Queens is a monster of a borough. It’s huge. If it were its own city, it would be the fourth-largest in America, just behind Chicago. But when people talk about bad habits Queens New York locals deal with, they aren’t usually talking about high-level crime or systemic collapse. They’re talking about the gritty, daily rituals that define life between the Long Island Expressway and the Rockaways. It's the stuff that makes the borough feel like a small town despite having over two million people crammed into it.
You’ve probably seen it. The double-parking on Steinway Street. The way people treat a "No Parking" sign like a polite suggestion. Honestly, the habits here are born out of necessity, but they've morphed into a weird kind of local pride. It’s a place where the 7 train becomes a second home, and the habit of pushing through a closing door is just how you survive.
The Parking Wars and the Double-Parking Ritual
If you live in Astoria or Flushing, you know the drill. You find a spot, but it’s three blocks away. Or worse, you’re just "running in" to grab a souvlaki or a bubble tea. This has led to one of the most notorious bad habits Queens New York residents have perfected: the art of the double-park.
It’s not just laziness. It’s a systemic byproduct of a borough that was built for a fraction of its current population. According to data from the NYC Department of Transportation, Queens has some of the highest rates of car ownership in the city compared to Manhattan. When you mix that with narrow 1920s-era residential streets, you get chaos. People leave their hazards on—the "park anywhere" lights—and just walk away. Sometimes for five minutes. Sometimes for an hour.
It creates this weird social contract. You honk, wait, and eventually, someone runs out of a bodega waving their hands. "My bad, my bad!" they yell. And life goes on. But it’s a habit that chokes the life out of bus routes like the Q32 or the Q66. When a bus can’t get through because someone needed a pack of gum, the whole borough slows down. It’s a feedback loop of frustration.
The Alternate Side Parking Dance
Then there’s the "sit in your car for 90 minutes" habit. Because of Alternate Side Parking (ASP) rules, thousands of Queens residents spend their weekday mornings just sitting in their idling engines, scrolling through TikTok, waiting for the street sweeper to pass. It’s a massive waste of human potential. Yet, it’s a ritual. If you don't do it, you get a ticket. If you do do it, you contribute to the idling emissions that plague neighborhoods like Corona and Elmhurst, which already struggle with some of the worst air quality metrics in the city.
The Myth of the "Queens Quiet" and Noise Pollution
People move to Queens for "space" and "quiet." That’s a joke. One of the most pervasive bad habits Queens New York handles is the normalization of extreme noise.
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Think about the "ice cream trucks" that are definitely not just selling ice cream at 11 PM. Or the modified mufflers on Northern Boulevard. We’ve developed a habit of just shouting over the noise. It’s a coping mechanism. A 2023 study by the NYU Langone Health’s Department of Population Health highlighted that neighborhoods in Queens, particularly those near JFK and LaGuardia, suffer from chronic noise exposure that leads to higher stress levels and cardiovascular issues.
We don't complain to 311 anymore because we know nothing happens. Instead, the habit is to just turn up the TV. We’ve become desensitized to the sound of the BQE or the planes screaming over Jackson Heights. It’s a bad habit of acceptance. We accept that our windows will rattle every six minutes because we’re on the flight path.
The Backyard Party Escalation
Queens is the land of the backyard. Whether it’s a tiny concrete slab in Ridgewood or a sprawling lawn in Jamaica Estates, we love a BBQ. But the habit of the "competitive speaker" has ruined many a Saturday night. It’s not enough to have music; your neighbor three doors down needs to hear your reggaeton or your 80s freestyle mix. It’s an arms race of subwoofers.
Transit Shortcuts and the "LIRR Lean"
Let’s talk about the commute. Queens is the king of the "dollar van" or the "commuter van." These vans fill the gaps where the MTA failed. Taking them is a habit. It’s fast, it’s cheap, and it’s technically a grey market. But the bad habit here is the complete disregard for traffic laws by these drivers—and the passengers who encourage it. We want to get to the Jamaica Center station so badly that we don't mind the van weaving through three lanes of traffic on Merrick Boulevard.
And then there’s the 7 train. The "International Express."
The habit of "blocking the door" is a Queens staple. In Manhattan, people generally move to the center of the car. In Queens? We stand by the door because we know the platform at Queensboro Plaza is going to be a nightmare and we need a head start. It’s selfish, sure. But in the context of a commute that can take 90 minutes from the end of the line in Flushing to Midtown, it’s survival of the fastest.
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The Real Impact of Litter and "Ghost Bags"
Walk down Roosevelt Avenue. It’s vibrant, it’s beautiful, and it’s often covered in trash. One of the saddest bad habits Queens New York struggles with is the "corner dump."
Because the city’s trash cans are often overflowing, people have developed the habit of just leaving their household trash bags next to public bins. It’s a disaster. It invites rats—and Queens has seen a massive spike in rat sightings over the last three years, particularly in Sunnyside and Woodside.
We also have the "ghost bags." These are the plastic bags caught in the trees of every park from Flushing Meadows to Alley Pond. We’ve gotten used to seeing them. We don't even see them as trash anymore; they’re just part of the local flora. Breaking this habit requires more than just more trash cans; it requires a shift in how we view our communal spaces. The "not my problem" attitude is the hardest habit to break.
Why We Can't Stop: The Psychology of the Borough
Why do these habits persist? It’s simple: Queens is a borough of strivers. Most people here are working two jobs or navigating the complex reality of being a first-generation immigrant. When you’re exhausted, your "bad habits" are usually just shortcuts.
- Double-parking is a shortcut for a lack of infrastructure.
- Littering is a shortcut for a lack of city services.
- Noise is a byproduct of high-density living.
We’re all just trying to get through the day. But these shortcuts add up. They degrade the quality of life for everyone. The nuance is that while we hate it when others do it, we find a way to justify it when we do it. "I’ll only be a minute," we say as we block a hydrant.
How to Actually Improve Life in the World's Borough
Breaking the cycle of bad habits Queens New York isn't about being perfect. It's about small, conscious shifts in how we interact with our neighbors and our environment.
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Stop the Idling
If you’re sitting for ASP, turn the engine off. New York has a law against idling for more than three minutes (one minute by a school). Not only is it better for the air, but it also prevents you from being part of the noise problem.
Use the "Dutch Reach"
With so many bikers now using the new lanes on 34th Avenue and Queens Boulevard, the habit of swinging your car door open without looking is dangerous. Use your far hand to open the door—it forces you to turn your body and look for oncoming cyclists. It’s a tiny habit that saves lives.
Report, Don't Just Ignore
The habit of silence is the worst one. Use the 311 app. It’s not "snitching" to report a blocked sidewalk or a massive pothole on the Grand Central Parkway. The city allocates resources based on data. If we don't complain, they think everything is fine.
Manage Your Own Waste
If the corner bin is full, take your coffee cup to the next one. It sounds like a "lifestyle" tip from a magazine, but in a borough as densely populated as ours, one person’s "whatever" is a whole block’s rat problem.
Queens is incredible. It’s the most diverse place on Earth. Our "bad habits" are often just reflections of our toughness and our speed. But as the borough continues to grow and change, the habits that helped us survive 20 years ago are the ones holding us back now. It’s time to trade the "me first" mentality for a little more "us."
Actionable Next Steps for Queens Residents:
- Audit your commute: Check if there’s a bike path or a different bus route that avoids the most congested "double-parking" zones.
- Update your 311 app: Make it a habit to report illegal dumping immediately rather than walking past it for a week.
- Invest in "Quiet" upgrades: If noise is an issue, look into weather-stripping for windows; it’s a cheap way to break the habit of just suffering through the din.
- Support local business sanitation: Patronize shops that keep their storefronts clean and let them know you appreciate it.