Come on and get with the program.  How can people afford traveling the Thruway?   It's too much now and they're considering raising the price!!!  What's up with that!!!!  Get rid of all of the toll booths and all the employees that stand in them to collect money and give out tickets.  I'm sure they get paid very well (State Job) and they can probably afford to travel the Thruway.  You would save a lot of money by doing this.  Route 81 gets by without being a toll road.  We'll start traveling Route 20.  It's more scenic.  We'll just have to allow more time to get to our destination.  Why do you think people leave New York State.  This is just another reason to get out of here.  

They are raising tolls because they say there are not enough people traveling the thruway.  Seems like raising the tolls would encourage even fewer people to travel the thruway.  Will they raise tolls again when that happens?  Where will it end?  

the state of new york rips us off everyday; the highest taxes in the union' the most regulations[state] in the union, which cost us more money, gas tax,sales tax , beer tax cigarette tax, nail polish tax; you get my point, now they wanna raise the toll booths for more usage on the thruway;  who votes these people in office anyway, not  i said the hare to the tortoise , or was that the scorpion and the beaver; im no beaver ivedbeen stung enough.

WHAT NUT THOUGHT THIS ONE UP....WASN'T YEARS AGO WE WERE CONSIDERING NO TOLLS ON THIS ROAD.
THE GAS IS 10 T0 15 CENTS HIGHER ON THE THRUWAY. FEWER PEOPLE DRIVE IT BECAUSE OF THE TOLLS THE REST AREA PRICES ARE REDICULOUS...AND THIER DRAG ASS ALL SUMMMER TO REPAIR IT.WITH WAITS  IN LINE THAT ARE RIDICULOUS...AND YOU WANT TO RAISE IT....GO AHEAD WE HAVE DIFFERENT ROAdsTO TAKE...I AM AMAZED OF THE IDIOTs WE HAVE IN THIS STATe...YOU PEOPLE KEEP VOTING THEM IN....WHAT A COUNTRY..

THE TOLLS WERE SUPPOSED TO END IN 1996, INSTEAD THEY WANT TO INCREASE THE FEES 20% OVER 5 YEARS, WHAT KINDA CRAP IS THAT? NY STATE IS THE HIGHEST TAXED STATE IN THE US ALREADY, "I BELIEVE", WHAT MORE ARE YOU GONNA TAX BEFORE YOU REALIZE THAT....""OMFG, EVERYONE HAS MOVED OUTTA NY""....WE ALL WANNA KNOW WHERE THE HELL ALL OF THE THRUWAY MONEY HAS ALREADY GONE, THOUSANDS EACH DAY, AND WE ALL KNOW ITS NOT BEING SPENT ON THE UPKEEP OF THE THRUWAY, BECAUSE CERTAIN PARTS ARE WORSE THAN DRIVING IN THE CITY........SO...WHO EVERS IN CHARGE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO STEP IN AND EXPLAIN WHERE ALL OF THIS MONEY HAS GONE, AND WHY DIDNT THE THRUWAY TOLLS STOP IN 1996 AS PLANNED? THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I DIDNT VOTE, SAME PEOPLE, SAME STORIES, SAME BROKEN PROMISSES TO GET STUFF DONE, AND ALWAYS EXCUSES TO WHY IT DIDNT OR COULDNT BE DONE.

ROB Z

I MEANT 20% OVER 4 YEARS, LOL

Craziness.....doesn't less traffic mean less wear and tear?  

I would think that they would need LESS money to maintain the infrastructure.  I only travel on the local exits and I spend $.50 per round trip.  Thank God I don't drive more than once or twice a week.  

I think that I would rather drive the long way than have to pay more money to a wasteful organization like the NYSTA.

It seems to me that a lot of people still use the thruway, so the claim of the state that "use" has declined is a false statement just to raise the rates. Something else is going on here and it stinks like bad cheese. Any time I have traveled from Auburn to Syracuse, Boston and points east, or Rochester/Buffalo and points west the traffic is always quite congested, especially during the summer months. Whatever happened to the idea of removing the tolls on Rt 90 anyways? I agree with others that there are other alternative routes to use instead of putting up with rate increases AGAIN!!! Route 81 may have its problems with road conditions but at least it remains toll-free. NYS and the politicos in Albany need to get their heads out of their ditches on this one.
I wonder what the state would do if everyone who used the thruway regularly boycotted using it altogether, even for just a week. Maybe we should just give it back to the barges and mules of the Erie Canal era.

I think they are also removing the discount afforded to EasyPass users...

I travel from Auburn to utica everyday for work.  I take rt.31 to rt.5 instead of using the Thruway.  And believe me it ONLY takes me about 15 minutes extra time.  F#@K the Thruway.

Less cars so they raise the fee. Oh sure, that will work. If they drop the fee they would increase the usage and make more money.  Hey Governor, read Brian's words.  Isn't it something, they seem so smart when they are running for office then "BAM" they get in office and do stupid things like this.

The Thruway Authority, sadly, is not elected.  The director is a political appointee, and most of the other people are state employees, so lets not be blaming the electoral process for this idiocy.

Of course people use the Thruway less - gas prices have risen and tolls already went up in the not-so-distant past.  Raising rates and eliminating discounts will not increase traffic, but will likely cause more people to use the regular NY and US highways.  Truckers will probably be hit hardest again.

Way to go, Thruway Authority.

Now how does this work?  We pay tolls only when we actually use the thruway and the tolls pay for the maintenance of the road.  Tolls are paid by all users, even drivers from out of state.  
We could make the thruway toll free.  Then we could all pay for maintenance of the road with our tax dollars even if we don't use the thruway.  We would then be providing a nice quick way through the state for out of state drivers and never see a penny of their money.
I think the toll system is fair and like everything else in the world costs go up.  Did you ever notice that asphalt is made from oil?

It works like this:  Back in the fifties, before the advent of the Interstate Highway system, NY decided it would build the Thruway for more effective high-speed transportation across the state.  It would be paid for and maintained from the tolls paid by its users, but the promise at the time was that, eventually,  the tolls would be eliminated.  Not long after, Eisenhower instituted the Interstate System, ostensibly to provide for more effective and effcient evacuation of U.S. cities in the event of attack by the Russians.  The Federal Government provided, and still provides large amounts of money to pay for the road system from our gasoline taxes.  The State also provides significant funding from state gasoline taxes, but to claim that New Yorkers are paying for all of this is a myth.  The early construction of the Thruway was a bit shoddy and major work on nearly all of its bridges was required, and Transportation Bond issues were regularly voted down so the tolls system was not eliminated some 20 years ago.  There is really little reason for the toll system to remain now except that it gives the Thruway authority a sense of power to have real control over a lot of money.

BTW, since all drivers, regardless of state of origin, pay federal gasoline taxes that help fund our highways, they should be just as free to drive our highways as we are free to drive theirs - without tolls.

Why do they need to hike the Thruway tolls, when boats are able to now go through the locks on the canals for free. Nice that our Thruway tolls subsidize other peoples hobby. Which in most cases they are the ones that can afford to pay their own way.

It cost my company $68.00 for me to go 262 miles in an 18 wheeler. That is not very far. I do this daily. Imagine the $$$ that is generated from the convoy of big trucks every day. Some drive from Boston to Buffalo. I only go from Syracuse to Albany and back. 131 miles each way. Holy cash flow. My company has 280 trucks. They all have E-Z pass. A large sum of $$$ is paid on acct. up front.

Thank you for supporting my hobby Dan. In reality, have you seen some of the lock chambers. The concrete is in real bad shape in most of them. The whole state goverment wastes more money. Than a sailor after 6 months at sea on liberty. Spitzer was a mistake, close to being a Pataki

hey, dtaylor4, have a nice time on the thruway,  do you live in the 1800s or are you a state employeee; im guessing the latter; since you care so much for the state , maybe you can donate your overpayed salary to the millions of people in new york without health insurance and homes ; mr fair man.

Why is that when you use the thruway, and are paying for it with tolls, you still have to pay the road tax when you buy fuel on the thruway? Are we paying twice for the use of the road?

The NYS Thruway Authority was supposed to end the tolls over 10 years ago!  They did not because they were still performing construction.  As long as the Thruway remains under construction they will not end the tolls.  Part of our states "gambling earnings" should fund thruway projects and the tolls should be abolished by January 1, 2008.  Obviously, with the introduction of the EZ pass systems, they have absolutely no plans to make the thruway free.

Come on, Spitzer, show us that you really care about NY.  We need the tolls abolished now.

OK....first tolls were supposed to end all together and instead they raised them.  A number of people chose not to pay the additional fees and took free local roads so money is down....fuel prices are up...I know, lets raise the rates again...that will get us more money!

Other states also have the first 2 or 3 exits, after where you got on, for free - not here in NY - we charge for that.

Nice and logical.  I'll take the free roads when I can, thank you.

What else is there to expect from New York than high taxes.  As a recent graduate from a SUNY school, most of my friends and colleagues left New York State for jobs elsewhere in the country.  Upstate population continues to dwindle, but New York wants to bring in the same revenue.  The more people that leave, the higher the taxes go.  As newly certified teacher who has been educated in New York from pre-school thru college, I have learned enough about NYS taxes and who (downstate) benefeits from them.  The Thruway toll hike says it all about our legislatures, tax, tax, tax.  Whatever happened to our bedrock principles? Wasn't it sometihng like live free or die?

I support the NYS Thruway Tax.  I tihnk people need to stop griping and realize how good the road conditions are.  While I was traveling in Chad, Africa, I noticed that roads there are not nearly as upkept as the NYA Thruway.  Therefore, I fully and unconditionally support the hike.

Here I come Route 5 and 31 and 20!!

SOMETIMES I wonder who"s in charge? God forbid if for once they use the brains GOD GAVE THEM. To  RAISE MORE REVENUE you lower the fees not raise them.

hey adam, go back to africa; you have norespect for the citizens of new york. ive never been to africa, but wouldnt you expect more from the highly, oppressive taxing in the empire of new york. i hear the air is better to breath here too; should we pay more taxes for the air; babies are healthier here too, remind me to donate my home and all my financial holdings to new york; we owe the EMPIRE

i think the ny state's free highways are in better shape than the thruway...How is that possible? need higher tolls to fix it up i guess.

Ok so they claim less people are taking the thruway because of the increase in gas prices...well if people are paying more for gas then they have to cut costs where they can, so it makes more economical sense to take the free roads.  I don't see where an increase in tolls will make things better, that will just be another added expense that some people won't be able to afford.  It's not like everyone gets a raise everytime prices go up, we all have to arrange our budgets accordingly.  I think the number of people taking the thruway will decrease even more.

What really happened was that New York State borrowed tons of money from the Feds back when the thruway was built with the agreement that in 1996 the thruway will be toll free... OR... NY state will have to PAY back the feds for the "loan".  Well since the thruway was such a great money maker for the state, Albany decided to pay the feds and keep the thruway still a toll road.  Also since the canal system was a financial pain in the butt, it got dumped on the thruway authority to maintain as well out of the thruway budget.  This is why they are really increasing the tolls....they owe too much money for everything else....just like the lottery was going to take care of all our school taxes...those monies are diverted everywhere else too!!...All controlled by the 3 monkey's behind closed doors in Albany!!!

ITS ABOUT TIME THEY RAISE THE TOLL HIKE. I WOULD LOVE TO PAY MORE DRIVING ON THE THURWAY. KEEP RAISING IT!

we should sell the thruway to the Indian Tribe , lets see what they can do . They all ready rip there own people off at the gas pumps, they like to avoid taxes and all that stuff-but in the long run are greedier then anyone.  

Free to new yorkers after completion! another false promise-enough said

Hmm let me take a look at the back of my Oneida Indian Nation member card which says i have free passage of tolls and bridges in NY state, maybe i should TRY to use it again when im on the thruway one day.  Yea right.  And why are NYS indians supposed to be NY state tax free and toll free?  Gee i don't know, lets just forget about it and pay, just like the tolls were supposed to end for everyone in 1996.  No, no just submit to incrimentalism and raise tax on everything, keep chipping away at our freedoms while your at it because of so called terrorism.  No see the state needs the taxes to help build the roads back up.  I just went and bought a top of the line cell phone $100 dollars cheaper off a small business owner on amazon.com than Verizon is selling it, plus no taxes or stupid rebates that take half a year to collect.  Why is that?  I think it's because Verizon needs that revenue alot more than a small-time internet business owner.  

face furny, whoever appoints the commisioner is elected, you seem to suck up to politcians , and state officials; your blogs are repetitive, lets hear some fresh original ideas; anyone can reed the manuels and government propaganda.  BOYCOTT THE THRUWAY, SAVE A DEER TODAY.

I am in total agreement with tom f.  We need a NYS THRUWAY BOYCOTT.  What better time to do this than during the upcoming holiday season.  They expect X amount of drivers for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.  

Lets make X as close to zero as possible people..

This is a grassroots effort to be a part of history.  Bring the Thruway authority to its knees.  Boycott the Thruway...drive alternate roads.  Sacrifice some time and save some money this holiday season and take other roads.  It is very simple.  Go to the online maps like yahoo!maps or mapquest and search a route with (NO TOLLS) and it will tell you the best way to get from point A to point B without taking the thruway.  

They are far too greedy and do not need this money.  The tolls are too high as it is.  They only want to swell their pockets.  Lets deflate their pockets.  

Take alternate routes whenever you can, for as long as you can.  Trust me.  If they lose enough money on this Boycott, they will change the cost of tolls.  They will have to.  

Your friend from Buffalo,
Mike Potter

Route 20 is the best alternative to the NYS Thruway. Route 5 is way too busy if you pick it has an alternative. There are too many red lights on Route 5. Route 20 is quieter and more scenic. Go Route 20!!!