Gephyrophobia, a fear of bridges. One woman

Gephyrophobia, a fear of bridges. One woman was stranded on Staten Island for 13 years because of her fear of crossing bridges. (One assumes she didn’t want to take the boat either.)

In the New York region, the New York Thruway Authority will lead bridge phobics over the Tappan Zee, the longest span in the state. A reluctant driver can call the authority in advance and arrange to be driven across the bridge in his or her own car by a patrol operator. The authority receives a half dozen such requests a year, officials there say.

Ramesh Mehta, a division director for the authority, said the service helped prevent situations in which a phobic driver might get stuck mid-span. “It is very dangerous to stop the car right there on the bridge, because the traffic is so great and somebody can get rear-ended,” he said.

(via girlhacker)

• NYC