While it seems like everyone's complaining about it, few are doing anything about it ... "it" being another hike in Thruway tolls . . . on top of the one this past January . . . to be followed by another one next January and another one the January after.
The place to fix this fiasco is in the State Legislature. . . and the "fix" is not to restrict tolls, but to do away with the Thruway Authority entirely! Let's make the Thruway toll-free like the interstate highways almost every place else . . . in New York and in the country.
So far, it seems that only two of our illustrious leaders in Albany have come out in favor of abolishing the Thruway Authority: Assemblyman Mark J.F. Schroeder, D-Buffalo, and State Sen. George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane. It should be no surprise that these two legislators are from the Buffalo area because metro Buffalo is one of only two upstate metropolitan areas that has no free interstate connection with the rest of the country. (Check the map and see.)
The only other upstate metro area with no free interstate is UTICA-ROME . . .
The Thruway is a bigger drag on our local economy than most realize. It is no wonder that Buffalo and Utica-Rome have had the worst performing economies and the greatest rate of population loss in the state.
It's time to get rid of this albatross.
So where do Mr. Griffo and Ms. Destito stand on the abolishment proposal?
We await their action.
2 comments:
Toll free like I-95?
Yes - Except for portions in Maine, NY and NJ, I-95 is virtually toll free from the Canadian border to Miami. There is no good reason for the Thruway to be treated differently now that the bonds have been paid off and the federal government actually gave money to NYS to make up for the fact that the state paid to construct it.
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