When is Rush Hour in NYC? A Chauffeur’s Guide to New York Traffic
by Ellie Smith / March 24, 2025
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Navigating New York City's streets can feel like a real-life game of "red light, green light," with more stops than goes. In 2024, drivers in the Big Apple lost an average of 102 hours sitting in traffic, tying with Chicago as the most congested city in the U.S. Globally, only Istanbul had it worse, with 105 hours lost to delays. Cities like famous traffic hell Los Angeles (88 hours lost) and Boston (79 hours lost) are also grappling with heavy congestion.
Traffic in NYC is nothing new to us. Blacklane has been navigating these streets since 2013, helping travelers move through the city with ease. We’ve seen firsthand how rush hour evolves, where the worst bottlenecks form, and what it takes to navigate the city efficiently even when traffic has other plans. In this article, we'll dive into the latest NYC traffic statistics, pinpoint congestion hotspots, and explore accident trends, giving you a better understanding of what it really means to hit the road in the city that never sleeps.
Table of contents
How bad is traffic in New York?
Getting stuck in traffic isn’t just an occasional headache in NYC, it’s practically a daily ritual. Here’s how much time the city’s gridlock is really costing drivers:
Slowest traffic in the U.S.: In 2024, New York City recorded the slowest-moving traffic of any metro area in the country, making every commute feel longer than it should.
Travel time: In 2024, it took an average of 31 minutes to travel just 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) within the city.
When is rush hour in New York?
If you think traffic is bad all the time, just wait until rush hour hits. Speeds drop, tempers rise, and getting anywhere feels like an impossible mission.
Morning rush hour: 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Evening rush hour: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Worst traffic congestion days: Mondays and Fridays tend to have the slowest travel speeds, with Friday evening rush hour seeing the worst delays.
Most congested streets in NYC
Certain roads in NYC are notorious for gridlock. Some of the most congested streets include:
5th Avenue (Midtown): Slowest street in NYC with average speeds of 4.9 mph (7.8 km/h).
1st Avenue: Average speed 5.2 mph (8.3 km/h).
Canal Street: A major bottleneck connecting to Holland Tunnel.
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE): Frequent delays, especially in Williamsburg.
NYC bridge and tunnel traffic
Getting in and out of Manhattan is no easy feat. Here’s a look at some of the most jammed crossings in the city:
George Washington Bridge: This Hudson River heavyweight is a daily battleground for commuters, road trippers, and truck drivers all trying to squeeze into Manhattan. It’s been one of the busiest crossings in the world for years, and while traffic patterns shift, the bridge remains a key artery into the city, with congestion peaking during rush hours and weekend getaways.
Lincoln Tunnel: This three-tube tunnel sees an estimated 120,000 vehicles daily, making it a hotspot for backups. If you’ve ever spent an eternity crawling through it, you know patience (and maybe a podcast) is key. Rush hour? Forget about it.
Holland Tunnel: With a steady flow of vehicles every day, the Holland Tunnel is no stranger to delays. During peak hours, backups stretch so far that walking to Manhattan might seem like a faster option. Delays here frequently exceed 30 minutes, so plan accordingly or better yet, let someone else do the driving.
New York traffic by borough
Each borough has its own brand of gridlock, and some are worse than others. Learn what you’re dealing with:
Manhattan: Midtown traffic is in a league of its own, averaging just 4.8 mph (7.7 km/h) in 2024. That’s the slowest it’s been since 1971. At that speed, you could probably outwalk a taxi, even in heels.
Brooklyn: The Flatbush Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) trifecta is a commuter’s nightmare. Simply put the BQE has a way of making you consider abandoning your car altogether.
Queens: The Long Island Expressway (LIE) has one job which is getting people through Queens, and it’s failing spectacularly during rush hour. It remains one of the most notoriously congested roads in the city, with traffic reports confirming what drivers already know, it’s a slog!
Bronx: The Cross Bronx Expressway isn’t just bad, it’s legendary for its severe delays. If there were an award for “Most Likely to Ruin Your ETA,” this road would take it every year. Reports consistently rank it among the nation’s most gridlocked highways.
Staten Island: The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge handles over 200,000 vehicles daily, making it a key transit route, but also a massive bottleneck. If you're crossing it during peak hours, you might want to pack a snack.
Traffic safety and accidents in NYC
Beyond frustration and lost time, NYC’s traffic comes with real risks. Accidents happen daily, and some intersections are more dangerous than others.
Traffic Fatalities (2024): In the first nine months of 2024, traffic crashes resulted in 193 fatalities and 2,338 serious injuries, marking a concerning trend in traffic-related incidents. Specifically, there has been an increase in pedestrian fatalities, and also in child fatalities.
Most dangerous areas (High Crash Rates):
The following locations have been identified as some of the highest crash-rate areas in NYC, based on recent collision reports and traffic safety data.
Manhattan
8th Avenue and West 42nd Street
9th Avenue and West 42nd Street
St. Nicholas Avenue and West 125th Street
Brooklyn
Empire Boulevard and Troy Avenue
Flatlands Avenue and Ralph Avenue
Flatbush Avenue Extension and DeKalb Avenue
Bronx
East Gun Hill Road and White Plains Road
Crames Square and East 163rd Street
Jerome Avenue and East Fordham Road
Queens
Booth Memorial Avenue and Main Street
Congestion pricing program in New York City
To address these congestion issues, New York City implemented a congestion pricing program on January 5, 2025.
Toll rates: Most cars, SUVs, small vans, and pickup trucks with an E-ZPass are charged $9 once per day during peak traffic hours—5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
Traffic reduction: In the first week following implementation, there was a 7.5% decrease in vehicles entering Manhattan’s congestion zone south of 60th Street, equating to approximately 43,000 fewer cars compared to the same period in the previous year.
While early data suggests a potential reduction in traffic, the long-term impact of congestion pricing remains uncertain. Although there are discussions about removing the program altogether, only time will tell whether this initiative will continue to shape NYC’s traffic landscape or undergo significant changes.
How to beat NYC traffic
Navigating New York City’s traffic isn’t for the faint of heart. Rush hour, unpredictable bottlenecks, and traffic nightmares make every trip an adventure, just not always the kind you want. Sure, public transportation is an option, but that comes with its own set of headaches. Packed trains, multiple transfers, and unexpected delays can turn a simple commute into a logistical puzzle.
That’s why many travelers and professionals are rethinking how they move around urban centers. Instead of dealing with the stress of stop-and-go traffic, more people are choosing premium chauffeur services like Blacklane, where comfort, reliability, and efficiency take priority. Whether you need to explore New York's top offerings, get to JFK airport, or even head out to the Hamptons, Blacklane makes it easy.
Blacklane’s chauffeur service gives you a way to reclaim your time. No honking, no lane battles, just a smooth, comfortable ride while someone else deals with the traffic. Because if you’re going to be in New York traffic, you might as well do it in style.
