As Portland gridlock worsens, metro drivers are growing more comfortable with the idea of paying a toll to drive on sections of Interstate 5 and 205, but they remain skeptical it will be an effective way to reduce congestion in the long term.
That’s one takeaway from a recent poll commissioned by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
State officials on Thursday briefed the Oregon Transportation Commission on its most recent survey from DHM Research regarding tolling and Portland-area congestion.
DHM found drivers are fed up with traffic and they are already changing when they leave for work, school or errands, altering the route they take to get there and taking transit if possible, to avoid freeway snarl.
“People are growing increasingly frustrated about this,” Travis Brouwer, deputy director of the state transportation agency said about worsening congestion on metro interstates, “and they want us to do something.”
According to the recent survey, the state found a virtual tie between metro area respondents who strongly or somewhat favor tolling versus those who strongly or somewhat oppose the idea altogether. The poll of roughly 400 residents found 48.3 percent supported the idea and 48.3 percent opposed it. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.
But Brouwer said the number of respondents who said they would either strongly support or somewhat back tolling as an option was up 3.8 percentage point from a similar survey conducted in 2017.
That improvement is an indication Oregon is on solid ground, he said, and ahead of Washington state in its public opinion polls before that state pursued tolls on regional highways.
“We actually have a pretty good starting point for this,” Brouwer. said.
DHM polled roughly 400 Portland-area residents in November 2018, just as the state was readying its formal application to the federal government for authorization to toll sections of I-5 and I-205.
Oregon is still awaiting formal federal approval to toll the freeways, and actual tolls are years away and tolling plans could be referred to the ballot in 2020 irrespective of any federal action.
The Oregon Legislature’s 2017 transportation package, a $5.3 billion plan signed into law by Gov. Kate Brown, set a blueprint for state officials to pursue tolling as one alternative to addressing congestion on Portland freeways.
According to the November survey, 30 percent of respondents identified tolls as the fairest way to bring in more money for transportation projects. Respondents were allowed to choose just one funding option, and tolls trailed increasing the gas tax (33 percent) as the top response. Increasing registration fees netted 19 percent of responses, while 19 percent said they didn’t know the best way to raise more money.
That lack of knowledge overall in how highways are funded in Oregon and what options are available to bring in more revenue will be a key issue in helping the state market its tolling program going forward, pollsters and agency officials said.
Michelle Neiss, chief executive officer of DHM Research , told the commission support for tolling grew after survey takers learned more about how tolls work and what revenue could be directed to.
Respondents were more likely to support tolling if it was used to invest back in the highway (65 percent strongly or somewhat support that idea) or would work to seismically retrofit bridges (61 percent). Strong support still exists for expanding freeways, with 51 percent saying they would like expanded and improved interstates and freeway bridges to address congestion.
But people remain skeptical that tolls will work in Oregon.
Just 13 percent of those polled said they find it “very believable” that tolls will lead to reliable travel times. Thirty-one percent said it is “somewhat believable” that freeway times will be reliable.
“Information can shift public opinion, but movement will be gradual in the face of skepticism,” pollsters wrote in a summary presented to state decisionmakers.
The state will face a steep learning curve to educate the public about tolls, as some respondents were unaware of the technological advances made decades ago that prevent the need for physical toll booths.
Bob Van Brocklin, a state transportation commissioner, said that learning curve would be critical: “We have to get the public a lot of information so they can be good decision makers. And if it’s a major concern, they’ll want to learn about it.”
Neiss said freeway commuters, in particular, were more likely to get behind the idea of tolling sections of I-5 and 205. That’s because they see benefits that they can get from the tolls are desirable,” she said.
She said many metro residents felt like they had no option other than to drive, and it would be important for transportation officials to acknowledge that and be “empathetic.”
The poll reached residents of Washington, Clark, Multnomah and Clackamas Counties, and DHM said It tried to ensure the 400 respondents cited represented the local population.
Van Brocklin and other commissioners said they hoped to have more polls of metro residents in the future.
-- Andrew Theen
503-294-4026
@andrewtheen
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