Interstates I-90, I-190 and I-290 (NYS Thruway Extension) runs through the whole North-South length of the Town of Tonawanda. Enforcement on all three interstates is almost exclusively handled by officers from "Troop A" of the NYS Police. The speed limit along part of I-290 is 65 mph, however it drops to 55 mph in the Town of Tonawanda.  There are also numerous "work zones" where speed limits are lower and fines are doubled.  Almost all speeding tickets are written for speeds more than 10 mph over the limit. Stationary radar and laser speed detection are widely used. Traffic law enforcement along all of the other roads in the Town of Tonawanda is largely done by a combination of the NYS Police, Erie County Sheriffs and local town police officers. Tonawanda is home a large shopping plaza district frequently visited by Ontario residents.

Traffic Court

Both town justices have "traffic calendars" which are devoted to adjudicating traffic tickets. The NYS Police are prohibited from negotiating plea bargains on traffic violations. As a result, the Town of Tonawanda has appointed a special prosecutor to handle all tickets written by the NYS police. 95% of state police tickets are adjudicated through plea bargains with the special town prosecutor.  Tonawanda Town Court is one of the busiest traffic courts in NYS with more than $2M in annual traffic ticket fines and surcharges assessed. The prosecutor and both judges are usually reasonable to deal with regarding plea bargains, as long as the driver has a reasonably good driving record (in both NYS and home jurisdiction).

Local police officers sometimes prosecute their own tickets, though the special prosecutor may substitute for them. Again, most tickets are resolved through plea bargains.  Traffic court sessions can last 2 hours or more. Attorneys are permitted to appear without their clients being present for traffic court.