Imagine looking back at the past decade, reflecting on what you accomplished and experienced, who you met, and what you did/didn’t do. Then imagine that over the past 10 years you spent an entire year commuting. Your dreams of being greeted with “Aloha” were overtaken by “Next Stop is Ronkonkoma,” as you spent an entire year- 365 days, 24 hours a day- in traffic or on a crowded train. Sadly, many Long Islanders who travel to Manhattan each workday are spending four hours or more on their commute, which amounts to 1 full year of 24/7 commuting for every nine years of work.
According to Forbes.com, the traffic debacles that plague us each day will soon be worse – fueled by a recovering economy and the various highway construction projects created by Obama’s stimulus. An innovative company called Inrix rates various commutes throughout the US, and assigns to each a “travel time tax,” which it defines as “the extra time added onto a typical trip because of congestion.” New York’s travel time tax amounted to 20%, compared to 35% for LA.
It’s no big surprise that the City of Angels tops the list of the worst commutes in the Country, but New York is a notable second. While LA won the title, New York has 6 of the 10 worst interchanges in the country, including the single worst: the not-so-efficient Cross Bronx Expressway.
Forbes rates the worst intersections in America
The Cross Bronx Expressway has won the distinct title of “America’s Worst Interchange” from Forbes, with a whopping 94 hours of congestion per week and an average “congested speed” of 11 miles per hour.
Adding insult to injury, New York has been crowned the home of the nation’s rudest drivers. Overtaking Miami, New York drivers proved the most discourteous for 2009 – an especially disappointing statistic when an estimate 30% of statewide accidents are attributed to simple discourtesy.
Unfortunately, we have a better chance of finding Jimmy Hoffa than the solution to New York’s traffic problems. Even so, the brave commuters of New York persevere every day. I must give a hat’s off to our local train and road warriors, who triumph over rush hour without going insane. These warriors, or perhaps heroes, are the force that keeps Long Island’s economy strong, and it’s only fair to recognize their daily feats.
