The Dialogue: What Readers Think About a Plan to Toll Portions of I-5

"TF is this class discriminatory bullshit?”

Traffic in Portland's Rose Quarter (Daniel Stindt)

Last week, WW wrote about a plan for tolling segments of I-5 that has North Portland residents worried about diverted rush-hour traffic ("Take the Free Way," WW, June 20, 2018). One highway exit leading into the Overlook neighborhood could become popular for toll evaders, clogging residential roads. On June 25, a state advisory committee voted to recommend adding tolls, pushing the plan one step closer to existence. Here's what readers have to say.

Casey, via wweek.com: "This isn't going to be great for people in those neighborhoods, but this also strikes me as similar to the complaints about on-street parking. Do I like it when there's a random van parked on the street in front of my house for two weeks straight? No, but that spot doesn't belong to me any more than the roads in a neighborhood belong to those who live there."

Noelle Marchand, via wweek.com: "People who move to residential neighborhoods don't move there to live in main streets with super-heavy traffic."

Philip Giles, via Facebook: "People have been using side streets for years because the main roads are always clogged. We can't pretend to be an environmentally friendly city when you are stuck in traffic for an hour going 3 to 4 miles."

50shadesgirlportland, via Twitter: "This isn't going to reduce cars in Portland, just cause chaos. We need more traffic lanes on I-5 and a new bridge."

Jack Portland, via wweek.com: "You better believe I'll be rolling through your neighborhood to avoid tolls."

Melanie Chadderdon, via Twitter: "Yes on tolls! Have to raise the money somehow! I've lived on the East Coast. Toll roads are awesome."

Eco2geek, via wweek.com: "Before starting tolling everyone, the powers that be should identify people who live in Washington and work in Oregon and place an extra tax on them for jamming up the freeways in Oregon."

Virginia, via wweek.com: "Tolls are the consequence of thousands and thousands of new cars and new residents and vehicles to Portland. Pay them."

Carolyn J Martin, via Facebook: "I don't think this will decrease traffic. It will just increase the money, and we will still sit in traffic."

James Doddridge, via Facebook: "I ain't got money for gas and tolls just to go to work. I already pay taxes. TF is this class discriminatory bullshit?"

TFoxPDX, via Twitter: "Give us other options then, please. TriMet sucks, not everyone can or wants to bike all year round, and Uber and Lyft are expensive… so?"

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