The Brian Lehrer Show
How Many SUVs Are on Your block?
We want you to go outside and count the number of SUVs on your block, as well as the number of regular cars. This is our experiment in “crowdsourcing,” where we employ you, the listener, in an act of journalism. We’re trying to find out just how much gas-guzzling SUV use there is throughout the New York area, with all the talk of environmental sustainability in the city. We’re giving you until next Thursday to do the counting, but please, just count the cars once. Most trucks and minivans are not SUVs, so we're trusting your judgment. Also, please count the cars on both sides of the block (i.e. the section of your street between intersecting roads).
Post your results in the comment section below and we’ll analyze the results Thursday, August 2. The count ends at 1 pm Wednesday, Aug 1st!
Wired Magazine writer Jeff Howe explains the idea on the air.
Please post 1) your neighborhood, 2) your block (street and cross street) 3) the number of SUVs parked 4) the total number of cars parked
NOTE: While we ordinarily encourage comments of any kind, we would like to keep this page limited to the findings about SUVs. We will take other comments when we discuss this next week. Thanks!
Jeff Howe's original article on Crowdsourcing
Jeff Howe's Crowdsourcing blog
View the results of our SUV count on our Google Map
1) Neighborhood: Fort Greene, Brooklyn
2) Block: S Oxford Street, between Lafayette and Dekalb
3) Number of SUVs: 16
4 Total number of cars: 66
Surprising (to me, at least)!
1) Neighborhood: Downtown Brooklyn/Boerum Hill
2) Block: State St., between State St. and Boerum Pl
3) Number of SUVs: 4
4) Total number of cars: 11
1) neighborhood: Flatbush
2) Ocean Avenue 4 blocks between Parkside and Church Ave; one side of the street.
3) 25 SUVs
4) 32 cars
1) neighborhood: Greenpoint
2) Block: Milton Street at Franklin
3) 4 SUVs
4) 16 cars total
1) Neighborhood: Inwood
2) Block: 217th street between Park Terrace East and Park Terrace West
3) Number of SUVs: 3
4) Total number of cars: 15
Neighborhood: Stamford, CT
TOTAL number of vehicles: 24
number of cars: 11
number of SUVs: 13
Number of homes on street: 11
Not sure if you only want NYC but here you go:
1) "Neighborhood" - Hoboken
2) Block - Willow Avenue between 9th and 10th
3) 13 SUVs
4) 33 cars total
--BL Show Response:
Yes, we are asking about the "New York City area," so that includes Hoboken, and Westchester, Long Island and Connecticut, for that matter. Thanks!
Neighborhood: Prospect Lefferts Gardens
Block: Sterling Street b/w Washington Ave and Bedford Ave
SUVs: 19 (34%)
Cars: 37 (66%)
Total: 56
1) East Harlem
2) Lexington Ave between 106th and 107th
3) # of suv's 7
4) total # of vehicles 20
Does block mean 1) both sides of the street in front of the door to my building and nothing more, 2) just my side of the street on the square block on which I live or 3) both sides of the street on the square block on which I live?
--The BL Show response:
The answer is 1) both sides of the street in front of the door to your house or building and nothing more. Thanks for the opportunity to clarify.
1)Upper West Side
2) 85th Street between West End and Riverside
3) 22 SUVs
4) 63 cars, 1 moving truck and 1 postal truck
Heard this request while playing the alternate side of the street parking game
Neighborhood: Sunset Park in Brooklyn
Block: 40th St. between 6th and 7th Avenues
SUV's: 8
Total vehicles: 67
Comment: Lots of minivans and pickups. My neighborhood not wealthy enough for SUV's?
Greenpoint
Dupont St. (between McGuinness and Manhattan)
30 vehicles total
7 SUVs
Park Slope, Brooklyn
St. John's Pl., b/w 7th Ave. and 8th Ave
total cars: 66
SUVs: 16
mini-vans/pick-ups/other trucks: 13
River Street in front of Stevens Institute betweem 5th and 6th street.
22 total cars of all kind
7 SUVs
Greenpoint, Newton Street:
10 cars total
2 SUVs
1 mini-van
1- Rockland County (30 miles north of NYC)
2- NYC commuter lot Rt 45(Spring Valley, NY)
3- 87 cars
4- 19 SUV's including 3 small pickups
Location: Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Street: Wyckoff Street, between Smith and Hoyt
Total vehicles on the block: 60
Total SUV's on the block: 31
This block also contains four entrances to parking garages/lots and two fire hydrants.
There are 5 SUV's parked on my block with six more passing my house as counted on my block.
So I saw a total of 11 in approx. 1 min of time.
And there are more passing my street by the sec.
Nice to see the American public so concerned about the impact of the environment. By the way, the six that passed by no kids, one adult.
Hood: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Block: Union St. bet. 4th and 5th
SUV's: 11
Total cars (not including SUV's): 44
Mini-vans, vans, motorcycles, scooters, and miscellaneous motor vehicles: 5
How far does "New York" extend? If I make a count in my neighborhood, 30 miles west of Manhattan, I may find it difficult to find a non-SUV outside of my own driveway.
--BL Show responds:
As mentioned above, we are saying "the New York area," so that really includes anyone in our broadcast listening area. Online listeners can post their count, but we may not include it in the final tally. Thanks for taking part!
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Block: 15 st bet 7-8 aves
37 suvs, 2 pickup trucks, 49 cars - 88 total vehicles
Brooklyn Heights, Court St. between Schermerhorn and State St.
6 cars parked (at meters only, and there are a few No Parking signs)
..but I'll usually see at least 4 SUVs parked or idling on the street waiting to pick up friends and relatives coming out of the multiplex on Court St. Usually pretty obnoxiously large SUVs with the tricked-out rims.
Neighborhood: Hollis Hills
Block: 211St. bet Union Tpke. and 82 Ave.
33 cars, 10 SUVs
Forest Hills 108 street and 66th ave
40 cars total , and 22 suvs
I live in Jersey City but I'm doing a job in Terre Haute, Indiana. Out here in middle America there are lots of SUVs plus pickup trucks, but not really city blocks. I walked the parking lot at work and in one row of vehicles:
8 SUVs
9 Pick-ups
35 total vehicles
SUVs: 11
MiniVans: 3
Cars: 6
Number of SUVs that cut me off or were parked in the bike lane within 2 blocks of my house: 2
(thats below normal today)
1) Park Slope
2) 2nd Street between 7th and 8th Aves
3) 13 SUVs
4) 32 total vehicles
I haven't been able to get out all day, but I live on the UWS very near the Natural History Museum. It is appalling to see the number of SUVs parked on our block (a long crosstown block) on the weekend -- frequently all but 2 or 3 vehicles are SUVs.
30 cars
22 SUV (vans)
Street is in repairs, number would be higher normally (sadly)
1. Jackson Heights
2. 35th Avenue between 84th and 85th streets
3. 7 SUVs
4. 15 total vehicles
1) Neighborhood: Cobble Hill
2) Block: Clinton Street, btwn Amity & Pacific
3) Total Cars: 20
4) SUVs: 6
5) Mini-Vans: 3
6) Cars: 11
1) Neighborhood: West Village
2) Block: W. 13th between Sixth and Seventh (Thurs, July 26 around 5:30 pm)
3) Cars: 47
4) SUVs: 20!
5) Minivans and Vans: 5
6) other: 3 (2 motorcycles and a pink Vespa)
total vehicles - 75
West Village, 7/26, 6:15 pm
Jane Street (between Hudson and Greenwich Streets)
4 SUVs
10 cars total (2 minivans included)
You can only park on one side of my strett.
1) Neighborhood: Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
2) Block: Saint James Place (between Greene St and Gates Ave)
3) Total Vehicles: 69
4) SUVs: 23
5) Mini-Vans: 2
6) Cars: 44
That's over a 1:2 ratio of SUVs:Cars. Damn. Also note, this is a good-sized block.
1) Neighborhood: Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
2) Block: Hoyt between 1st and 2nd Street
3) Total vehicles: 7
4) SUVs: 2
5) Minivans: 1
6: Total cars: 7
Neighborhood: Ditmas Park (Flatbush)
block: Marlborough Rd between Cortelyou and Beverley
SUV's: 20
total cars: 69
Total # of cars parked on both sides----- 60
Total # of SUV's
cars: 60
SUV: 22!
Neighborhood: Carroll Gardens Brooklyn
Block: Carroll St btwn Court and Clinton
SUVs: 25
Total: 55
1) Morristown, New Jersey
2) Mills Street between Sherman & Tuxedo
3) 4 SUVs
4) 11 vehicles total (including 7 cars and the 4 SUVs)
22 vehicles of which 7 were SUV's. FYI There were 4 mini-vans - which also generally have horrible gas mileage and 2 passenger trucks (not associated with a business) in the group.
1. Williamsburg, Brooklyn
2. between Lorimer and Leonard streets on Metropolitan Ave.
3. 9 SUV's
4. 16 non-commercial vehicles total. (The rest were delivery vans, massive pick-up trucks, and some sort of large truck being used to re-tar the roof of section 8 housing)
i'll have to check when i get home.
what about a special mention for hummers.
also in my part of williamsburg I've noticed a lot of out of state plates. I think insurance fraud is the reason.
I went out to count this morning but quickly found it difficult to define exactly what you mean by "SUV". Do you want us to include mini-vans? What about the smaller "crossover" vehicles such as the newer Subaru wagons and BMW "SUVs". What about jeeps? I saw all of these in my count.
I supposed you were aiming to make a comment about fuel mileage and therefore want us to include all of the vehicle types mentioned above.
On the other hand, my own definition of an "SUV" is any vehicle (not including trucks) I can't see over when it is in front of me in traffic.
What are you looking for?
Thank you.
Chris
Neighborhood: Greenpoint
Street: Eckford Street between Driggs and Engert
Number of cars total: 15 (including three cars that appear to be completely dead: busted windows, haven't moved in weeks)
Number of SUVs: 4
Neighborhood: East Village
Street: Avenue C between 9th and 10th
Total Cars: 16
Suv's: 5
dear mms
call 311 about abandoned cars. i did it and it was gone within a few days
Are we counting SUV's/Crossovers/Mini vans with New York plates only? Most SUV's 'invade' the city from Long Island and Jersey, I propose a count after dark. Then you'll see the real deal.
Posted by: David Harrington July 27, 2007 - 10:33AM
Harlem: 125th Street btwn Broadway & 12th Ave
Total automobiles: 52
SUVs: 21
(Plus a number of vans and trucks; this is the industrial/warehouse/housing projects area that Columbia is expanding into.)
15 house block in development: @6-8 SUV's, rest are sedans + one pick=-up truck; one house occ has a taxi pick-up; most houses have 2-3 cars. difficult to actually count cars in suburb (garages, visitors,etc.)
1) Neighborhood: Boerum Hill
2) Block: Wyckoff Street (x Court / Smith)
3) SUVs: 17
4) Total cars: 72
1) neighorhood: Brooklyn Heights
2) Block: Columbia Heights, between Clark St. and Pierrepont St.
3) SUVs: 5
4) Non-SUVs: 30
1) Neighborhood: Astoria
2) Block: 29th St. between Newtown Ave and 30th Ave
3) SUVs: 5
4) Total cars: 33
the block between Classon and Franklin: 47 vehicles, 7 SUVs; 5 minivans.
i counted 22 SUVs and 83 cars (for a grand total of 105 vehicles) on my block, midwood street between flatbush and bedford avenues, thursday night, approximately 9:45 p.m. in case in matters, the address on that block go from 10 to 98.
oops...forgot...St Johns Street on the block beteween Classon and Franklin.
One other interesting note: on Lincoln Place, around the corner, between Classon and Washington Avenue, there is a Hummer that has a reserved parking place that is marked off with orange parking cones whenever it is not "at home."
1) Scarsdale High School parking lot, Scarsdale, NY
2) 98 SUV
3) 162 total vehicles
4) Only 3 SUVs in the teachers' parking area.
71st Street, dead end block north of Central Ave.
21 cars all but two are compact cars.
15 SUVs
1 very large 4 door pickup truck.
No empty parking spaces at 9 AM.
Neighborhood: Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Street: Bergen St., btwn Hoyt and Smith
Total vehicles: 59
SUV's: 16
Also, 4 pick-up trucks (3 not commercial)
Neighborhood: Astoria, Queens
Location: 32nd St., between 23rd Rd and 24th Ave.
Total vehicles: 24
# SUVs: 5 (including 1 old-school jeep)
# minivans: 3
This survey is just asking for a Google Maps mashup...
6 suv's
1 truck
25 non suv cars
1. 103rd, between Lexington and Park Ave.
2. 36 automobiles total
3. 8 SUV's
Neighborhood, Jersey City, Paulus Hook
Streets: Sussex St. between Washington and Warren
SUVs: 8
total vehicles: 22
available parking for people who live here: 0!
36 cars total- 10 SUVs
1) Bergen Point
2) Cottage St. between Hobart Ave. & 5th St.
3) 4 SUV's
4) 18 Vehicles
on 82 St. between Broadway & West End:
22 cars total; 7 SUVs
3 blocks surveyed
E 11th St bet 3rd/4th Aves: 17 cars, 10 SUV's
E 9th St bet 2nd/3rd Aves: 2 cars, 8 SUV's
E 7th St bet 1st/2nd Aves: 33 cars, 15 SUV's
I probably counted some Minivans as SUV's.
Posted by: Denise and Gus July 27, 2007 - 07:14PM
Piermont, NY (Lower Hudson Valley/Rockland County)
Franklin Street in Piermont.
We counted 21 cars, 4 are SUVs and 3 are Subaru Foresters (SUVs?)
1) Upper West Side 96th street
2) 96th Street between West End and Riverside
3) 6 SUVs
4) 25 total vehicles
This is a large Historic Victorian block with a few large and small homes.
Total number of autos = 15
Total number of suv type = 6
More thoughtful neighbors than I thought! before I counted.
Thank you
P.S.
suv type includes 2 Vans and 2 Jeeps
Block: Gary St. between Linda and Garden
Number of SUV's: 4
Total number of cars: 18
(SUV's includes 2 minivans - 1 of them, I'm ashamed to say, is mine. Next car will be a Prius.)
73rd Avenue between Kissena Blvd and 153rd Street in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens.
Counted on Thursday evening at 2300h. (11PM)
SUV - 8
Mini-Van - 3
Cars - 22
No illegally aprked cars
Some SUVs had out of state plates - (( as others haave indicated - -insurance fraud ))
**Please announce the results of this survey via website, as some of us do not have ability to listen faithfully every day - -but we enjoy the show - -MANY THANKS!!
Cobble Hill Brooklyn
Baltic Street (Clinton/Henry)
8 SUVs
44 parked cars total.
(As an aside, we also noticed a lot of Subaru station-wagons on our block..at least 5 or 6)
Posted by: kelly smith July 27, 2007 - 11:05PM
East 96th Street, 7 cars 3 SUVs. Could only see part of block.
Block: West 10th. Street between Kingshighway
and Highlawn
Total number of vehicles: 85
SUV: 9
Vans: 13
Other large truck type vehicles: 14
Block: W 102nd between West End and Riverside
Time of counting: Friday evening - 11:45PM
Total # of vehicles: 30
Total # of SUVs: 7
Misc: 5 station wagons
Other: 1 van
July 27,2007 appx.2 P.M.
East 16th Street Between Ave C and FDR Drive
28 total, 15 Suvs.
1. neighbourhood.....Pelham Bay Park, Bronx
2. Schuyler Pl and Arnow Street
3. Saturday, 8 AM
4. 31 cars, 8 SUVs, 1 Pick-up truck
7/28/2007 10.17
williamsburg (hi emily)
skillman ave btn lorimer and leonard st
5 suvs
35 total cars
1. Manh
2. E 94 St btw Lex & Park
3. 29 motor vehicles
4. 14 of 29 were SUVs
Date/time: 7/28/07 8:30pm
Neighborhood (or what's left of it): East Village
Street: East 13th Street between 1st and A
Total SUVs: 16
Total Vehicles: 52
Solution: $3/gal gasoline tax (proceeds used to build a really good public transport system)
5 of 14 cars parked in front of two of BPC's new luxury green buildings are SUV's (Sat. am.)
(exact address: North Cove between Murray and Warren Streets)
Will check the garage of the Solaire (the first green residential highrise) on Sunday night when residents return...
Neighborhood: Sunnyside, Queens
Street: 39th Street btwn 47th and 48th Avenue
Time and Day: Noon, Saturday
Cars:26
SUVs:17
Total Vehicles: 43
Time: 13:00pm, Saturday
Neighborhood: Baychester, Bronx
Street: Ely Ave. Bet. Givan Ave & Wickham Ave.
Cars: 28
SUV's: 14
Total Vehicles: 42
Baldwin, L.I.
Rockville Drive (bet. Emerson & Irving)
cars 11
SUV 1
1) neighborhood: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn;
2) block: (St. Marks Ave., between Carlton Ave. and Vanderbilt Ave.;
3) the number of SUVs parked: 21;
4) the total number of cars parked: 72
Count was taken Saturday, July 28, c. 9:45 am.
1) Neighborhood: St George , S.I.N.Y
2)Daniel Low Terrace
3)SUV's: 7
4)Cars: 30
1) your neighborhood - Midwood, Brooklyn
2) your block East 27th St. btw. M and N
3) the number of SUVs parked - 5
4) the total number of cars parked - 22
Count taken 6:30pm on Thursday, July 26
1) your neighborhood - Jackson Heights, Queens
2) your block- 35th ave btwn 82nd and 83rd streets
3) the number of SUVs parked - 2
4) the total number of cars parked - 18
Count taken 10:30am on sunday july 29
Posted by: Bob July 29, 2007 - 02:37PM
Neighborhood: Park Slope
Block: Sterling Pl between 6th and 7th Aves
Total vehicles: 54
Of which: 36 cars, 13 SUVs, 5 vans/minivans
As of: Sunday 2:30 PM July 29
Neighborhood: Park Slope
Street: Garfield Place, between 5th Avenue & 6th Avenue
58 vehicles total
23 SUVs
12 cars total
4 SUV's
Sunday afternoon
My neighborhood is the Upper West Side in NYC. The specific block is West 87th Street between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, north and south sides of the street. I took my count on Sunday morning at about 11:00.
Some vehicles were borderline but I did my best.
cars--35
SUV's--27
Lenore Beaky
12 suvs out of 20 total - no vacant spots
Our block is Garfield between 5th and 6th. We took (my mom and I) the count at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon when the block was not full -- there were lots of open spots.
Total Vehicles on Street: 60
Number of SUVs: 12
Number of Moving Vans: 1
Number of Cars: 47
Neighborhood: Sunset Park
Block: 55th St between 5th and 6th Ave
SUVs: 14
Total # of cars: 63
Total vehicles on street: 36
SUV's: 5
Neighborhood: Dyker Heights
Block: 82nd Street between 10th & 11th Ave.
SUV: 12
Total # of cars: 39
Posted by: JVD July 29, 2007 - 08:37PM
Burns street between Puritan and Overlook, Forest Hills, Queens
51 Total Vehicles
7 SUVs
Windows 
Windows 
Windows 
Search current and archival WNYC broadcasts. More
Start your Amazon shopping on WNYC.org and a portion of your total purchase goes to WNYC.
- The Brian Lehrer Show: Buy, Buy Baby (July 07, 2008)
- The Leonard Lopate Show: Underreported: Nurse-Patient Ratios and the Future of Health Care (July 03, 2008)
- The Leonard Lopate Show: The Lyme Disease Epidemic (July 01, 2008)
- The Brian Lehrer Show: Before There was Stephen Colbert, There was George Carlin (July 02, 2008)
- The Leonard Lopate Show: Would You Survive? (July 02, 2008)