Gridlock in New York City

by: heather venema
Editor-in-Chief

There’s nothing like being a part of history, and for three days of my life, I could say just that.

Setting out on my maiden voyage to The Big Apple with the group of Ambrose students from Galvin, I had no idea what to expect from the city in a state of cosmopolitan normalcy, let alone one of chaotic proportions.

With the exception of family vacations and a few weekend excursions to Chicago, I would define heavy traffic as Elmore Avenue on a Saturday afternoon. (If that doesn’t tattoo “Midwest” on my forehead I don’t know what does.)

 But after surviving a major metropolitan public transit strike, I have a new appreciation for the roads I drive on.

Having not watched the news the morning after the negotiations fell through, I could tell NYC had becoming increasingly pedestrian the moment I set foot in Times Square. Amidst all the Gucci bags and tailored suits, pumps had been replaced with Adidas tennis shoes and briefcases were traded in for backpacks.

Which I suppose was a matter of necessity if you were unlucky enough to live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan – the daunting walk across the Brooklyn Bridge took over 90 minutes each way.

For safety purposes, several asphalt arteries were closed for emergency vehicles. Fifth Avenue, where I could buy a sweater for the cost of my books this semester, eerily resembled some sort of ghost town.

Even with a rough emergency contingency plan in place, I sat on a bus next to an ambulance for over 20 minutes, while the sirens blared and the lights screamed desperation.

The worst part is that it wasn’t a matter of no one moving out of the way – there were just so many cars that no one had anywhere to go.

Along the lines of public safety, some members of our group had the unfortunate opportunity to witness New York road rage at its finest. Eileen Eitrheim could provide much more detailed information, but the overall premise is that some woman on her cell phone felt compelled to crush a couples’ legs as punishment for jaywalking in front of her vehicle – which was stopped anyway.

An integral part of New York City is the Statue of Liberty, and I decided that strike or no-strike, I was going to see it, even if I had to walk four hours and swim out to Liberty Island.

By cab, the nearly 50-block drive would have cost me $75. Cabs were only operating at full capacity, and charged a $10 flat rate just to get in. The fee was increased each time the cab driver crossed a “zone,” but the officials in Manhattan made sure the city was broken into enough zones to remain profitable - assuming you were fortunate enough to have a cab driver that played by the rules.

Needless to say, my determination worked well, and I was able to find a sightseeing bus tour that would take my traveling companions and me round trip for $40. While the initial trip took an hour and a half, the return trip was clocking in at three hours before I begged the bus driver to let us walk.

In some sense, I probably got to fully experience more of the city because things were moving so much slower, but there were definitely parts of New York City that were inaccessible, such as SoHo or any of the other four boroughs.

However, I still managed to create an unforgettable experience and the benefits definitely seemed to outweigh the costs. Unless of course you consider that $1,000,000 a day price tag – I’m not sure those people had as great a week as I did.