GARDEN CITY, NY (May 26, 2022) AAA Memorial Day holiday travel projections show today (Thursday) as the busiest getaway day for the New York region with traffic congestion peaking this afternoon from 3:15 to 5:15pm. Anonymous GPS tracking by INRIX shows NYC roads experiencing a 161 percent increase over normal traffic volumes during the afternoon rush today. “Traffic seems to be congested most of the time in our region with many commuters still avoiding trains and opting to drive to and from work,” said Robert Sinclair, Jr. of AAA Northeast. “Holiday travelers mixing with commuters this afternoon will mean very busy roads,”
AAA analyzed MTA Bridges and Tunnels toll collection data from Memorial Day weekend (Thursday through Monday) last year when 4,067,578 vehicles used the intra-city crossings (see attached chart). AAA travel projections show a five percent increase in drivers this year. A corresponding five percent increase would mean more than 4.2 million vehicles will traverse MTA facilities for the holiday. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge will be the busiest with close to 1.1 million vehicles using the structure. The RFK/Triboro will be second busiest surpassing 833,000 crossings.
Driving won’t be a picnic most of the weekend with INRIX data showing these worst (and best) times to travel..
| Daily Worst and Best Times to Travel | ||
| Day | Worst Time | Best Time |
| Thursday | 1:00-8:00pm | Before 6:00am or After 9:00pm |
| Friday | 12:00-7:00pm | Before 7:00am or After 9:00pm |
| Saturday | 1:00-6:00pm | Before 10:00am |
| Sunday | 1:00-4:00pm | Before 10:00am |
| Monday | 1:00-4:00pm | Before 11:00am |
Unfortunately, traffic won’t be the only trouble for many drivers this weekend. AAA anticipates responding to more than 30,000 disabled vehicles in our region over the holiday. Flat tires, dead batteries, lockouts and running out of fuel will be the top problems based on last year’s data. With more vehicles on the road and gas prices at all-time highs, more breakdowns are expected this year. AAA recommends getting vehicles checked by a qualified technician before hitting the road this weekend.
Lots of travelers from our region will be headed to local airports to cover significant distances for the holiday. AAA is one of the largest leisure travel agencies in the nation and bookings for those from the New York/New Jersey regions of AAA Northeast’s territory show Florida as the top destination with Europe (particularly Germany) for river cruises number two. The Bahamas, Bermuda and Italy round out the top destinations for flyers.