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Today's Poll: If Thruway tolls increased, would you take more back roads?

By Howard B. Owens
C. M. Barons

Rarely, if ever, travel on the Thruway. I am grateful for it, though. It attracts all of the really bad drivers, keeping them off the roads I use.

Dec 6, 2012, 1:24pm Permalink
John Stone

Nope... Time to honor their word and end the tolls completely. The State made the financial mess with pork and overpaid union employees. The ONLY reason there is a financial issue is simple mismanagement, be it negligent, criminal, or both,
and there is NO excuse for that!

All government, at ALL levels needs to understand that there is an END to "The Barrel-o-Cash"... They have scraped the bottom, and now need to learn how to live within their means, and that includes a LOT of debt pay-back!

Dec 6, 2012, 2:45pm Permalink
Bob Harker

I prefer back roads over the monotony of the thruway anyway, and only use it when I'm going long distance or am in a hurry.

More importantly though is the commercial truckers opting for highways over the thruway. The inherent safety issues and road maintenance issues SHOULD be the thruway authority's prime concern, but obviously isn't. I agree that incompetent management and the legislature's unwillingness (inability?) to let the authority know that heads will roll if such a "modest 45% increase" is approved are the problem.

It galls me to know that every time I pass through a tollbooth I am underwriting the people who can afford a boat's leisure time. Make the canal user fee based and self supporting or close it. Those in the private sector that reap the benefits from the canal's use (canal side restaurants, etc.) may have to contribute to its operation too. Consider another cost of doing business.

Put those savings to use on thruway maintenance and either keep the tolls the same or even lower them (yeah right).

Dec 6, 2012, 7:20pm Permalink

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