I live in North Portland near Interstate 5 and I regularly read The Columbian. Your editorial “Rose Quarter plan vital to commuters” really frustrates me. You encourage readers to “not be shy about voicing support for the project.”
Let’s look at this from my perspective. During rush hour, the I-5 backups cause traffic problems into my neighborhood when the freeway entrance traffic backs up onto city streets. I have traffic problems driving a few blocks to the store. What is the cause of these issues? It is caused by people who make the bad choice to live in Washington and work in Oregon. Now you are encouraging people who make this poor choice to try to influence the decisions of another city and state to make your bad decisions easier for you, not easier for the residents of the affected city/state. Adding to my frustration is the backdrop of the history of Washingtonians “just say no” mentality that sank the Columbia River Crossing project.
Your residents could choose to move closer to their employment or change their employment to a location in the same state they live in.
As a resident of the state and city affected by your poor choices, I say thanks for the input but stay in your own lane and accept responsibility for your poor choices.
