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If you thought your commute was already a test of patience, brace yourself: Gridlock Alert Days are making their annual return and Midtown is about to turn into a giant parking lot.
The dreaded designation kicks in starting Monday, September 22, through Friday, September 26, thanks to the United Nations General Assembly. When world leaders gather to deliver speeches, hash out diplomacy, and create endless motorcades, the rest of us get stuck staring at the same traffic light for 20 minutes. Average speeds in Midtown during UNGA week dip to under four miles per hour—basically, slower than a Citi Bike.
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And these five days are just the beginning. NYC DOT has flagged 20 Gridlock Alert Days between now and December 18, each promising clogged streets, closed intersections and honking symphonies echoing through Manhattan. The next round arrives in November, just in time for holiday shopping traffic to pile on.
The city’s advice is simple: Don’t drive. DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez is urging New Yorkers and visitors alike to ditch the car keys and opt for the subway, buses, ferries or walking shoes. Cyclists are also getting a boost: Last fall, the city made permanent the First Avenue Tunnel protected bike lane, a jersey barrier-separated express lane that whisks bikers past the chaos near UN headquarters. It’s the first tunnel in the U.S. repurposed for bikes while keeping car traffic moving above—and yes, it’s faster than sitting behind a limo in a motorcade.
Here’s the full lineup of 2025 Gridlock Alert Days so you can plan your sanity accordingly:
- Sept. 22–26
- Nov. 19–20, Nov. 25
- Dec. 3–5, Dec. 8–12, Dec. 15–18
Whether you’re commuting, running errands or just trying to get to a dinner reservation without rage-screaming at your steering wheel, consider anything but driving on these days. Midtown traffic is already rough on a Tuesday in July; pile on diplomats, holiday tourists and street closures and it’s game over.
Pack patience, swipe that MetroCard and maybe treat yourself to a good podcast. You’ll thank yourself when you sail past gridlock underground while the rest of Manhattan is stuck playing bumper cars.