Why Do People Treat This Section Of The Vestal Parkway Like The Indy 500?

I have lived and worked in the Binghamton area for almost 43 years. Well, that is if you add in the three years in the late 70s when I moved here from Elmira. In 1980, I left Binghamton to go back to Elmira for a couple of years, and have been here ever since.

For pretty much  the entire time I have lived in the Triple Cities, I have worked in the Downtown Binghamton area.The first year or so, my workplace was on Windy Hill. After that, I have worked at The Whale at three different downtown locations.

And for most of those years, I travel the same few roads to work and back, including the Vestal Parkway from its beginning in Downtown Binghamton (or is it the end?) to Route 201.

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From the Binghamton line to the Vestal line and vice-versa, it has always seemed like entering the Indy 500. With the speed limit set at 55 miles per hour, I rarely observe anyone driving the limit. Why do so many people feel the need to speed on this stretch of the Vestal Parkway? Is it workers trying to get to their workplace as fast as possible? Maybe it's college students running late for class. I don't know.

I don't know exactly how fast vehicles are traveling each way, but I'm guessing anywhere between 65 and 80. There was one time a vehicle went flying by me and I decided to speed up to see how fast the car was going, and it turned out to be 80. That's dangerous.

And then there are the opposite drivers. Meaning, those who are in the passing lane, and stay there driving at 55 miles per hour or under. I never understood why those people don't move over to the driving lane. All that does is cause everyone else to pass on the right, which is dangerous.

A possible solution could be more police presence, but there are pretty much no areas to pull over someone speeding, at least in the east to west direction. So that stretch of roadway will continue to be the speedway of the Vestal Parkway.