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NYC's traffic is better, even factoring delays in Manhattan because Manhattan has better access to public transit in the form of subway, train, and bus. LA also has delays well outside of the downtown core, whereas such delays are not as common in the NY region.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I find the two impossible to compare primarily because of New York's waterways.
That causes all kinds of incredibly delays and pads incredibly expensive tolls.
Driving from Nassau to Westchester (which can be roughly 25 miles as the crow flies) can take upwards to 90 minutes.
Driving from The Center of Queens to Bayonne, NJ may take hours too especially if you avoid intense tolls.
Manhattan surprisingly flows.
Will all that in mind, it drives me nuts when people bring this discussion up and someone chimes in 'but New York has public transit so it's not as bad'. You might as well discuss the weather or the time zone, it's comparing traffic to traffic.
I find the two impossible to compare primarily because of New York's waterways.
That causes all kinds of incredibly delays and pads incredibly expensive tolls.
Driving from Nassau to Westchester (which can be roughly 25 miles as the crow flies) can take upwards to 90 minutes.
Driving from The Center of Queens to Bayonne, NJ may take hours too especially if you avoid intense tolls.
Manhattan surprisingly flows.
Will all that in mind, it drives me nuts when people bring this discussion up and someone chimes in 'but New York has public transit so it's not as bad'. You might as well discuss the weather or the time zone, it's comparing traffic to traffic.
I brought up transit because I have lived in both places and experienced traffic jams at 2am on the 101, not something that I have experienced in the immediate metro area at all. Public transit is much more of a factor for rush hour delay comparisons because the option does not exist for many in the LA area, so the freeways are jammed, regardless as to chosen route as tolls would not be a consideration as to time. To expense, tolls are a consideration but many help fund the MTa, providing for transit, so transit is an integral part of any comparison between the two areas.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I still remember waiting 2 hours in rush hour to travel from the edge of Cook County in the suburbs of Chicago to the Loop, which is about 15 miles. LA's is worse than that.
I'm really glad I don't drive anymore, though traffic is a lot smoother from what I've seen here.
I brought up transit because I have lived in both places and experienced traffic jams at 2am on the 101, not something that I have experienced in the immediate metro area at all. Public transit is much more of a factor for rush hour delay comparisons because the option does not exist for many in the LA area, so the freeways are jammed, regardless as to chosen route as tolls would not be a consideration as to time. To expense, tolls are a consideration but many help fund the MTa, providing for transit, so transit is an integral part of any comparison between the two areas.
I wasn't attempting to call you out on what you said.
For what it's worth though- if you have to drive from point A to point B, despite transit impacting -what- traffic will be like, traffic is traffic. NYC has poorly built roads and is not nearly as dense as LA. No bridge from LI to Westchester is inexcusable as is only one major conduit in SI.
Most people would NEVER consider driving from W42nd St, to Astoria... but if that was a must, it would be an abhorrent nightmare.
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