I was not surprised by the negative reaction to the headline about Vancouver being able to cover costs of operating and maintaining light rail. I don’t think Mayor Tim Leavitt is suggesting a sales tax boost or a property tax. The suggestion was a surcharge on tickets and/or a fee to use proposed Park & Ride garages. That could qualify for the $850 million the feds have offered.
On the other hand, perhaps the auto commuters deserve the gridlock near Moda Center-Rose Quarter. Portland would fix it? More than a decade ago, Portland studied shifting I-5 east to Grand, burying it, and maybe demolishing the Marquam Bridge (because the Portland mayor considered it ugly). Because the rumored cost was $8 billion to $10 billion, that study never saw the light of day, so don’t bet on a fix.
And bridge or not, the cost of parking continues to go up (as does the cost of parking tickets). When I was commuting more than a decade ago, friends were paying $220 per month per car and they needed two cars. Today many commuters use handicap parking tags, but Portland may soon close that scam. So light rail may be better than tolls and parking in Portland. The mayor may be correct after all.
Bill Stewart
Vancouver
