Parkways?

[its_me]

We are leaving from the NY Metro area which is filled with routes that will not allow RVs. I'm wondering whether this is the case outside of this area. Do we need to buy a new GPS that allows us to restrict parkways or if we know what we can go on and what we can;t go on in our home state will be good with our regular GPS once we leave?

[kohldad]

Come on down south. Don't know of any roads in NC, SC, GA, or TN where RV are not allowed. Do have to watch out for a few low bridges and limbs though. Plus, very few toll boths to suck out the extra money from your pocket.

[rbtglove]

Only took a MH close to NY city one time - won't do it again, go around. I'm still trying to fogure out why we drive on Parkways and Park on driveways.

[Jim_Shoe]

Columbia Parkway from the east side of Cincinnati to downtown is a disaster. It was built as a WPA project during the depression when people still drove Model T's. Four lanes, and none of them are wide enough for modern cars, let alone RVs. Trucks are prohibited. It's carved out of the side of a large hill, so there's no way of widening it. During rush hour, it is certainly a "Park" way.

[1775]

You don't say where you are going or which way you are heading. There are a few routes in Connecticut that you cannot drive on. What you need to do is route this trip before you leave - check on the roads that you are being sent on and check each one for restrictions on the state's DOT site. Heading south we have not had a problem once we leave NYS. Heading North there can be problems.

A truck or RV specific GPS is almost a must for anyone with an RV or TT in NYS. Too often there will be no exit before a too low overpass. The only thing to do then is pull off to the side and there certainly will be a State Trooper coming along as a result. Too many trucks in NYS wind up on parkways in NYS and this is not treated lightly now by State Police.

[We_Cant_Wait]

Dutch; then you got lucky, the Robert Moses Parkway has several 12' overpasses on it, and maybe you just didn't travel that section of it.

[jfkmk]

korbe wrote:
What's a Parkway?

A parkway is something you drive on and a driveway is something you park on. Go figure.

[Dutch_12078]

We Cant Wait wrote:
DO NOT USE ANY PARKWAYS IN NEW YORK STATE!!!! They were built for car traffic ONLY and many do have overpasses as low a 10'. This goes for ALL Parkways all over NYS!

Not all NYS parkways are the same. I've driven my 12' high coach on the Robert Moses Parkway from Niagara Falls to Four Mile Creek State Park, and then the Lake Ontario State Parkway from the park to Rochester, with no clearance problems. The Lake Ontario Parkway has a stretch that's rougher than a cob, but that's a different issue.

[We_Cant_Wait]

DO NOT USE ANY PARKWAYS IN NEW YORK STATE!!!! They were built for car traffic ONLY and many do have overpasses as low a 10'. This goes for ALL Parkways all over NYS!

[pasusan]

All I know is in the state of NY they don't want RVs on parkways... Now, the parkway that I'm used to is the Baltimore Washington Parkway and we are allowed on that. So you can't assume that all parkways are verboten.

[paulj]

Aren't the NY parkways old limited access roads (hence the lower bridge clearances), built with Tri-borough bridge tolls?

Pasadena (Arroyo) Freeway may date from the same era.

In Chicago, Lake Shore Drive may have similar commercial vehicle restrictions. It also has a system of boulevards, effectively linear parks, that restrict trucks.

But for long distance rural travel, there are few if any roads that limit commercial traffic. National Parks have selective limits. California has maps of roads with length limits (usually 40 ft, some shorter). These are twisty mountain roads.

[yrusoslo]

K Charles wrote:

korbe wrote:
What's a Parkway?

It's a road that lots of cars get on and park in a long line for about 2 hrs every morning and then again after work.

Oh I thought that way the LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY LOL.

[Vulcaneer]

Burbman, Just as a point for clarification....I was referring to the more important restrictions OUTSIDE of NYC. There are more HIGHWAY restrictions for HAZMATS than for low bridges. Or for restricted parkways for that matter.

[K_Charles]

korbe wrote:
What's a Parkway?

It's a road that lots of cars get on and park in a long line for about 2 hrs every morning and then again after work.

[BurbMan]

I wouldn't say a hazmat ban is more important than a road with 8'0" bridges, which most NY parkways have. In general, any route with the word "parkway" means stay off of it with the RV. Parkways also do not have route numbers, another way to tell if you shouldn't be on it.

Ones I can remember in and around the NY metro area:

Northern State
Southern State
Cross Island
Sagtikos
Wantagh
Meadowbrook
Interboro
Hutchison River
Cross County
Merritt
Taconic
Palisades

Probably missed one or two...they have really increased the signage in recent years with NO TRUCKS signs. If you find yourself on a parkway in error, pull off to the side ASAP before you get to a low bridge, and wait there for the state guys to come along and write you a ticket and escort you safely off.

There is no hazmat restriction on the parkways, but no towing is allowed, so you will get a ticket if you get caught with a pop up even though you'll make it under the bridges...