In a city where alternate side parking can feel like a game of musical chairs gone horribly wrong, a driveway is an incredible blessing- that is until it is blocked by a parked car and you can’t get out.

I see cars blocking driveways all the time, and I see driveway owners illegally paint yellow curbs, or add bigger and scarier no parking signs in response. It’s a game of cat and mouse.

Since everyone else did 2014 wrap ups, I decided to do my own quantitative wrap up right here on I Quant NY. The question? What were the ten most blocked driveways of 2014. Lucky for us, Open Data from 311 might just have the answer. It turns out that the NYPD fielded about 200 calls a day in 2014 for blocked driveway complaints, for a total of about 78,000 calls. That is a LOT of frustration, no pun intended.

If we look at the top ten driveways with the most complaints, it becomes clear that these constant pleas to 311 for help are warranted. Google Street View cars caught driveway blockers in the act at almost all of the locations. So lets have a look:

10. 109 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY (link)- 39 complaints

The little sign posted on the gate, and the yellow curb paint are signs of a frustrated owner. But this car seems to not mind blocking part of the driveway anyway.

9. 91-46 80th St, Jamaica, NY (link) - 42 complaints

Either the owner is leaving, or they have taken a permanent defensive position to make sure no one blocks the driveway. I’m guessing the latter, given the number of complaints filed in 2014.

8. 40-08 30th Ave, Long Island City, NY (link) - 42 complaints

This poor gas station is blocked in on two sides on this day. Hard to imagine that the drivers did not notice the driveway, but it does not seem to be helping business.

7. 25-30 44th St, Long Island City, NY (link) - 44 complaints

The neighbor’s “No Parking” sidewalk spray paint seems to have inched cars over to block the other driveway.

6. 4001 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY (link) - 45 complaints

Large Yellow Spray Paint on a gate is no deterrent for NYC drivers. They are immune and don’t believe you mean it when you say “24 HRS”.

5. 83 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY (link) - 52 complaints

This store chose not use the yellow spray paint on its gate, but that seems to not help either in this case.

4. 34-36 58th St, Flushing, NY (link) - 52 complaints

A little sign on the gate is no match for a Mercedes at this driveway. Apparently this is true quite often, given the 52 complaints filed here in 2014.

3. 7215 Bergen Ct, Brooklyn, NY (link) - 53 complaints

The neighbor’s red garage seems to confuse people into thinking this is not a separate driveway. The tenants 311 complaints suggest otherwise.

2. 264 Avenue P, Brooklyn, NY (link) - 53 complaints

Maybe it’s the fact that the house is set back, or the closed gate that puts this driveway into 2nd place with 53 complaints in 2014.

1. 2782 Creston Ave, Bronx, NY (link) - 65 complaints

You see that driveway going under the building on the left side? Either did the drivers who parked here. No signs or yellow curb paint adorn the number one blocked driveway in NYC, and the only driveway from the Bronx to make the list. Having your driveway blocked about once a week sounds pretty frustrating, but having a driveway at all sounds pretty amazing. We all know everything in NYC is a tradeoff.

Related: I Quant NY Parking Ticket Analysis

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311 Data found on NYC Open Data Portal here.

Analysis done using pandas.

All images from Google Maps.