Unbelievable. Where do we live, China?!
What difference does it make if the traffic is fast, what about 81 and all the other major highways?

I guess I'll just stop driving on the thruway. Totally uncalled for. That's literally "HIGHWAY ROBBERY"

Just another reason to "LOVE NY"  where do they post these "rules?"
Maybe channel 9 should address this with Eliot Spitzer as it's another cost to the working class.....tow your car or arrest you?!

Once again - the idiots are in charge of this state.  In my opinion, this is just as crazy at all the State Police and other officers I see go by me with the drivers on their cell phones NOT hands free - and operating a laptop computer on the dashboard at the same time.    We need a few more laws in this state - after all - that's all Albany is good for - making laws to keep their lawyer friends employed.

We own a very well respected tow service in the Syracuse area. We have always felt it is bull the way the Thruway handles these situations. These situations are handled everyday on all the major highways by the "other tow guys" and are handled well. We ALL deal with the risk of being hit whether the police are there or not. I agree that not every tow service would qualify to tow on the Thruway or any other highway for that matter, but if their equipment and insurance meets their standards, and their ETA is within the 30 minute requirement, then why not I ask. If they have their own list for arrests, traffic stops or other infractions when then police are involved that is fine, but a disabled on the shoulder or in a rest area...be real. AAA is another joke...why will they pay the "Thruway rates" of $55.00 and $4.50 per mile from mile one, but if a AAA vendor does the call from anywhere else other than the Thruway they pay it as $23.00 hookup + 5 free miles and $3.00 per mile after that....and a service call is even less.  Something is BAD wrong there.  We could go on for days...but we won't...you get the picture.

That is just ludicrous!
Talk about hitting you while you're down!
I agree with Phil.  I just won't drive on the Thruway.

Yeah no kidding. I will make sure I do not travel on the Thruway.

What a bunch of idiots these people are.

This is just one more reason why New York has a shrinking population. Is there a public assistance program for situations like this?

Routes 5 and 31 have never looked so good...

If anyone starts a petition or something to get rid of this unbelievable law please sign me up!!! They should not be able to keep doing this.....litterally highway robbery!  

After reading this story, it irked me so bad that I got on yahoo maps to plot a new course to work.  I live in Baldwinsville, and work in Utica. The New York State Thruway can count on losing my $ 4.30 round trip multiplied by 5 days a week. Do the math. Maybe if enough people boycott the Thruway, the state might get the message. Oh, by the way, can you imagine the lawsuit if this guy was arrested on such a ludicrous charge?  What a bunch of baloney!!

No wonder people are leaving the state. Will the last one to leave, please turn off the lights?

This is exactly why I moved out of New York. The taxes are way to high and now they have found another way to get tax payers money.

Typical NYS/Thruway attitude and regulations.  I'm slowly getting even: I have EZ Pass and no longer use the Thruway.  I have the statement mailed to my home address.  It now costs THEM 41 cents every other month, plus their production costs.  

The part that wasn't addressed in this video is, what law was he breaking that he sould be threatened with arrest.  Channel 9, find out the answer to that!!!!  A policy of the Thruway is not punishable by arrest.  It is not a law unless I have been transported to Natzi Germany.

The part that wasn't addressed in this video is, what law was he breaking that he sould be threatened with arrest.  Channel 9, find out the answer to that!!!!  A policy of the Thruway is not punishable by arrest.  It is not a law unless I have been transported to Natzi Germany.

I already wrote to Eliot Spitzer about this problem.

Someone should set up a petition stand on the Thruway at some gas station or something. People will stop and sign that. If anyone else wants to start that, let me know and I will help. It's about time we do something to step up and fight this idiots.

This shows how the government is changing America , no more FREEDOM of choice , yes you have rights , their rights .    

do you think eliot spitzer cares? they're all stealing in one form or another
it's time to move out of new york, let them tax and steal from each other

Just one more reason to bouycote the thruway ,besides the excessive tolls,

A few years ago a friend of mine and I set out for a trip with my two young kids (2 and 3) to Darien Lake for a vacation towing our pop up camper Via the Thruway. We decided to go early to set up and get our site ready and let the kids play.  Low and behold We broke down, I seriously thought we had overheated and the truck would start back up after cooling back down. We were with in eyesight of a rest area, I would say maybe 100 yards or so away.  I was not too concerned with the whole situation because our husbands were only about 45 min behind us. Well.... Some generous soul called 911 to let them know that we were having car troubles (We were unaware of that at the time) and a very rude and pushy State Trooper pulled up. I told him I thought it had over heated and just needed to cool down a bit and he insisted on towing it. After arguing with him for a few min and being very persuasive (knowing my husband was on the way - We has also called him to let him know we were broke down and to hurry) the Trooper agreed to let us "Sit there" for a few min but warned us that he would be back and we had better not work on the vehicle ourselves. Well while we were sitting there my son had to go to the bathroom and had to go really bad he had a bout of diarrhea kick in of all times, So my friend that was with me decided that she would walk with him up to the rest area and take him to the bathroom and see if she could buy him some Imodium while there. Doesn’t the trooper come flying up behind them? Pulls up to her starts screaming at her and tells her how irresponsible she is to have a young child walking on a highway like that ( I saw them the whole time and I can assure you that they were way off in the grass while walking) Then demands that they get in the car and proceeds to take them to the rest area. So She tells them why they were walking there and he says that is no excuse, Put a diaper on the kid if that’s what you have to do but what you did was endanger that child by letting him walk out there. He told her they would have to stay at the rest area now because he was not waiting for them and they BETTER not walk back. Then he comes back to me and tells me how horrible of a mother I was to let my child go with an irresponsible person that would take him up the side of a highway,(how else were they suppose to get to the bathroom?) Then he tells me he has had enough of my BS and he is calling a tow truck and I better be prepared to pay big because I have the Camper on the back. While he was back at his car my husband called and said he was about 5 min from there and I told him what was going on, The trooper came back to tell me he had another call to go to and the tow truck was on the way and my son and friend were at the rest area and the tow company will pick them up. I found out the Tow Company’s name and my husband called them and told them I got the truck started and drove it to the rest area (I didn’t). Right about then my husband had shown up and hooked a chain to the truck and towed the truck with the camper still attached up the road to the rest area with a Pontiac Bonneville.  We could have made a promo commercial for the bonnevilles and how tough they are LOL. I bet the trooper would have liked to have seen that!!!! Can you imagine the tickets and fines there, If not being arrested? All in all I won that one not them! I know it doesn’t happen often but when it does it sure does feel good, And just to let you know that trooper had a very long letter of complaint filed to his superiors, By all parties involved.  Not that it probably did any good but hopefully he at least learned some compassion out of it. We called my dad borrowed his truck and finished our Darien Lake Vacation - not travelling the thruway the rest of the way! As for the truck the crank had broken in half inside the motor. I guess it didn’t over heat, What do I know I just get in it and drive, Mechanics is the hubbies department LOL.

Wow what nostalgia!  I'd like to file a Freedom of Information on this one.  Oh I forgot can't do that either.  Didn't know that cossacks drive cars now.

Does an emergency pack of clothes come with it?  I just soiled them.  So how much for the Arrow shirt?

Our Roads Scholars at work again!

Dear Driver's : As an Ex~Tow Truck driver serving the Metro NY area Parkway & thruway system for 8 yrs of on-call 24~7 work I can tell you first hand that while yes NYS DOT is run by some rather shady people but that there Bidding practices for permits are as criminal as ANY Mafia Shy-lock interest payments are , And WE put them all behind bars. When you think about the Insurance Scam involved and what they FORCE ANY OPERATOR who wants to Tow on "THERE" Thruway systems it's  No~wonder why these companys have to charge what they do But then Listen to what it used to cost and what it costs now . For a Basic Road service I.E. Gas call Flat tire call or just plain Disable Vehicle was 17.50 and what ever Gas was used AT NORMAL GAS STATION PRICES PERIOD . If I had to Tow you it was 22.50 to hook up and 2.50 a mile to your garage Or 1.00 a mile to My Garage of which I believe if you had the work done on premises We rebated you the Mileage ANOTHER WORDS DRIVERS WE WERE NOT TRYING TO PUT THE KIDS THRU YALE AND PAY~OFF THE NEW JERR~DAN FlatBed off Our Tow Business but rather was more a Community service that a wealth building tool As We more than made up for it once the winter driving season began to take it's toll .  But we never could have imagined the toll that's being levied on every driver that makes the mistake of entering onto the NY STATE THRUWAY & PARKWAY system. Not forgetting for one moment the Predatory manner in which Law Enforcement Prey on "Nearly" every motorist They feel "Fit the Profile" you can't imagine the car's I've towed because of a "routine traffic stop" Maybe you people can help Me understand what exactly a routine stop is at 65 MPH . Good Luck out there Folks and Please Keep well out of reach from the ever growing Number of Anxious Youthful Bald Heads that out there "pretending" to be serving the general public when it's that very public they prey on while they perpetrate there fraud.

Your tolls at work indeed.

To all you NY haters out there, that is life and get over it! Seriously...do we feel the need to *** about everything???  If you dont like NY then well get out, we dont want you here.

I have lived in three countries, and let me tell you that i have never had any better experiences than here in NY.  No matter where you go, you "haters" will always find something to complain about.

Get out of NY if you dont like it so much, we'll be glad to see you go.

As for the thruway, i think it IS b.s., but we just have to live with it...i mean, how many times do you as a person really break down on the thruway.  And do your research, using thruway utilities such as towing is actually cheaper than calling your own towing service (AAA excluded, which i think is wrong....).....

Brianna ,sounds like someone is paying your bills,  life's a little harder with out mom and dad to fall back on

First, for Brianna, not to worry dear, people ARE leaving NY in droves, and taking their jobs and taxes with them.  Hopefully, you won't mind making up the difference, bracuse I don't want to.

Second, while there are certainly dangers involved while sitting on the side of a 65 MPH highway, I wonder why it's safe for a tow truck driver to add gas but not a helpful friend?  I wouldn't even mind that, but the Thruway Authority allows exclusive rights for companies, who then charge exhorbitant rates.  I've been a AAA member for years, and would prefer them, but sadly, they are not allowed.

If the Authority insists on limiting access for assistance, they should at least limit prices to something akin to those off-highway.

Brianna, here's some FYI about how the state is...

1) There arn't supposed to be <u>any</u> tolls on the thruway whatsoever. The only way that road got approved was that the tolls would end once the bonds are paid off, and the bonds have been payed off for quite some time.

2) We have the highest taxes out of any state (NJ might beat us in property tax).

3) All tax hikes go straight to Albany's paychecks

Well i have a few comments to add. As a firefighter and a mechanic i always stop for disabled cars, i carry many of the tools, above and beyond what one would need on the side of the road, including a shop floor jack, various tire fixes, pumps, flat tire fixer etc, along with a vehicle that has lights like a christmas tree, one so that i can see the car, and people can see the car, and two so people can see me. mostorists should take some lessons from life, and when you see a car on the side of the road, or any vehicele with flashing lights, like a cop car, or fire truck, or tow truck, MOVE TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD! i cannot tell you how many times i have almost been hit, on a fire call or off duty by ignorat drivers who do not slow down or move. with that being said, motorists stop calling 911 and not stopping, i cannot tell you how many "car fires" fire departments get dispatched on, with just a , well i think its between this exit and that exit, and then we get there and its only damn steam! or the, great call, where they think someone is in medical destress, but don't stop. if your going to call it in, stop on the side to see if they do need 911. and stop to help people if you think YOU CAN, AND SAFELY CAN, because remember, one day it may be you broken down with no one to stop and help.

as for the thruway, i agree, its over patrolled for minor offenses, state at its best i say.

I had a daughter that just got to the toll booth once and her car stalled and wouldnt start and they made her push it foward on to the side just inside the toll booth and then they called a tow truck needless to say i had to pay for the tow truck to show up and as for the car i got there and started it and drove it off the thruway and the toll booth operator had my daughther in tears some are you know what they are so rude