Check Out Shaw's Report Card For The Garden State Parkway

I decided today to blog about my commute, which is primarily 30 miles on the Garden State Parkway, so I decided to give my "report card" for the Parkway and see if you agree. So I thought I'd break it down into several categories ....

Construction: All of the construction through Ocean and Monmouth Counties is complete, to the best of my knowledge, and it's clear sailing. We went through a lot in the past couple of years but now its fine. You will not find a better ride in New Jersey than the GSP! Shawn's Grade (A-)
Winter Driving: This past Winter was not a bad one, but for the few occasions we has a visit from "Old Man Winter" I thought, as usual, the Parkway is one of the best cared for roads in Winter. Shawn's Grade (A)
Tolls: I have EZ-Pass so to me this is no longer an issue. It appears there are less drivers going through "Cash" tolls so there is less wait and some toll plazas have been consolidated to make for less delays. This being said, if you travel further North out of Monmouth-Ocean You will run into some slow toll areas.....My advice, get EZ-Pass and never wait again! Shawn's Grade (B)
Speed: This is an interesting category because there seems to be a lot of "grey" area here. So the parkway has 65 mph as the "usual" speed limit, with some exceptions. Does anyone go 65? I think if I did 65 I'd get run over. So what will the State Police allow? Is it approximately 75 mph? Once your over 75 are you pushing it? I see people definitely going over 75 and probably 80-85 at times. Should we raise the speed limit? Shawn's Grade (B-)
Rest Areas: We have OK rest areas, nothing fantastic, but to be honest I don't really want to be there that long...let me get gas, restroom and coffee and I'm gone. One thing I don't like is at night you don't see a lot of Police presence, but you do see some odd characters, so I'd say my only request would be more Police presence...even if it's just a drive through once a half hour or so. Shawn's Grade (C)

So Do You Agree with Shawn's Grades? Share Your "Parkway" Thoughts!