I've considered more than once putting the car in park and starting a new life on the George Washington Bridge onramp. Driving home for the holidays is just part of the annual existential hellscape.
Just in time for the onslaught, driving app Waze has compiled user data from multiple Thanksgivings Past to help drivers plan ahead. Got to be thankful for those crowdsourced road stats.
Worst Days to Travel
- [November 24th] Tuesday
- Many drivers start their travel this day beginning at 1 p.m. The highest peak of usage is between 4 p.m.-8 p.m., so hitting the road after work doesn't seem like the best idea.
- [November 25th] Wednesday
- Another day of a large increase in usage, beginning at 11 a.m. and lasting all day.
Best Time to Travel
- [November 26th] Thursday
- Thanksgiving day itself. Traffic patterns resembled those of a weekend; expect low usage in the morning and evening but you'll see an increase of drivers from 12 - 4 p.m.
After Thanksgiving
- Heading home? Watch out for heavy traffic on [November 29th] Sunday . Rush hour lasts all day beginning at 10am, with the highest peak at 1-6 p.m.
- On [November 30th] Monday there is an increase of usage in late morning with rush hour from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
