Peter’s Place

This one’s a bit overdue… two months ago, the New York State Thruway Authority announced it’s thinking about raising tolls.  What doesn’t really jive with me, is the reason they gave — declining revenues because higher gas prices are causing people to travel less often and/or avoid the Thruway to beat the tolls.  Well, that’s a load of BS, and here’s why I say so.

First of all, let’s remember that a considerable percentage of gas prices is taxes.  Federal, local, and yes, state.  Whenever we buy gas, we’re already paying various taxes that are intended to pay for road maintenance.  As gas prices go up, the taxes go up accordingly.  And in New York State, those taxes are pretty high compared to our neighbors.  During a recent trip to Boston, gas stations along the Massachusetts Turnpike were charging $3.05/gallon for regular unleaded — while that same gas in the good ol’ Empire State is going for upwards of $3.25.  According to AAA, as of this writing, the average price in NY State is $3.28, while the national average is $3.09.  Check often enough, and you’ll see that’s par for the course — NY State’s gas prices are typically a good 20 cents higher than the national average.  Anyways, back to my main point — we’re already paying to maintain highways when we buy gas.  Why do we need to pay the state a second time when we already paid taxes on the gasoline?

Second, an article detailing the Thruway’s history contends that the tolls were supposed to be abolished 10 years ago… when the original bonds to build the Thruway were paid off.  But the State Legislature voted to continue the toll system.  A Thruway History brochure allegedly handed out by the Thruway at the State Fair in 2002 makes no mention of the bonds being paid off, but lists several new bonds that were sold that year.  Strangely, that includes one series of bonds designed “to assist the State in financing transportation needs.”  So does this mean our Thruway tolls are paying for non-Thruway roads?  As Jerry Seinfeld would say, “What’s the deal with that?”

Here’s at least SOME of the deal with that: the Thruway Authority is in charge of maintaining a handful of highways where there are NO tolls.  They include Interstate 84, which crosses the mid-Hudson valley between Pennsylvania and Connecticut; and part of Interstate 287, which comes in from New Jersey to cross a very densely populated and heavily traveled section of Westchester County.  Granted, you’ll pay tolls to cross the Hudson River when traveling eastbound, but it’s assumed bridge tolls are dedicated to bridge maintenance.  Meanwhile, everyone else using I-84 to buzz out to the Danbury Fair Mall (and it’s lower-than-New York’s sales taxes) or people commuting across Westchester County, are getting a free ride, courtesy of the tolls being paid by everyone using the Thruway upstate.

Even worse, the Thruway mainline itself is nearly free of tolls in its busiest sections: the stretch just north of New York City, and through the City of Buffalo.  Between New York City and the beginning of the “toll ticket” system, there’s only one 75-cent toll booth (not counting the Tappan Zee Bridge, which doesn’t apply to people going north, and again, is supposedly just for the bridge).  In both metro areas, having toll booths would take up too much space, and probably cause major traffic jams, but still, the Thruway winds up paying for the upkeep of these heavily-traveled sections with the tolls from the rest of the state.

Going a step further, the powers that be in Albany must have been smoking some really strong pot when they decided to let the Thruway Authority assume control of the State Canal Corporation in 1992.  And if you scroll to the bottom of the Canal Corporation’s FAQ webpage, they’ve graciously allowed recreational boaters to cruise the waters toll-free since 1996.  How nice of them!  Yet recreational drivers still have to pay tolls to use the Thruway.  Someday when I get a job where I actually make money, it would sure be nice to buy a boat and see what a great job my Thruway toll money is doing on the Erie Canal.  And by that same logic, buying an airline ticket should get me a free ride on Amtrak.

I won’t even attempt to try to find out how much money the Thruway Authority is making on the leasing agreements for the restaurants and gas stations at their 27 travel plazas.  But I’d sure like to know who’s picking up the tab on all that “free” Wi-Fi access they’re offering, even though it serves me no purpose whatsoever.  If the idea of putting tolls on the Thruway was so that only those who use it pay for it, why don’t they charge people to use the travel plaza Wi-Fi?  There’s no reason my tolls should go up because someone else just can’t possibly imagine the horror of going without their e-mail for a few hours.

My next “all time favorite Thruway ripoff” is the Berkshire Connector.  The signs along the Thruway try to make it look like this is the ONLY way to get to Massachusetts.  Bull!  Look at a map.  You can go from Exit 24 to the Massachusetts Border by simply staying on Interstate 90.  Sure, you’ll have to pay toll again to get into Massachusetts no matter what, but at least the stretch near Albany is free, so the overall total is less.  The Berkshire Connector, as far as I’m concerned, is a waste of pavement and maintenance dollars.  Especially when you consider it’s yet one more bridge over the Hudson River, and as we all learned from the Minneapolis disaster, bridges ain’t cheap to maintain.

Finally, how much of the Thruway’s operating budget is spent paying toll collectors?  Shortly after the Thruway announced plans to raise the tolls, two state lawmakers brought to light the fact that many current and former Thruway employees have FREE E-ZPasses, which can be used for ANY trip, business or personal.  Meanwhile, the rest of us are being asked to pay more.  Not fair.  If the Thruway didn’t have to pay toll collectors, would tolls even be necessary?  Or could they at least be sharply reduced?  I’ve seen some toll roads in Florida, specifically near Orlando, where there are no toll collectors.  Either you have their version of E-ZPass, or you have exact change.  Otherwise, you’re hoofin’ it on local roads.  That’s just the way it is down there. 

Not that I want to see people lose their jobs, but if that’s the primary reason for collecting the tolls, let’s just make things more efficient for everyone… and eliminate the long lines at places like Albany and Williamsville.  Hey… if Interstates 81, 84, 86, 87 (north of Albany), 88, 287 and 390 are all doing fine without tolls, the Thruway should be able to operate without tolls too.