The New York State Thruway Post

I don't drive much these days and that makes me very cranky, for many reasons.

1) I have to beg or bribe people to take me places, like the grocery store, 2) taking the bus is a frustrating and ensures that I am always really early somewhere or really late, and 3) no more random solo road-trips (not that I ever did random solo road-trips but you always want the option).

But there is one reason that I am glad that I do not drive: the New York State Thruway.

The New York State Thruway occupies the inter-city highway system of New York State, spanning two to four lanes on each side, and it's the only way to efficiently drive across the state of New York. And it's also a toll road. And there are no other options if you want to get to and from large cities in a timely manner.

According to Allison, who drove me to the Finger Lakes and who said that when you do not take the thruway, it takes about 10 hours to get from upstate to New York City, as opposed to four hours because the thruway is the direct path through the state. Take the other freeways and you'll find yourself navigating through a maze-like selection of highways and backroads, which wind up and down like a very confused insect.

Try to navigate to New York City on this map without going on the highways. I dare you.

Compound that with the fact that there is nothing but green trees and rivers surrounding the thruway, it might be better to just take it and avoid the hassle and the probable certainty of getting lost.

The thruway spans 641.39 miles and you pay when you exit the freeway, the price of which differs based on how far you go.

A trip from Buffalo, NY to New York City, NY will cost $26. But it will take you a total of about 300-400 miles (depending on which freeway you take), plus the cost of gas. It's almost like traveling to San Jose from Los Angeles, except you have to pay to go on the freeway. And somehow New York State has $120 billion in debt, the mystery of that astounds me.

So unless you do not want to pay an extra toll fee, it's best to not get lost on the thruway. Not to mention that around it is nothing but trees and rivers. It's probably not a good idea to off-road into a river, that would not be a good vacation.

Allison once told me about a traffic jam on the thruway that she could not exit for because there was no other roads lying beside the thruway.

And I'm not the only one who finds this strange, New Yorkers (or should I call them New York Staters since Manhattanites are considered New Yorkers) complain too. If you are making people pay to ride the highways, then at least offer an alternative for people who do not want to pay in order to take a road trip. Or make the toll roads one or two lanes, instead of the entire freeway, since driving on the freeway shouldn't be optional (because it's not, especially when there are no alternate options).

Then again, I'm from California where toll roads lay beside the highways. Bitter New Yorkers, come to California and take a drive, it'll be a liberating experience. And the speed limit is 65 too (though if you go on the 5 freeway to San Francisco, you can go up to 90 and no one will care)!

Though there is one plus about the thruway: it encourages public transportation. If you ride the bus or the train, you don't have to pay the toll fee! So perhaps there is some thought behind this system.

Doesn't make riding a bus any less cumbersome, though. I still miss driving.