Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In

Bruce Schaller's studies continue to give New York City policymakers a much more detailed idea of who commutes into Manhattan's Central Business District each day, where they came from and what they are doing once they get there (PDF file). 

Towards that end, his new Manhattan Institute study, Battling Traffic: What New Yorkers Think About Road Pricing, offers the two maps below. The maps show the number of auto commuters and the percentage of auto commuters who drive into Manhattan's Central Business District from specific census tracts.  

So, for example, check out the Upper East Side. It is responsible for 5,000+ auto commuters into the Manhattan CBD each day, yet the vast majority of those car commuters' neighbors -- 85 percent or more -- find a way to get to work without a car. In other words, the Upper East Side may be a place that is ripe for mode shift. It could be a place where one would expect to find a significant number of commuters who could be moved out of cars and onto transit, bike, ferry or foot if the proper services and incentives were offered (Though, with all of those wealthy people and black limos on the UES, the proper incentive might be helicopter service).   

Number Who Commute by Auto to the Central Business District nyc_auto_commuter_numb.jpg

Percent Who Commute by Auto to the Central Business Districtnyc_auto_commuter_pct.jpg

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Oonee, The Bike Parking Company, Files Formal Protest After DOT Snub

Brooklyn bike parking start-up Oonee is calling foul play on the city's selection of another company for its secure bike parking program.

December 12, 2025

OPINION: I’m Sick Of Unsafe 31st Street And The Judge Who Killed Our Shot at Fixing It

An Astoria mom demands that the city appeal Judge Cheree Buggs's ruling ordering the removal of the 31st bike lane.

December 12, 2025

‘I’m Always on the Bus’: How Transit Advocacy Helped Katie Wilson Become Seattle’s Next Mayor

"I really think that our public transit system is such a big part of people's daily experience of government," says the incoming mayor of the Emerald City.

December 12, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Blue Highways Edition

The DOT showed off its first water-to-cargo-bike delivery route. Plus other news.

December 12, 2025

Court Docs Shed Light on Instacart’s Car-Dominant Delivery Business

Instcart's reliance on cars adds traffic, pollution and the potential for road violence to city streets.

December 11, 2025

More Truck Routes Are Coming To A Street Near You

The DOT wants to rein in freight trucks by adding more than 45 miles to the city’s existing network of truck routes.

December 11, 2025
See all posts