Tips and suggestions on avoiding "blocking the box"
 

I would like to hear your tips and suggestions on how to avoid blocking the box. In New York City, the penalties are harsh. I think its USD 130 + 2 points on your license. I have never gotten pulled over for blocking the box (then again, I have never driven in NYC that much) and I don't intend to be pulled over so I would like to hear your tips and suggestions. I have read that blocking the box is a problem not just in New York but in the U.K., Ireland, Canada, etc.

Don't pull out into the intersection unless you have room to clear it. The light will turn green again. Wait your turn. Simple.

And it's a problem everywhere some tool does it. And they do it everywhere.

I know everybody does it, but I don't want to be the one being pulled over and getting a ticket. I also don't want some idiot in back of me honking is horn because im not moving. :p

Let 'em honk. They'll get over it, or they'll die mad. Not your problem. ;)

1. take a cab
2. take a bus
3. take a subway

there are three methods right there

Well unfortunately, I have to get to Union, NJ via the holland, chinatown, etc. and the "boxes" are gonna be pain in the a**. And I have to go via car since I'll be dropping off some stuff.

And I am sure no one in the right mind would drive to go somewhere in NYC ;) (Only by car if urgent)

What about turning either direction?

suggestions? sometimes its hard.

i once had to run red lights because people kept blocking the box. some kind of highway disruption or something caused backups everywhere, was insane.

Very simple. Don't enter the intersection unless there is room on the other side for you to clear it entirely. If you get caught gambling and it doesn't clear out, make a right turn.

Disagree. I don't do it.

Here's a suggestion, don't be a tool and risk the lives of pedestrians, and don't pretend you're more important than others travelling perpendicularly to yourself by blocking them out.

Geez I wish they'd enforce this rule everywhere in the world. Would make it far safer.

What about turning either direction?

What about just not pulling into the intersection unless you can clear it? This is Basic Driving 101! If the guy behind you honks - guess what? He's sitting there until the light changes. He'll get over it - or he'll rear end you, in which case it's his fault.

If you drive in New York, people will honk their horns at you.

If you don't want to block the box, don't go into the intersection until you can clear the crosswalk on the opposite side. its really as simple as that.

If you go before, there's a very good chance you will block the box.

If you don't go, yes people will honk at you and yes pedestrians will start to cross in front of you so even if it does clear, chances are you won't go anywhere without running people over. That's really going to get people honking their horns at you.

If you don't have the ability to deal with a few people honking at you, and you don't want to get ticketed, you should leave the car in a parking lot and take the subway, you aren't cut out for city driving.

Assuming you have some destination in mind, turning isn't going to get you there if all you do is keep making random turns every time you have to wait in an intersection. In a city where many of the streets are one way like New York, you also have to be in the proper lane to turn, and about every other block that's the opposite lane. Plus in a city like New York, the pedestrians are crossing, and if there are enough of them taking long enough, you are going to have to wait for the light to change anyways and you will have both the people behind you honking and now the people on the street you were trying to turn onto because you are now blocking them too.

In NYC - MTA buses are among the worst offenders blocking the boxes, especially around key transport hubs at rush hours, except for some of the tandem buses - and I have yet to see any of them getting pull over and/or given a citation. They pull out of the curb lane at will ... If you follow closely or behind them into the intersection, you will find yourself blocking the box.

If the Do Not Walk signs at the crosswalks begin to flash, it's usually 10 seconds, maybe 15 or 20 seconds before the lights will turn yellow & then red - do NOT move or pull into intersection, with some exceptions like left or right hand lanes with arrows that you are familiar with.

There are laws about honking in NYC and some neighborhoods/city blocks have warning signs about no honking. If the drivers behind you honk, just ignore her/him - impatient and aggressive driving in the metro NY area is a given - act as if you didn't hear the beeping & honking.

Enforcement of this & other moving violations in NYC is selective & random, probably more so in Manhattan than other boroughs - major roads passing thru Chinatown to/from Holland Tunnel sometimes have traffic agents on duty at rush/peak traffic time to direct the flow, and the box problem tend not to be an issue.

Even if you turn either direction instead of going thru the box & blocking it, you can still get pulled over for a ticket, if that's your unlucky day behind the wheels - just don't enter the intersection - never mind what the driver in front of you did or the impatient driver behind you wanted to do.

With parking fees so expensive in Manhattan these days, I either use mass transit or a car service, or pass thru at off-peak hours where the problem usually isn't as bad. And, 90% plus drivers do NOT block the box, it's the other 5% or 10% - sadly, most of them get away with it and continue to push their luck.

I plan to take the holland around 5PM or so on a saturday and return around 8-9PM later that night. Should that be a problem?

From your description, it sounds like you are driving into Manhattan from either lower Brooklyn or Queens, using 1 of the 3 East River bridges -passing thru Chinatown on your way to the Holland Tunnel, with Canal Street as the obvious major east-west cross town route.

On any given day, weekends or otherwise during the work week - I avoid using Canal Street unless it's early morning like before 7 AM or after 8 or 9 PM at night, when traffic eased up and blocking the box usually isn't a problem.

Otherwsie, including Saturday afternoon or evening return, avoid using Canal Street or even Broome Street to approach the HT, go around it using Church Street to 6th Avenue (from City Hall area, easy from the Brooklyn Bridge) and left turn on Canal Street, then keep to the right - 2 traffic lights and you are at the entrance to the HT. This only works on weekend & off-peak on weekdays as there are restrictions otherwise except for buses, etc.

Another alternate would be Varick Street north to Canal, keep right for the entrance to HT but it could sometimes jam up on weekends.

Aside from GPS/Google Nav live via smartphone, good old car radio tuned to news 880 or 1010 news are your friend, for live & up-to-the-minute traffic reports every 10 minutes.

Just leave a bit early to allow for extra travel time, ignore those that honk behind you, and you will be like the 90% that don't block the box. Our friends from Canada, California & overseas will NOT drive in & around NYC for these & other reasons.

Another annoying fact behind the wheels is that NYC is NO right turn on red, and out-of-state drivers often ignore or pretend to not know, with the worst offenders usually ignoring all traffic rules completely - speed thru local streets, don't yield to people crossing legally, etc. etc. - if only NYPD and its traffic agents would enforce these laws and ... Blocking The Box tend to get more attention around the fall holiday season, especially on "Gridlock Alert Days"

Now that we've managed to scare the daylight out of you for not driving around NYC, you should be fine on a Saturday - unless the POTUS is coming to town, bringing AFO and company with him .... :D

I'll be coming from Queens so i'll be hopping on the BQE towards the holland then driving through Lower Manhattan then the holland. Another option is to take the Whitestone Bridge towards the GWB but its out of the way for me.

It's silly to go out of the way via WSB, pay the full price cash toll (no EZ-Pass) with long lines these days - just to not deal with the fear of "blocking the box" :confused: Traffic on the Cross Bronx Exp. (I-95) is known as the rowing parking lot filled with trucks and there's construction on the return route, best to avoid it.

Just use the BQE, take the Brooklyn Bridge exit instead across the East River, keep left for Chamber Street, right on Church Street to 6th Avenue, keep left as it become Ave. of the Americas and turn left right at Canal Street - 2 blocks to HT. For late Saturday afternoon, that would be my usual route to go to NJ - avoid the Chinatown - Canal Street passage going cross-town.

Use GPS or Google Nav on a smartphone, and use handset BT or speakerphone as NYPD will pull & ticket driver for not using handsfree devices, etc.

What if I just take the Williamsburg to make it easier or whatever the GPS says? It looks like im gonna be encountering "boxes" anyway. I might as well just take whatever the GPS says.

I'm just a fairly new driver and haven't driven in Manhattan yet.

As the OP's plans focus around NYC-area driving, I'll move this to the New York City forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

If you're a new driver and don't know how to wait for traffic and not block the box your best bet is to take the bus. The 114 from PABT should get you to Union NJ in about half an hour.

The easiest alternative (as in signed) is really to take the QMT, the Lincoln and then the Garden State Parkway.

If you don't intend to be pulled over, then don't be caught in an intersection as the light turns red. ;) That's how you avoid blocking the box. Ignore the 'idiot' (you mentioned earlier) who is honking his horn if you don't block the box. What does that driver matter to you? FYI, that 'idiot' is risking points and a $350 fine for using his horn. :D

All the more reason to drop the idea and take the bus from PABT over to NJ. The NJ Transit buses are fast, convenient, and cheap -- I don't know why people think they have some kind of stigma. Driving in Manhattan is intimidating for the inexperienced. I never do it unless I'm picking up a rental car to leave the city.

Like I've said, I'll be bringing some stuff to Union. And I will be making a stop in Jersey City.

I know driving in the city is intimidating especially for first timers but I feel that if I have to learn. I might as well learn now. I can't avoid not driving in the city for the rest of my life because its intimidating. I rather face my problems now then avoid it.

I feel quite in my right mind, thank you, and I drive almost every day in New York City and have been doing so since I was a teenager, like millions of others.

My apologies if that offended you. I know that alot people drive in the city, thats why there is always traffic and gridlock to begin with. But im sure most people take mass transit if they will go to the city, not pass through the city like myself and other folks who have to pass through to get to NJ and beyond.

My apologies once again. :o:)

No offense taken. Please remember that of the eight million plus residents of New York City, most do not live in Manhattan.

+1

Gridlock is a big revenue source because agents hide and surface to ticket people instead of help traffic flow. Kind of backwards.
HT is extremely bad as you have cars turning into your lane so you try to block them out but you can enter the intersection as the light turns green and still get blocked from moving in a cycle.

My trip if you must creep - verify you are outside lanes (not in the middle) and leave adequate space ahead of yourself to turn if light turns red on you. You can sit in the box but as soon as light turns red start turning away.
Note - sometimes gridlock on streets like 50th (don't allow turns) so simply wait until clearance.

While the topic may seem like it has the easy solution of "don't pull into the box unless you have clearance up front," practically, its not that simple.

I have been on long lines trying to get to the Lincoln or Holland Tunnels, and to avoid blocking the box, I would wait on the other side until I had clearance. The problem is that when my light is red, traffic from the cross-street will turn into the traffic upfront, so I find myself NEVER having clearance before moving up front.

It really is a bet - a careful one taking into account of the pedestrians, cops, and whether or not traffic will move at the right time.