HOW TO DRIVE IN
NEW YORK LIKE NEW YORKERS DO 

POTENTIALS FOR TROUBLE

As is true of any other American city, New York has certain traffic regulations that are different from others. By knowing some of the more important ones, you would certainly be able to better plan your movements around it. You would, of course, also begin to look more like a local and that alone may even help you  avoid getting in trouble on many occasions.
 

Fast-changing yellow lights. The warning light - everyone knows it as "yellow", but DMV insists is "amber" - is only 4 seconds long in New York! And no, you're not gonna make it. The excuse: "But, Officer, it was still yellow", just doesn't work here. So when you see yellow, slow down and stop. No worry, no true local will blow the horn on you in this instance. And to turn the tables around, this is that one time when New Yorkers driving in New Jersey, upstate NY or elsewhere do look silly stopping at a yellow long before the lights turn red.

No right turns (or left turns, as the case may be) on red light. This is true not only for Manhattan but for all other boroughs of New York (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island). It's the law; no further explanation is needed. But do pay attention to the very few corners where it is allowed. There would be a wordy sign in black and red letters announcing, yes: "After Stop Right Turn on Red Permitted". Anyway, if you miss it you'll know from the blaring horns behind you. Some such tricky spots are: First Ave. into 39th Street, and the 36th Street entrance into the Midtown Tunnel (between First and Second Avenues), plus a few more.

One way streets. Almost all the streets in New York, save for a few, are one-way and alternate directions with adjacent streets. So when buying a map, pay a few extra bits and choose one that shows those little arrows. Or be content with committing to memory some of the general rules discussed below (some, but not all, exceptions are also mentioned here).
 

Odd and Even Streets - Even-numbered streets go East (get it?), and Odd-numbered streets go "Ouest" (well, that's how the French spell it). Some exceptions to the rule are: even-numbered streets that go west - 60th St., 66th St.; odd-numbered streets that go east - 41st St., 59th St., 65th St.

Two-way Streets - The major two-way streets are: Houston Street (pronounced like "house", and not like a Texas City); 14th Street (Broadway crosses it at what's called Union Square); 23rd Street (Broadway crosses it Madison Square, but mind you, that's not where Madison Square Garden is); 34th Street (Broadway crosses it at Herald Square; now, this is closer to Madison Square Garden ), 42nd Street (Times Square at Broadway) and 57th Street (nothing, but kind of close to Columbus Circle which is on Broadway and 59th Street). Generally, you cannot turn left on these streets during the day. You would have to do the circuit around the side streets. Uptown where the streets are cut off in midstream by Central Park, the two-way ones are: 72nd, 79th, 86th, 96th, 106th, 116th and 125th Street in Harlem.

Avenues - The Avenues go north-south. They are generally one-way and alternating, too. But, sorry, there's no odd-or-even rule here. They just alternate directions beginning with First Avenue heading north, Second Avenue due south, and so forth. Some exceptions are Park Avenue, York Avenue and 11th Avenue which are two-way in their entire length. Also Broadway, which is two-way uptown and one-way southbound in midtown and downtown. (But, really, Broadway shouldn't count because it's awry like an unruly kid and cuts diagonally across Manhattan).

Reversed Directions - During rush hours, certain lanes are closed or reversed. For the most part, these are the roads leading to bridges and tunnels. There will be plenty of signs and traffic cops for good measure, but it's better to know them in advance. You must avoid these areas. (Even better is to avoid Manhattan altogether during rush hours). On Madison Avenue, for example, only buses are allowed on the two right lanes from 2 - 7 p.m., the same on First, Second and Third Avenues from 4 - 7 p.m. (If you find yourself in these lanes at forbidden times, traffic officers are usually not going to bother to stop and ticket you, but you will be sternly ordered to turn right where you don't want to. Then you'll have to go round the blocks in heavy traffic just to get back to where you were about half an hour earlier). On bridges and tunnels, some opposing lanes are reversed to accommodate heavy rush-hours traffic. For instance, in Midtown Tunnel during the morning rush, the crunch is with those trying to get into Manhattan. So from 7 to 10 am, one lane coming out of Manhattan is reversed for the use of those vehicles going in. This whole process goes the opposite way in the afternoon rush. (If you find yourself in any of these reversed lanes at this time, no police will likely stop you but you are probably going to get killed. So stay clear).
 

Very fast Parking Violations tow trucks. You are not going to believe the lightning speed with which these guys can hook up and remove your car. I've seen one who did it in under two minutes! And there's an army of them out there, plying the streets of New York, seeking unsuspecting out-of-town license plates. Even more plentiful are the ticket-wielding foot soldiers who could slap you with a summons in a blink of an eye. So don't park illegally, even just to grab a pizza. (Remember, heating up a pizza takes at least 5 minutes). If you're really going to be just a short while, have a licensed driver sit behind the wheel while you do your errand. In New York, this is called "standing" (I bet you, there once must have been a funny but  powerful guy in City Hall who connived to confuse newcomers by calling the act of sitting in an idling car as "standing"). Unless specified otherwise, you can stand in most no-parking zones for a little while. However, when you're stopped or standing anywhere and a traffic/police officer decides that you should move, don't argue. Just quietly drive off. Go around the block and come back to the same spot. Chances are you've bought yourself some time and that same officer won't bother you again for a little bit.
 

Now, about double parking - don't even think about it. They're the first to go. They are so visible, so blatantly in violation, and so easy to tow. That is if the guy you blocked doesn't get there first. If so, you may be in for some very unpleasant surprise, the least of which may be a very long scratch on the side of your car.

Grid lock alert days. In New York, it is a moving violation to be stuck in the middle of intersections when the lights change. This leads to grid lock. It has a nasty potential for getting everyone else stuck and then ultimately blocking traffic on all sides. The word "grid" originated some years ago, when major intersections were painted with crisscrossed white lines, and the signboard admonition, "Don't get caught in the grid". While enforcement may be less than zealous for most of the year, it returns with a vengeance on the Fridays and special days of the Holiday Season (the period between Thanksgiving and New Year). These are the grid lock alert days. If you think you're not going to make it across the intersection when the lights change, stay outside the box. (Notice how they now call it the "box", but not "box alert days"?) If you are already in the grid, or box, and can expect the light to change very soon, signal and turn into the intersecting street. Don't even wait for the light to change. Then take the nearest street with the same direction as your original path. It is better to be delayed this way than to be stopped by cops at a grid-lock and be made to pay a hefty fine on top of that. And don't forget the "points" (Ouch!).

BE ALERT AT ALL TIMES

Until about five years ago, when the subway trains stop at a station the conductors used to recite a form announcement that included the advice, "Step lively at the closing doors..." I thought that sounded like "dance" around the train, or something. Actually, it means "Let's go, let's go, let's go! Move it!" in an uncharacteristic NYC attempt at civility. But this is exactly how New Yorkers are and that's the way they drive. And because of the great number of vehicles and people moving about the streets of New York, nowhere has it been more imperative to always be on the alert than here. So the following tips:

When the light turns green, GO. And not a moment too soon. Be watchful of the light change because a mere split-second delay is enough to bring on impatiently blaring horns behind you. But be very sure there are no pedestrians who are still trying to cross. It is against the law to pass a vehicle that's stopped to let pedestrians through. And don't mind those "dare me" looks, or sometimes the on-purpose slow walk.

But WAIT for the green. Many locals, when stopped for a red light, have the habit of watching the lights on the GO side (clearly visible at night, or at daytime, by watching the lights reflecting on the covering shades). Then they would start going as soon as they see the red light turn on for that other side. There's actually a one-second delay before the green comes on for you. This works for those who need to get an advantage over others, like taxis racing for a fare , or a hothead who wants to put another hothead "in a rightful place". But it's dangerous and illegal. Besides there are crossings that don't always work that way - some lights let pedestrians go first, some let turning vehicles first, and so on. There will be signs warning of this that say, guess what, "Wait for the Green Light".

Don't do tourist stuff while driving. There are numerous interesting sights in the City. But please don't try to appreciate them while driving. Too many things can happen in that short instance that you take your eyes off the road. Besides, looking around entails driving slowly which can be painfully annoying to the more purposeful locals. This way you would soon be discovering another of the many "horn baits" here. If you need to look at a sight, to find an address, to shop, or to just look at a map, it's better to first stop or stand at a safe curbside and then do your thing. For finding addresses, there is a neat trick discussed later in the article.

Watch out for vehicles changing lanes without signaling. Although it is a New York State law to first signal before changing lanes, in the City it is almost always ignored by almost everybody. It is easy to spot a vehicle that intends to change lane. First, he would already have been changing lanes a few times before or he is impatiently tailgating another vehicle. He would then sharply go for your lane, with his nose barely missing the edge of the car in front of you (it's a practiced move designed to intimidate or display decisiveness). But he's really not going to go all the way. If you so much as winch or even blow the horn, he would know you've seen him and then will definitely go in. Let it be. Don't even bother to get mad, it's the way of life here. If you don't want to be cut into, you have to be very close to the front car. That's not very safe. And then you'd have to be even more alert, which is no fun anymore.

When turning or changing lanes, signal first and quickly check your blind spots through the corner of your eye. Don't rely just on the mirrors. It seems that, by default, there will always be something or somebody there - a car, a motorcycle, a runner, a truck! And bicycles, they're all over the place. They could be anybody too: couriers, Chinese food deliveries, health nuts (although being hit by a car in New York is at the top of my list of not-so-healthy "nutting"), judges, lawyers, police, etc. The bad or the ignorant bikers have no regard whatsoever for any norms of safety. They go against the flow of traffic, ride slow in the middle of the streets, turn without looking. You need psychic ability to share the road with them. So watch out for them when you turn. And because it is tricky to turn or change lanes in New York, there will be a section devoted to it later in the article.
 

KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING

Knowing New York is no simple feat. That's why it's not so unusual to overhear even a New York born-and-raised accent asking for directions in the City. Things change and new things are constantly being added. (Where's the PanAm Building? Where's A&S Plaza? Gimbels? Huh, where have you been lately?) So if you seem to know what you're doing and where you're going, you will surely be accorded a respectful berth by the locals. In practical terms, that's about an additional three inches of space, or so. Good enough.

Before proceeding into the city, stop somewhere safe. Decide on where you're going, consult a map, and then carefully plot your movements around the city. Don't just wing it as you go. Pay particular attention to the headings of the one-way streets and plan to position yourself, in multilane streets, to be close to your next turns.

Geographical division. In most major cities, "downtown" means the main commercial district. Not so in New York. Manhattan is itself the entire commercial district - a mammoth metropolis of everything under the sun, a veritable capital of the world. It is divided into three major sections: downtown, midtown, and uptown.
 

Downtown. In this case, "down" literally stands for "south" and so encompasses the southern tip of Manhattan. This was the old city and the streets follow no modern urban planning patterns. They arose, presumably, from the old trail of oxcarts carrying produce to and from the town. For instance, in spite of its now international renown, Wall Street was once just a humble road beneath the fortification wall. Water Street was, well, under water at the time. To get around here, as mentioned earlier, a map with one-way arrows would really come in handy. Downtown is home to Soho, Tribeca, Little Italy, Chinatown, the World Trade Center, City Hall and other government offices, and the Financial District.

Midtown is where everything happens. There are no clear boundaries with adjoining vicinities but Midtown is popularly perceived to be the area surrounding 42nd Street. Here you'll find many of the goodies - Times Square and the "Great White Way" (Broadway), the United Nations, NY Library, Grand Central Terminal, USS Intrepid, the Port Authority Bus Terminal (for the next time you visit New York, after having now learned your lesson). A few blocks south would be the Empire State Building, Macy's, Madison Square Garden; a little way north, the Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the fashionable stretch of Fifth Avenue, and some of the ritziest hotels in the world.

Uptown borders the entire length of Central Park, on either side - termed the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side. They're both upscale residential neighborhoods (I believe the play on the word "up" is to connote Upper Class). The Upper East Side is old money - big money and big names- and it's also here where you'll find the Gracie Mansion (NYC Mayor's Residence), the Metropolitan Museum and a number of other outstanding museums, and one of the largest Mosques in the US. The Upper West Side is noveau riche where reside Yuppies and people who've recently made a fortune and name for themselves in the theater, movies, music, and the arts. The Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Museum of Natural History are here. Further up, nearer to Harlem, is Columbia University. Harlem, of course, is around 125th Street, with the famous Apollo Theater right smack in the middle of it. Some other interesting places there would be Alexander Hamilton Grange, Murris-Jumel Mansion and the Spanish Harlem of song.
 

Finding an Address. In spite of the overwhelming size of New York, finding an address here is really a stroll in the park. It follows a simple formula that anybody with basic arithmetic skills can comfortably accomplish. You can find it in most travel guides, and even in the phone books.
 

Avenues - To find the location of an address on the Avenues: (1) drop off the last digit of the address number (eg, 242 First Avenue becomes 24); (2) divide the resultant number by 2 (hence, 24 becomes 12); and, (3) add or subtract the numbers below (partial list only) as apply. You'll get the number of the nearest cross street.

(In the above example, we will add 12 to 3 and so come up with 15. The nearest street to 242 First Avenue, then, is 15th Street).
 

Streets - Street addresses are specified as East or West, with Fifth Avenue as the dividing line.
 

EAST	BETWEEN	WEST	BETWEEN
1 - 100	Fifth and Park Aves	1 - 100	Fifth and Sixth Aves
101 - 200	Park and Third Aves	101 - 200	Sixth and Seventh Aves
201 - 300	Third and Second Aves	201 -300	Seventh and EighthAves
301 - 400	Second and First Aves	301 - 400	Eighth and Ninth Aves

 

(So if you come upon an address like 345 East 45th Street, you would know to look for it between First and Second Avenues).

In other boroughs - Addresses are even easier to find in the outer boroughs. The address 101-78 260th Street is near 101st Ave. on 260th Street. The first number refers to the nearest cross street or avenue. The same holds true, for instance, to the address 85-40 Hillside Ave. which is located near 85th Street on Hillside Avenue.
 

Central Park and the Transverse Roads. Central Park is the heart of Manhattan. It has many offerings in the way of amusement and entertainment - museum, zoo, skating rinks, running and bicycle lanes, concerts, hansom cab rides, Venetian gondola rides(!!), etc. To cross over from the East Side to the West Side, and vice versa, there are a few transverse roads that you should know about: 66th St. goes west and 65th St. goes east (exception to the rule, remember?); 79th St both ways; 85th St goes west with 84th St going east; 97th St. going west and 96th east. The transverse at 72nd St. is open just westward and only at certain times of the day (also depending on the season). It is actually just an exit from the northbound Park Drive that started from 59th Street at 6th Avenue, heading up to Harlem through Central Park.
 

DOING THE TURNS

References to making good, safe turns have already been made previously. That's how important this topic is. Many of the vehicular and pedestrian accidents in the city occur while negotiating turns or changing lanes. And because of the sheer number of people and vehicles moving about in New York the potential for such mishaps is even more compounded. Some of the tips presented below are either just basic good driving habits or just plain common sense, as you will see.

Pedestrians have the right of way. This is by far the most important rule for driving safely in New York. But, you know what, if you are a pedestrian in New York that just doesn't feel like so. New York drivers, impatient that they are, like to squeeze through the gaps in the stream of people crossing, or to intimidate and rush pedestrians by nosing up to them. So please don't add any more to that perception. This is that one time when you wouldn't want to be like a local, and rightly so. Besides, you could easily get - and this the least of them - an unpleasant earful from an irate pedestrian, a spittle on your windshield, or a dent the size of a human foot on your fender. Now, people will also be crossing the street anywhere, not only at the crosswalks. They are the ones that are difficult to spot since you don't usually expect them there. Unlike some other states, especially in the West Coast, there are no anti-jaywalking laws in New York. ( Probably because there are very few "jays", or hillbillies, walking around the streets of New York. Well, except, for an occasional Australian with a big knife who's also named after a man-eating reptile). But whatever the case, when you find yourself stopping for a pedestrian, or another vehicle, signal them to go ahead with your hand. Don't just stop there expecting the other guy to guess your next move. Where there's doubt, there's a collision!

Signal all your turns, including lane changes. Most locals signal their full turns, but only a few would signal lane changes (especially among cabbies). When asked why this is so, they'd say there's no time, or because they can get in and out of a lane cleanly without signaling, or that if they signal, they wouldn't be let in anyway, etc. But you should stay in lane as much as you can. This is of course made easier if you had done your trip-planning beforehand. If you need to change lane, plan on doing so long before you have to be on that other lane. Signal. If they don't let you cut in right away, don't get offended. That's the way it is in NYC. Be calm. Pretty soon, you'll be surprised, someone will let you in or the traffic could just as well clear up.

How to turn into a street when you're on a lane farthest from it, like say five lanes away. Never, never try to head directly towards it with all the traffic moving about you. First of all, you won't make it; nobody is going to let you cut in front of them. ("What, and hold me up? No way, Jose!"). So you'd be stopping there and be blocking the whole city traffic. Secondly, you could easily cause accidents that way, and certainly any police or traffic authority present will not look too kindly on that. There are several ways to go about it (with patience as the common underlying attitude).

The first and simplest is to literally go "about" it. Go around the block from your side of the street so that after a few turns you would end up on the same street where you originally wanted to make the turn to. For example, you're on Third Avenue, and you're on the leftmost lane just past 43rd Street. You need to make a right turn into 44th Street. (That means cutting diagonally across 4-5 lanes to get to the rightmost lane; but you wouldn't want to do that in New York). You would go straight up past 44th St., left on 45th St., left on Lexington Ave., and left again into 44th St.

The second method would be to stop on the side, as close as possible to the street just passed (in our example, near 43rd St.). Do not be blocking traffic, though.. Wait for the road to clear, usually just a few seconds before the lights on your street (Third Avenue, in this instance) change to red. Then you can head for the rightmost lane. Well, okay, you'd be stopped there for the red light, but when the lights change back to green you're already positioned to make your clean turn onto 44th Street.

Another method would be a "dirty trick", not advisable but is used most effectively by professionals who already know the pulse of the city streets. The driver would stop in the intersection (44th Street on the left side)- but positioned where he doesn't block the traffic - and would wait for the light to change. Just as the light changes and before any of the stopped vehicles on 44th Street could get to move on their green light, he would be quickly turning into the direction of 44th Street ahead of them. Split-second timing, that's all.

Merging traffic. In spite of all the aggressiveness of New York drivers, alternate-merge is something that's strictly practised here. Of course, every now and then, you would come upon some bully or wiseguy who think he can speed up his travel by not alternating. That's his problem, his blood pressure. Let it be. And you'll be the wiser and the alive.
 

When there's construction or a stalled vehicle in a City street or highway (eg, FDR Drive, Hudson River Drive, etc), there's a big chance that traffic will be backed up. Surprisingly - and this trick is still some kind of secret, it seems - the lane that's blocked is the one that moves fastest. Reason: most drivers think they are being smart by moving to the next or even the farthest lane as early as possible. Problem is, so many of them think that way too. Pretty soon they are all crowded in the supposedly free lanes and the blocked lane is then usually left clear or moving faster. By the time you get to the blockage you would already have passed dozens of them. And then, because New Yorkers respect alternate-merge, they're going to let you in there with little or no trouble. It would be so eerily easy!
 

ODDS AND ENDS

This should probably be considered the "readme" file of this article. Here you'll find a collection of techniques, tips, dirty tricks, and additional information not classifiable above but would be helpful for driving in New York. Also, if anyone of you should send me tips or comments that I might deem useful for our purpose, this is where I'll put it. (Rules for this are spelled out at the end of the article).
 

-Avoid rough neighborhoods. Driving in the outer boroughs is not that crucial, especially as you go farther into suburbia. It's just like driving in any other big city, with of course the same laws applying as those in Manhattan. Just stay away from some rough neighborhooods. Not my role to tell you which ones, though; ask your travel agent. Neighborhoods change, sometimes so quickly it's difficult to keep track.

-Dealing with Diplomats. Give diplomats a wide berth. There are so much more of them here in New York than anywhere else in the world, even Washington DC. They are actually diplomatic representatives to the United Nations, not to the U.S. Some of them even come from countries not friendly to the United States. (New Yorkers are not very fond of diplomats as a general rule because they hate seeing anybody getting special treatment before the law). Diplomats are expected to obey the laws of the host country, and they usually do observe the rules of traffic. But when push comes to shove, there's no telling what they'll do. (They've been known to punch police officers, remember?). Because of reciprocal diplomatic courtesies, they shouldn't be harassed and therefore are allowed more leeway. So don't get too upset if you see them stretching the rules sometimes, especially where parking is concerned. If they do it, there must be a good reason for it. (UPDATE '98: Diplomats are now required to pay parking violations fines, too! -Don't you just love this Mayor.)

-Lights on . Lights are to be turned on at dusk. But because the streets are so well-lit, you will sometimes forget to turn it on. So pay particular attention to that. There's also a law in NY State that requires you to turn on your lights (not park lights, mind you) when you have to use the windshield wipers during the day.

-Dealing with Cabbies. In the last couple of years, there has been a marked improvement in the quality of New York cabbies. They seem better trained - in driving skills, manners, and understanding of the law. They also seem less discourteous towards their fares as well as their fellow drivers. They are still quite aggressive but mostly because their passengers actually expect them to be so. More importantly, they all speak English now. Not so, only a few years ago. That time it was easy to acquire, or perhaps "forge", the hack license and so the proliferation of unqualified cab drivers. It is the taxi drivers of that past era that has given NY cabbies a bad name.

In general, cabs with passengers are well-behaved. It is those who are looking for fare that you have to watch out for. You'll know them by the switched-on vacancy lights on their roofs. They usually skirt the edge of the streets and suddenly stop when waved to. If there are vehicles stopped along their route they will just quickly cut into the next free lane. So don't be behind them or beside them. They can also come from anywhere, at the most unexpected time, cutting into your path and then just stopping there to pick up a passenger. If this happens, keep your calm and don't angrily blow your horn. This doesn't help any and will only serve to identify you further as an outsider. Usually cabs will try to move on quickly after getting their passengers anyway. If the police or the very strict Taxi and Limousine Commission agents spot them while cutting you off, they will usually be in trouble. When a cab signals a turn, let him go because he'll do it anyway. It's better to just be prepared so you can do the proper evasive moves, if necessary. (UPDATE '98: It is now against the law to blow your horn in New York! In some areas the fine is $350. -Don't you wanna hug this Mayor?)

-Parking head first. There would be some rare occasions when you would actually find a curbside parking space. Probably you would be so lucky as to get there just as a car is pulling out. But by this time, as you were letting the car get out, you will notice that the horns are already blaring impatiently behind you. You can further risk their ire by going through the usual parallel parking procedure. Problem is, when you move forward to position yourself for backing up into the spot, the car behind you doesn't see your signal (or pretends not to). He pulls up right behind you. Or worse, he could go in and steal your spot. So to prevent such unpleasantness, locals have learned to park head first. Difficult? Not really (but this may be a "dirty trick").

-Drive into the vacant spot head first.
-Briefly go up the curb with one wheel (you must go up the curb to make this work).
-Drop the wheel back unto the pavement.
-Straighten out.

 

ENJOY

So, there. As you can see, if you know what you're doing you can make driving in New York quite an interesting and enjoyable experience. You will very quickly realize that New Yorkers are not out there to kill you, after all. It's just their natural assertiveness that also finds expression in the way they drive. (Have you seen how they shop? That's the secret why they get really good bargains here). But if you can learn to live with that and drive by their rules, you'll be okay.

If you have time to stop and look around, you'll even notice some refreshing snippets of humor around New York, even in their official signs:

- Address for a basement apartment : 13½ East 52nd Street (I changed the true address numbers to "protect the innocent"). But what's with the 1/2?

- Sign: No Parking, No Standing, No Stopping, No Kidding

-Another sign: No Parking, Not 5 minutes, Not one, Not ever.

-Another sign: Don't even think of parking here.

DISCLAIMER: This article presents the observable and current practices of drivers in New York City and is not an attempt at offering any kind of professional legal advice. Making use of information gathered from this article will be at the reader's own risk and sole discretion and I shall not be held liable for his/her actions.

Please send your comments to rtubilleja@geocities.com. If you have some additional cool tips about driving in New York, I might include it in the next update of this article, edited and with due credits, of course. If there are more than one suggesting the same thing, I'll just mention some of the first ones. Your suggestions and comments will now be my property. And when, if ever, I publish this article in print, it will include your suggestions and name (unless you specify otherwise). Thanks for the visit.

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