NY State Thruway

[computersoc]

Didn't get to drive the Thruway out towards Rochester in a couple months. I see Troop T (Troopers that patrol the Thruway) is using Troop G's (Albany area) tactics too now, aka, hiding on the right side of the road.

Yesterday, went from Albany to Rochester. No rain. From Albany to Utica, I saw two cars pulled over on the side. Other than that, no cops in the middle. After Syracuse, I saw two cops, driver's door to driver's door, on the right side of the road. No alert. I was doing 85. They must have been talking because I didn't get pulled over.

I had to stop at exit 43 and get gas. I was in some hillbilly town and I picked up a Ka. Speed limit was 30, so I figured since I didn't know the area, to slow down. There was some hills and stuff and I'd get a Ka alert and it'd go away. Then the alert stayed on. There was a lady trooper, (young and blonde ;-)), who was going the opposite way as me and had her constant on radar on. I was picking that up for about a mile. If only she knew the wonders of instant on.

K band drones on the middle and side of the road near Rochester. They're usually on the signs.

Today, it was raining off and on. Going from Rochester to Utica, no alerts until near Utica. I get a 2/9 signal and then it stops. I'm thinking, "oh a cop's going the opposite way, or instant on up ahead". I don't see anything. A minute later, I get another 2/9 signal and it stops a second or two later. I still see nothing. Drive for another mile or so, and get another 2/9 signal and it stops. Since I'm only using a Whistler 1744, I figure since this happened three times, it's just falsing. NOPE! I decide to bring my speed back up to 80 something and then I see my exit and slow down... about a tenth of a mile before my exit... guess what? Trooper with instant on. He didn't even shoot me since I saw my exit and was doing 70 by then. I was picking him up shooting people with instant on from about THREE miles away.

For my trip back to Albany tonight, hopefully it's raining just enough that they don't use laser.

[Grambo246]

great info thanks, im making a trip from syracuse to albany, then up the northway, i'll report back on what i find.

[Grambo246]

well just did my trip and i have no idea how you picked up instant on from 3 miles away with a whistler, i had about 3 ka enconters with the x-50, and it was basicly about a second or two before i saw the cop, and this was constant on. im thinking this maybe was because of the hills further east on the thruway and my car sits pretty low so maybe it cant see alot of the radar signals, also all these cops were driving coming from the other direction so i guess the distance closes pretty fast, but i was not to impressed

[yemntftb]

Here are my experiences on the Thruway - New Jersey to Albany and the Northway Albany to VT/Lake George.

With my X50 I can pick up a Ka alert very easily, usually with atlest 1 mile to slow down, sometimes more depending on the partol cars location and the terrain.

The State Troopers love to speed trap from the medians where you see the U-Turn signs, especially in the wooded spots where its harder to see their dark blue cruisers.

Personally I am not sure if they use instant on, because everytime I see one drive past me on the other side of the highway, in 90% of all instances and I have driven Northway/Thruway countless times, Ka lights up on the X50 just before the cop passes and stays on, not a lot of warning but I assume they have their radar always on.

On the Thruway south of Albany I recieved a laser warning by a patroller in the median/wooded as I came up over a hill, luckly for me there where about five other cars in the fast lane, no ticket.

On the Northway I believe instant on or Laser may be in use, as I have passed police in the median speed trapping to the other side of the highway and I received no radar alerts in limited cases, usually I would with received a Ka warning with the X50 as their radars are always on.

Bottom line - Ka is being used and the cops are not exactly being sneaking about it, but that doesn't mean they won't pull you over, as in about 70% of all instances with cops on the thruway and Northways when I receive and alert they have someone pulled over already.

I-81 Binghamton to Syracuse there are a limited number of patrollers but airplanes are used in addiction to Ka band cruisers.

If you like to speed and you have a V1, X50, or the good Bel Rd new york doesn't really have anything that can stop you, but speed smart.

[computersoc]

The Thruway, and especially the Northway is laser galore. You have to be VERY careful. They *are* sneaky with laser and I've seen them be very sneaky and selective with instant on radar, too. I've seen laser on the median and right side of the road speed traps more than the radar. This summer, because of work, I've done probably 1000 miles of driving on the Thruway and Northway. Just today saw someone pulled over around exit 5 on the Northway. When I'm going back to Albany about 20 mins later, I remembered that, and sure enough, same cop in the middle shooting my direction now.

[yemntftb]

My friends mother (she is a lawyer) told me it is illegal for a state trooper to pull you over if he clocks you speeding as he passes you in the opposite lane, can anyone comment?

[computersoc]

It's legal, it's also what their guns are made to do.

[RedEft]

Definately watch out for their Joey Chitwood u-turns and gravel spitting in your windshield as they cut you off so they can get in hot pursuit of their next donut fix. Seen that more than once!!
I travel to upstate NY quite a lot as we have a vacation home in Middleburgh. Last time up I was talking with a state trooper at a wedding we both attended. He told me that the troopers that have thruway and northway duty are ones who have been written up for various reasons. Either from having bad attitudes(general a-holes) or too many civilian complaints. Also the troopers running I-87 and I-90 are the only ones who have a quota for tickets per day, they have to write 2 a day before they get off shift. Apparently thruway duty is boring and noone wants to pull it, hence it is left to the problem children.

Hope this helps,
RedEft

[computersoc]

Not True. Troop G covers the Northway around Albany up past Saratoga. They randomly assign officers to it. Troop T an officer can transfer to after a few years. I know a lot who were on Troop whatever, went to Troop T and then went to a different Troop.