Fines May Skyrocket for Commercial Vehicles on CNY Parkway

That poor bridge above Onondaga Lake Parkway seems to get no break from trucks plowing straight into it. Although there are an obnoxious (yet necessary) amount of signs leading up to it saying that commercial vehicles are not allowed on that road because of low clearance, some drivers miss all the warnings.

Governor Cuomo announced a proposal today that would fine commercial drivers who end up on the parkway $5,000 for a first offense and $7,500 for a second offense.  According to the Department of Transportation and Syracuse.com, the current fines are between $200 and $500.

The latest incident was just three months ago and luckily no one was injured, but that hasn't been the case with every crash over the years. Syracuse.com reports that a decade ago, a commercial bus ran into the bridge and killed four people.

"Bridge strikes--at best--create unacceptable and costly traffic problems with real economic consequences and--at worst--are a public safety hazard that put the lives of motorists and passengers alike at risk," Cuomo said, according to Syracuse.com. "With these new tougher penalties, we are continuing our aggressive action to reduce the frequency of these crashes and improve the safety and reliability of our roadways."

The proposal comes as part of Cuomo's new $178 billion budget, and should be up for a vote with lawmakers by April 1, according to Syracuse.com.

Whatever gets people to stop running into this darn bridge, right?