This is a good article and with the calls from Assemblyman Mark Schroeder and Brian Higgins to abolish the Thruway Authority altogether is the best move they could make.

The time has never been so ripe than to make the move to finally abolish the thruway authority. Thank you Mark and Brian. My biggest question is….. WHERE IS LOUISE SLAUGHTER? MIA IN WNY.

Thruway Tolls Going Up Again

The toll increases could not come at a much worse time considering gas prices and the cost of just about everything is skyrocketing, but the Thruway Authority insists it needs the additional revenue because it’s been saddled with a billion dollars of non-thruway expenses. So, Friday afternoon five of six Thruway Authority board members voted in favor of the new toll hikes.

EZ Pass users — say goodbye to many of the discounts your now getting. They disappear starting in July. Come January, drivers who pay in cash will feel the hit when tolls go up five percent. That will be followed by a second five percent increase in January 2010. All this comes on the heels of a ten percent hike that went into effect earlier this year.

“I go through the tolls everyday. I go through it twice. So, hello, get me again,” says Stephen Vukelic, a Western New York commuter who’s obviously not thrilled about the new toll hike.

“It’s not fun no, with the price of gas and the price of everything you don’t want to be having any more increasing costs, but obviously they (the highways) are very important to maintain and if they (the addition revenues) are economically spent then that’s fine,” says Nicole Crawford, another area commuter. The toll increases are expected to bring in an additional $125 million annually.

Many state leaders though don’t think the Thruway Authority is being economical, and some accuse the authority of ignoring suggestions for cutting costs instead of raising tolls. “I am suggesting we stop the madness of the toll increases with the New York State Thruway Authority. Disband them, abolish them, and start over again,” says State Assemblyman Mark Schroeder (D-Buffalo).

New bills sponsored by Schroeder in the Assembly and George Maziarz (R-Newfane) in the Senate would create a new commission made up of 15 members chosen by the Legislature and the Governor. The new commission would answer to state leaders unlike the Thruway Authority. “Let’s have a commission, in a bi-partisan way pick a commission, and really scrutinize and take a look at this and I know we can do better,” says Schroeder.

One of the non-thruway expenses that’s blamed for the toll increases is the state’s canal system. It eats up $80 million a year. There is a push to separate the canal system from the Thruway Authority.

There is one bit of good news with this new series of toll hike — cash tolls for the Grand Island will not go up this time.