It’s official — New York is the worst city in the nation for drivers, an analysis of several studies has confirmed.
It ranks near the top for most expensive gas, the number of hours sitting in gridlock and the number of congested streets, says the consumer-watchdog Web site NerdWallet.
On average, New York drivers shell out 8 percent more for gas, spend 59 hours a year sitting in traffic and navigate roads through densely populated areas that are home to more than 27,000 people per square mile, the site found.
But city drivers don’t need a survey to know traffic sucks.
“I used to leave at 7:30 p.m. and get home around 10 p.m. on Interstate 87. It was really draining,” said Brianna Shost, 23, a special- ed teacher who attends graduate school at Hunter College and lives in Westchester.
Big Apple drivers are also paying through the nose at the pump — thanks to the city’s highest-in-the-nation gas tax.
“If it was my car, I wouldn’t be sitting here idling,” said chauffeur Danny Smolanick, who spends $110 twice a week to fill the tank of his employer’s GMC Denali.
The average US household, meanwhile, spends $3,400 a year on gas, says the Alliance to Save Energy, a DC-based nonprofit.
And “if there’s an accident, you’re stuck driving for hours,” said Jameson Walter, a private investigator who lives upstate.
“The East and West Side highways when I have to go home,” he added, “that’s the worst.”