In Our View: Ferry Won’t Fix Traffic

Hopping on a ferry from Vancouver for a ride along the Columbia and Willamette rivers sounds like a pleasant way to avoid the grind of sitting in traffic. But as a solution to gridlock, it is akin to recommending a Band-Aid for the region’s gaping transportation wound.

So, before we examine the latest idea for treating the congestion that hampers the metro area, allow us to reiterate what is necessary: A new Interstate 5 Bridge with increased capacity; mass transit options across that bridge, preferably bus rapid transit; and an expansion of Interstate 5 through the Rose Quarter region in the heart of Portland.

Government falls short when it is reacting to problems rather than anticipating them. And it fails miserably when it ignores issues that are obvious to residents. Such is the case with transportation between Clark County and Portland, where the idea of “solutions” has been to spend a decade planning a new bridge only to scuttle it, and where Oregon now is considering tolls that will inequitably target Washington residents.

Rather than ponder big ideas to solve big issues, the latest discussion surrounds proposed ferry service from downtown Vancouver to downtown Portland — which essentially would be an antibiotic when surgery is necessary.

Supporters of an upstart ferry project, The Oregonian reported, are pushing for a feasibility study of the idea. “This is a big, bold, audacious, challenging project,” said Susan Bladholm, president of the newly formed Friends of Frog Ferry nonprofit. “It’s going to take an enormous amount of courage.”

Instead, it might require a small amount of math. Supporters say one ferry trip could accommodate 149 passengers along with bicycles — but no automobiles — and that a single ferry could get 500 cars off Interstate 5 between Vancouver and Portland. But if a fleet of ferries could take, say, 5,000 cars off the road per day, that would do little to mitigate the congestion caused by the more than 130,000 cars that cross the I-5 Bridge. Nearly the same number cross the Interstate 205 Bridge daily, suggesting that outsized solutions are necessary rather than a couple boats.

We have nothing against innovative thinking when it comes to the area’s transportation issues, but the problem is that a ferry proposal could distract from needed solutions. Metro, the regional government body in the Portland area, is planning to pursue a 2020 transportation bond, and it is essential for that bond to focus on ideas that will have big impacts rather than small, feel-good projects. Portland has the 12th-worst congestion among U.S. cities according to INRIX, a data firm specializing in transportation issues.

Portland officials studied ferries as a potential transportation option in 2006, and a ferry system remains on the region’s long-term project list. But the idea should remain far down that list, below options for increasing vehicle traffic. While we can understand a desire to get people out of their cars — which purportedly is the thinking behind Oregon’s proposed tolls — reality tells us that improving commuting and freight transit is more important for the long-term health of the region.

A ferry between Vancouver and Portland might be a great idea, and it likely would benefit The Waterfront Vancouver development by making the area more accessible to Oregon residents. But it would do little to stem the economic hemorrhaging created by the region’s transportation woes.

Leaders on both sides of the Columbia should focus on the big issues first.