You might have heard, during this last couple of weeks, that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has issued updated "Limited" tolling rules. But reading these updated rules, I find that ODOT still contemplates allowing the tolling of existing roads and highways without the tolling being for road improvements, or what is formerly called "Urban Mobility Pricing" or before it "Congestion Pricing." ODOT still is pushing to toll both I-5 and I-205 from Wilsonville to the Columbia River. It is obvious Oregonians oppose Congestion Pricing as planned by ODOT.
Moreover, ODOT is still caught up designing tolls around so-called equity and climate change, code words for social engineering people off the roads and into slow moving public transit or range limited bicycles.
Here's the link to ODOT's newly issued tolling rules: AthrBlnk.dot (oregon.gov)
Here's the link for submitting comments to ODOT about its tolling rules: Oregon Department of Transportation : Public Comment on Limited Toll Rules Update : Get Involved : State of Oregon
Here's KGW's reporting on ODOT's new updated tolling rules: ODOT proposes new rules for future tolling projects | kgw.com
(posted by Elvis Clark on September 7, 2024)
IP-4 was designed to let voters reject road tolls on Oregon's public highways and had passed Oregon Supreme Court review. Unfortunately, IP-4 failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for this November 2024 general election. It came up about 100,000 signatures short of the 200,000 signatures required for a state-wide constitutional initiative petition to qualify for a public vote.
But not all hope is lost. The "Vote-Before-Toll" Chief Petitioners and organization has now refiled the same exact petition for the 2026 General Election. This new petition replaces the old petition exactly so as to make Oregon Supreme Court review seemingly a breeze, since the Oregon Supreme Court already reviewed and approved for circulation the same petition legal text for its constitutionality.
The new "Vote-Before-Tolls" petition is called IP-31. It is now sitting at the Oregon Secretary of State's Office for review and approval to circulate for petition signature gathering. Chief Petitioners expect the Secretary of State's Office to approve for signature gathering by the end of this August 2024.
Chief Petitioners of IP-31 (same people as the old IP-4 Petitioners) plan to use paid signature gatherers this time around, instead of relying solely on grass roots volunteer signature gathering as was the case with IP-4. Paid signature gathering is expensive but necessary for most conservative initiative petitions to get enough signatures to qualify for a public vote.
Chief Petitioners have raised some donations to pay for signature gathering (some $80,000 I recall). So, hope springs eternal.
Stay tune for when the new IP-31 signature sheets become available for gathering signatures.
(posted by Elvis Clark on June 27, 2024)
I talked to Dean Suhr about a month ago, and it sounds like IP-4 has a little less than 100,000 signatures against a target of about 200,000 needed to qualify for this November 2024 General Election ballot. These extra 100,000 signatures would have to be collected by the end of this June 2024. Not doable, especially collecting signatures via IP-4's grassroots-only effort.
Here are some quotes from the Milwaukie Review's interview of Dean Suhr:
“In short, we are pulling the plug on IP-4 and refiling for 2026,” West Linn resident and Vote Before Tolls Committee founder Dean Suhr said.
“I also learned that most initiative petitions end up paying signature gatherers to get a dramatic portion of their signatures and we resisted that throughout the last couple of years,” Suhr said. “That was a mistake. Going forward in 2026 we will pay some signature gatherers, but we’ll get the bulk of them through volunteers.”
“One of the things I didn’t expect to discover when I started this journey in 2021 is what a mess ODOT is financially and operationally, and I don’t want to get caught up in that but we need to focus on getting ODOT in better shape,” Suhr said.
(posted by Elvis Clark on April 18, 2024)
The Urban Mobility division of the Oregon of Department of Transportation (ODOT) has three west side Portland Metro area road expansion projects it is now considering. The three are the following:
(1) The Northern Connector which would construct a new tunnel under Forest Park (hillside). This would connect Kaiser Road to Highway 30. This new tunnel would be funded by a toll for entry through the tunnel.
(2) A new Bridge across the Willamette River connecting High 30 to North Portland and its marine terminals. This new bridge, also, would be tolled at its entry points, helping to finance this new road connection. This proposed project is called the North Willamette Bridge project.
(3) Expand Barnes Road to 5 lanes from Highway 217 to West Sylvan area and also expand Multnomah portion heading towards the City of Portland. I am not sure this one lends itself to tolling so much.
Here's the link to ODOT Regional Mobility's presentation regarding these three proposed road projects and more: PowerPoint Presentation (oregon.gov)
These projects are mostly to improve mobility for freight shipments from the Intel and other industrial manufacturing campuses in Washington County. Intel is expanding its Hillsboro chip making campus with the help of federal government subsidies. And the Oregon legislature approved in 2023 the opening of new lands outside the existing urban growth boundary for Intel to expand its business.
So, tolling does have a place in my book but only if it is tied to projects like bridges and tunnels and maybe new lanes.
Clackamas County would like to increase road capacity from Highway I-205 to Highway 26, possibly following a route parallel to Highway 212. There is already industry along Highway 212, and increasing road capacity someway that is parallel would help open up vast open lands for new housing in east Clackamas County,
(posted by Elvis Clark on March 29, 2024)
A lot of the public voiced its strong opposition to the Oregon Department of Transportation plans to charge tolls for driving on I-5 and I-205. Kotek actually was a key figure in enacting the tolling of I-205 and I-205 back in the year 2017 when she is Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. But the pushback from the public - voiced at several public meetings -seems to have changed her opinion and caused her to order tolling now stopped.
Many Democrat elected officials did not want to have tolling high on the mind of voters while they are running for re-election. Maybe also Kotek is wanting to help Janelle Bynum (D) in her race for U.S Congressional District seat 5, against Lori Chevez-Deremer (incumbent, Republican). Chevez-Deremer has been working to get the Federal Highway Administration to block Oregon government's I-5 and I-205 tolling plans. By stopping the planned tolling of I-5 and I-205, Kotek takes one of Chevez-Deremer's key issues away from her.
Here's Kotek's letter ordering the stopping of tolling plans:
Gov. Tina Kotek orders stop to Portland-area tolling project - DocumentCloud
Susan, McLain, co-chair of the Oregon House Transportation Committee sounds frustrated with Governor Kotek's move to stop tolling.
McLain likes tolling, as she even admits she wants to price people out of their cars, and onto public transit. Here are some state's official reactions to Kotek's order:
Leaders defy Kotek plan to stop tolls | The Oregon Catalyst
For the regular joe and jane who drive I-5 and 205, it is a good thing that the Governor acted because the Initiative Petition to require voter approval before tolls can be enacted (IP-4) needs a lot more signatures to qualify for the November 2024 ballot. It isn't looking good to get initiative IP-4 (stopping road tolls) before voters this coming November 2024. At times, IP-4 has looked like the only way to stop the tolling of I-5 and 205 and other highways.
There is some reason to believe that maybe Oregon needs another way of raising transportation monies in order to build new road capacity - to meet all of the population growth that Oregon has experienced over the last four decades (since the last major highway (I-205) built in the northern Willamette Valley is way back in the early 1980s, now).
Gasoline taxes are kind of flattening out because of newer cars having much higher mileage (50 mpg) than in the past (25 mpg). And trucker mileage fees are now facing a court challenge by state trucking associations - who contend that truckers have been overpaying for the use of the state highways.
I suspect the Oregon Department of Transportation has a fair degree of unnecessary overhead cost, but it is probably not enough to change the overall picture about the need for more transportation budget dollars.
Maybe newer cars should pay a road use fee in addition to gasoline taxes, with the road fee being based on an annual odometer reading. There was an Oregon House of Representatives bill to do just that in the 2023 legislative session, but it couldn't get past Representative McLain who wants tolling instead.
(posted by Elvis Clark on March 14, 2023)
Soon, Highways all over Oregon will have road toll fees for driving on them. Oregonians oppose these road tolls, countless surveys reveal. But their elected officials scheme on doing these road toll fees anyways.
Below is the latest Pamplin News reporting on a road toll study conducted by a committee called the Westside Multimodal Improvements Steering Committee. This Steering Committee is composed of mostly local government bureaucrats, including Metro and Portland Bureau of Transportation with a few members of government selected cultural community leaders.
(Metro President Lynn Peterson is running in this May 2024 Democrat primary to be a U.S Congress Representative. She and her organization support road tolls, whereas incumbent Congress woman Lori Chevez-Deremer is working to stop the tolling of Highways I-5 and I-205. So, do not vote ever for Lynn Peterson, and especially in the upcoming May 2024 Democrat Primary election for Congressional District #5.)
So, the bottom line is if road tolls (not tied to funding a specific physical road expansion) go into effect here in Oregon, drivers will pay for ineffective other, slower means of transportation, such as mostly empty Max trains, bus lines and bicycle paths (the latter benefitting mostly the weekend recreational Lycra wearing bicycle rider groups).
For the expansion of proposed Oregon road toll fees, read the download just below entitled "Tolling217&26Pamplin23Dec (pdf)."
Meanwhile here's a link reporting on how TriMet is badly failing at making public transit safe for its riders:
After deadly MAX station stabbing, Portlanders say they’re nervous to ride TriMet (kptv.com)
Talk about a land of Dystopia called Portland Metro area Oregon. Ugh! Why does the electorate continually fall for these delusional, utopian talking politicians?
(posted by Elvis Clark on December 28, 2023)
Tolling217&26Pampln23Dec (pdf)
DownloadHere's the link to the latest Tualatin Chamber of Commerce's voiced complaint against the Oregon Department of Transportation's (ODOT's) Road Toll schemes for both I-205 and I-5:
When the Message is Wrong... - by Daniel Lacy (oregontollingupdates.com)
You would think that some of Tualatin Chamber's big business members would help fund a paid signature gathering campaign to get enough signatures to qualify Initiative Petition #4 for the November 2024 General Election, letting voters say yes or no to the state of Oregon (ODOT) imposing road tolls on the likes of I-5 or I-205 highways. But no such luck enticing businesses to give substantially to the Initiative Petition #4 campaign.
As it is, Initiative Petition#4 only has 6 months to collect over one hundred thousand voter signatures statewide to qualify for the 2024 General Election ballot. With the summer gone now, volunteers do not have enough events to gather significant, additional signatures.
It is looking bleak for gathering enough signatures in time to qualify Initiative #4 for the ballot.
(posted by Elvis Clark on October 21, 2023)
The above quote in red text is that of Clackamas County Commissioner Paul Savas - as it sums up the Oregon Department of Transportation's (ODOT's) Plan as being the absolute worst case for Clackamas County residents. It sounds like Clackamas County drivers/residents will be paying tolls to basically fund TriMet's costly, failing public transit system (which doesn't adequately cover Clackamas, in the least and probably never will - based on the County's long historical experience with TriMet).
Meanwhile, Clackamas' congresswoman Chevez-Deremer is trying to stop ODOT's tolling scheme at the Federal Highway Administration, which is managed by Transportation secretary Buttigieg. Here's the Youtube video link of Congresswoman Chevez-Deremer questioning Secretary Buttigieg about ODOT's tolling scheme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHLLY_09l3M
The Federal Highway Administration must approve ODOT's tolling scheme in order for it to be implemented - both I-5 and I-205 being federal highways that are administered by the state within Oregon but also in conjunction with federal government approval.
(posted by Elvis Clark on September 21, 2023)
But the question remains is ODOT planning to still impose a congestion road toll? This would be very egregious for Clackamas County, as the funds raised from a congestion road toll/fee would not go towards improving I-205 but most probably expanding I-5 road capacity in and around the Rose Quarter in the City of Portland, Multnomah County proper.
Abernathy Bridge (on I-205 between Oregon City and West Linn) is still going to be tolled to finance making the Bridge earthquake "proof."
(posted by Elvis Clark on September 16, 2023)
In the Clackamas Review editorial below, recently retired Oregon Transportation government official (Cam Gilmore) calculates that the Oregon Department of Transportation's tolling plans could end up costing many commuters as much as $2,000 per year. For Gilmore's perspective on ODOT's tolling scheme, read the pdf "Tollest23Jul" just below here.
(posted by Elvis Clark on July 22, 2023)
Tollest23Jul (pdf)
DownloadFreshman Oregon Representative Hartman searches for alternative transportation funding mechanisms so as to eliminate/minimize the need for road tolls - such as those tolls currently proposed by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for both I-5 and I-205.
Here's a report on Representative Hartman regarding her wanting an alternative transportation project funding mechanism to ODOT's proposed road toll program:
"Hartman, a Democrat who represents Gladstone and Oregon City, says that she looks forward to a partnership with ODOT to find alternative sources for funding transportation projects rather than being “steamrolled” into a misguided tolling scheme. Both Hartman and Finn will be examining taxing vehicle miles traveled as a new funding source that might not be needed, as gas-tax revenues are increasing. ODOT had previously thought gas-tax revenues would decrease post-COVID."
House Bill 3297 (HB 3297) introduced earlier in the 2023 Oregon legislative session is not currently proceeding to approval. But HB 3297 is an alternative way of collecting monies for transportation projects. It would charge Oregon drivers periodically based on how many road miles traveled in Oregon. It could be an annual fee or one strictly tied to the car's odometer miles reading.
Such a way of raising road new transportation monies (besides existing gas tax proceeds) would cure the problem of diversion onto neighborhood streets caused in the case of ODOT's Tolling Scheme - where tolls on certain roads (for example, I-5 and I-205) would lead many drivers to take other streets to avoid being charged a toll. Some say out-of-state drivers would avoid paying for their use of Oregon roads with the fee based on road miles traveled in Oregon.
In this case, maybe tolls for out-of-state drivers could be placed on the interstate bridges like the I-5 Interstate bridge and the I-205 Glen Jackson road, so as to also raise road funds from out-of-state drivers' using Oregon roads.
(posted by Elvis Clark on June 8, 2023)
I have been trying to recruit businesses with high traffic flow in and around I-205 to provide IP-4 signature gatherers a visible venue. But after three months of my contacting businesses, it is like crickets. You would think the Gladstone Councilor in the above news article would be able to provide business contacts to the IP-4 organization so that the organization could have a central place for collecting IP-4 Petition signatures.
Dear readers, I am NOT going to collect IP-4 signatures tomorrow, Saturday 5/27/23, at the Happy Valley Farmers Market. This had been my plan as posted last weekend. Unfortunately, I am still waiting for an IP-4 display sign to help attract people to my signature gathering site, and this display sign has yet to be provided me by the IP-4 organizers (even though they had said they would get me such a display sign by this time). Most sorry to any readers who may have been planning on signing my signature sheet at tomorrow's (5/27/23) Happy Valley Farmers Market.
But I do have some good news. I have lined up an IP-4 signature gathering spot at the Republican Party booth at the upcoming Washington County Fair (July 21 through July 30, 2023).
Stay tuned for this opportunity to sign IP-4 and help stop Oregon's road toll plans.
(posted by Elvis Clark on May 26, 2023.)
(posted by Elvis Clark on May 3, 2023)
The only close-by grocery and shopping outlets for the Community of Charbonneau are next door in the City of Wilsonville. To get to Wilsonville from Charbonneau requires driving the I-5 Boone Bridge into Wilsonville. And yet this entrance into Wilsonville is targeted for tolling by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
So, tolls would make the community of Charbonneau effectively captive to ODOT's tolling schemes for I-5 , in and around the Portland Metro area region.
(posted by Elvis Clark on September 12, 2022)
Here's the link to KOIN news reporting on I-5 Columbia River Bridge Replacement tolling plans:
If I-5 Bridge replacement has its own toll then most likely another layer of tolls will be added to I-205 existing toll rates planned by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). So ODOT's current estimated toll rates on I-205 of $2 or so are probably going to end up actually substantially higher than $2 per road trip on I-205. The higher toll rates would be designed to discourage truckers and auto drivers from switching to I-205 from I-5 (given the I-5 bridge replacement toll). Also, consider that ODOT and Portland Metro government are demanding that another Max light rail line be part of the Columbia River Bridge replacement. So, indirectly I-205 road users will end up helping to pay (through tolls) for a Max line - even though the Max light rail system is a colossal failure by most real measures.
There is a possible way to disrupt ODOT's tolling schemes, and that is collecting enough signatures to qualify Initiative Petition #4 (IP-4). IP-4 allows Oregon voters to vote and stop tolling of roads such as I-5 and I-205.
I hear that Initiative Petition 4 is available for signing both today (Friday 3/31/23) and tomorrow (Saturday 4/1/23) out at the Portland International Raceway (PIR). There is suppose to be a covered booth out at PIR today and tomorrow between 7 am and 5 pm each day, with an Auto Swap meet happening out there as the overall event. Here's the Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/PIRAUTOSWAPMEET/
Weather doesn't look too promising, however, today or tomorrow.
I am planning to signature gather for IP-4 around the Happy Valley Farmers Market, beginning this May. Hopefully, the weather starts to dry and warm by this May first. Happy Valley Farmers Market is on Saturdays. I will also try IP-4 signature gathering at Milwaukie's Farmers Market starting in May - Sundays.
According to Dr. Fruits Oregon residents can write to the Federal Highway Way Administration and comment against the road toll plans of Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Seems ODOT needs approval by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to be able to charge tolls on I-205 and I-5. It's a long shot but maybe its worth a try - commenting, that is, in opposition to tolling I-205 and I-5 freeways.
Here's the website Dr. Fruits list as receiving Oregon resident public comments about ODOT's road toll schemes:
In the section just below here, I post Dr. Fruits' opinion piece in opposition to ODOT's road tolling plans for I-205 and I-5. This PDF file read is named: "TollgFruits23Mar"
(posted by Elvis Clark on March 17, 2023)
TollgFruits23Mar (pdf)
DownloadA single way toll would be $2 or so during peak rush hours, $1 in the shoulder hours and 50 cents even when the high way is relatively "empty."
But the real problem is that these are initial/study toll rates, and given the anti-car sentiment of many of our regional government leaders (who sit on the region's transportation committee(s)) eventually these tolls on public highways could be weaponized to price people out of their cars altogether.
Economics professor, Dr. Eric Fruits, working for Cascade Policy Institute, says the cost of tolls will weigh so much on the Portland economy that there will be no net economic benefit from the tolling of I-205. Here's the link to Dr. Fruits' review of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT's) tolling plan for I-205:
https://oregoncatalyst.com/66273-odot-households-pay-575-year-tolls.html
There would be two tolling points (points H in the above ODOT diagram) on I-205 - per ODOT's tolling plan. These would be the Abernathy and Tualatin Bridges.
(posted by Elvis Clark on February 23, 2023.)
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) argues that tolling monies should in part be used to help subsidize more use of public transit in place of automobile travel.
Yet as the Clackamas Review opinion piece just below ("TollgMaxFail23FEb5" [pdf) points out, the expensive light rail max public transit system is not very safe to ride.
Moreover, as I point out in today's 'Traffic Count' section light rail Max public transit is a very expensive failure, as ridership on it never has been anywhere near the level of what its proponents tout.
(posted by Elvis Clark on February 10, 2023)
TollgMaxFail23Feb5 (pdf)
DownloadThe Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is steaming ahead with imposing tolls on both I-205 and I-5 (tolling from Wilsonville to the Columbia River, and vice versa). ODOT Plans to start tolling in the year 2024/2025.
ODOT admits the tolls it plans are higher than those tolls necessary to just recover the construction costs of new auxiliary lanes on both I-205 and I-5 and other improvements to both of them. ODOT plans to set tolls so high as to price like some 15% of drivers totally off I-5 and I-205.
If the tolls were set just to recover road construction costs (the green bars above), they would be half the rate as those planned to get people to drive less or not at all (the blue bars).
Working people are treated like serfs by the Government Class - the latter class forcing tolls down on working people mostly.
(posted by Elvis Clark on September 2, 2022)