March 24, 2010Data Collected from NYC TAXI GPS Units Yield Fascinating Information About Big Apple Traffic Patterns

photo via The New York Times

Conclusions gleaned from a recent study that looked at NYC traffic patterns as indicated by data collected from yellow taxi cabs revealed that rain, visits from political leaders, and parades are the outside factors that have the most negative impact on traffic.  Major holidays like New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, July 4th and Memorial Day offer the most ideal driving conditions: relatively NO traffic.  Weekdays, particularly Wednesdays (when theaters offer matinee shows), present the worst driving conditions, with speeds averaging under 10 miles per hour.

“Nearly every yellow taxi trip taken in Manhattan’s business district — from 60th Street to the Battery — between November 2008 and October 2009.  In that 12-month period, weekday traffic in the district moved at an average of 9.5 miles per hour — about the speed of a farmyard chicken at full gallop. (The New York Times -3/24/2010)”

City planners have already begun to use the data to influence their actions.  In particular future decisions about how to regulate traffic along 34th Street are currently being worked out and much of the planning will rely on the data collected from this study.  But data as extensive as that which is presently being collected on the matter of Manhattan traffic may have applications that reach beyond the road.

For instance, “on a typical Tuesday night, about 13,000 cabs travel south from the Upper East Side to a destination between 14th Street and Canal Street; on Saturdays, about three times as many cabs (38,000 on average) make the trip.(The New York Times -3/24/2010)”  What does this say about night life and other recreational options on the Upper East Side?  Perhaps restaurateurs and nightclub owners want to take some of this information into account…?