While this means you wouldn't have to stop at a toll booth from New York City to Buffalo it does not mean that you wouldn't have to pay tolls.

Now I feel that there are definitely some pros and cons to switching to cashless tolls:

Pros:

  • You don't have to make sure to keep a stash of cash in your car for when you end up on the thruway and don't happen to have an E-Z Pass.
  • Ideally a toll-less thruway would reduce congestion and improve travel times.

Cons:

  • A significant number of New Yorker's will loose their jobs.
  • If you don't have an E-Z Pass you could be paying a higher rate of toll.

If you have ever driven through Massachusetts you may have noticed that they use this new "cashless toll" technology. While yes, the flow of traffic is pretty direct (except for the people slowing down at the reading points so they don't get a ticket for speeding) there are several different price tears that they bill you for when driving through. I've noticed in my travels that there a different rates depending on if you have MA plates, an E-Z Pass, or out of state plates.

Also there is the cost associated with installing and implementing the new tolling system which I have not seen a public estimate for as of yet.

Where do you stand? Would you like for the NYS Thruway to become toll booth free or do you think it is fine the way it is? Let us know in the comments.

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