutes to cross it, and ten minutes to get to 125th and 2d Avenue where we get off. For the first twenty blocks, traffic moved smoothly, along with cooperating lights. Then a total stop.

I know about the Second Avenue Subway construction, and it’s usually not a problem, Today, rather than the usual diverted three lanes, two construction workers were standing in the road talking, waving the traffic around them, so only one lane was opened. I have no idea how long they were there; there was no equipment, no tricks, no traffic cones, just two men talking. It took 15 minutes to move from 97th to 91st street since only one lane was opened.

On the way home, the Major Deegan was at a standstill. We left the doctor’s office at 1:00, took First Avenue without even one red light, and got into the Bronx at 1:12. For the first 200 feet, the Deegan was moving at 20 MPH. Then it stopped. WCBS reported a car fire on the Cross Bronx just being cleared and construction on the Major Deegan at the Cross Bronx turnoff.

One hour later we saw Yankee Stadium… four miles in one hour. The car fair was long cleared up and the Cross Bronx was moving slowly but with reduced delays. Twenty minutes later we were still at Yankee Stadium. As we were heading upstate, I stayed in the left lane to avoid the heavy turnoff traffic at the Cross Bronx. But the right lane was moving, so that was not the problem.

Eventually we reached the “construction site.” Three construction trucks blocking two lanes, the only one that was opened was the exit lane. We all moved over, one car at a time. 2:45 in the afternoon, and they were painting a sign pole. Two lanes blocked for painting a sign pole. A two-hour delay for the painting of a sign pole. The pole was in the medium, not in the middle of the road. They could have parked the trucks on a side street, walked onto the highway, had one flagman taking precautions and the other painting (he was standing on the ground with an extension ladder nearby.

Can we blame the insurance companies, the unions, the Department of Transportation for not scheduling this at night?

Two incidences where the traffic was severely delayed, considerable fuel used up, time wasted, and no reasonable explanation.