Even for car enthusiasts, driving in the city is never a pleasure. You have to deal with traffic, cyclists, pedestrians … Lots of things to manage.
Living in Montreal myself, I thought I was quite used to urban driving. Until I found myself in traffic in the Big Apple.
Just before the opening of the New York Auto Show, Nissan Canada came up with the idea of hosting a Micra driving event in the streets of the Big Apple. A good idea, I thought to myself. It’s been a long time since I last got my hands on a Micra. And as long as I’m going to New York for the Show, I might as well take the opportunity to drive a bit while I was there.
That was the theory. Because in practice, it went a lot less well.
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Urban chaos
Montreal and New York are two worlds.
Even in heavy traffic, in Montreal, there is still a certain notion of respect that remains. Respect for red lights, respect for other motorists who want to change lanes. It is blurry sometimes, but it is very real!
In New York, it’s a lot more complicated.
Traffic lights are approximate. We’re not shy about getting stuck in the middle of an intersection, even if that means we’re going to block everyone when the light turns red. On the highway, it’s the law of the jungle. You have to take your place, because no one will do it for you.
I thought I was quite comfortable with city driving, but this jaunt in Manhattan and Brooklyn showed me that I still had a lot to learn. Or to avoid.
Especially since the Micra we tested had a manual transmission. I love manual transmissions, but for the rare time in my life, I would have swapped for the automatic without the slightest hesitation.
The wicked tow trucks
This is my impression of driving in New York. But there is worse: parking.
Parking on the Plateau Mont-Royal is boring. Parking in Brooklyn is hell.
In a neighborhood called DUMBO (for Down under the Manhattan bridge overpass), my colleague and I wanted to stop for about fifteen minutes, the time to go take a few photos and have a coffee.
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After walking through the surrounding streets, I finally found a free parking space. There was a fire hydrant nearby, I agree, but the Micra was small enough not to obstruct it. The kind of parking that would have happened in Montreal, I believe.
Not in New York.
When we got back to the car, surprise! A tow truck was grabbing our little Micra. I ran to the car, hoping to run into someone nice and understanding.
Obviously, it wasn’t my day.
After almost begging the two agents who were busy getting the Micra on board, I resigned myself. These people were not going to let me go so quickly.
They explained to me that to recover the car, we had to go to the municipal pound, located about ten street corners. Seems it would have been easier to let us go, but hey …
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The walk took us about fifteen minutes. And believe it or not, we hit the pound the same time the Micra did! In New York, you might as well be on foot …
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There, of course, we had to pay. Pay dearly, other than that. $ 185 for towing and $ 115 for parking too close to a fire hydrant.
Total bill: $ 300. US, obviously.
While we waited for the Micra to be brought back forward, we saw tow trucks pass, each impounding a car.
“How many cars are towed here each day?” My colleague asked the lady who handled the payment. “A lot”, she replies.
All that to say that the next time you go to New York, take a cab. Or the metro. Or a bicycle.
Everything except a car.
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