To this day I am adamant that the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane pilot project between Mill Plain and 99^th does not work and many of my constituents who drive that stretch of freeway daily have voiced the same frustration for years.  It is time to give commuter guinea pigs a reprieve from the failed HOV lane pilot project. 

For the past several years I have taken a lot of heat in the press for my stand against the HOV lane there.  When the idea of an  HOV lane pilot project first popped onto the radar screen, Representative Tom Mielke and I personally attempted to discourage the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) from adopting this bad idea.   

The area infrastructure simply was not ideal for an HOV lane; and research and statistics from other states like New Jersey and California were not promising.  In both states, results were so poor that many HOV lanes have been opened up to all traffic.  New Jersey and California know failed experiments when they see them.  Unfortunately the RTC, led by Arch Miller, Betty Sue Morris and Royce Pollard, was not swayed by these facts and Vancouver-area commuters became guinea pigs in a terribly flawed experiment. 

But now there are statistics from our very own state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) about the HOV lane between Mill Plain and 99^th that prove what I, and thousands of commuters in the Vancouver area, have said all along – the HOV lane does not work. 

A recent editorial in The Columbian overturned the paper’s previous opinion on the project saying, “This page cheered the move at the time, while others, including state Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, were opposed.” 

The Columbian’s editorial shared some tell-tale statistics from DOT’s report, including the fact that the car-pool lane moves less than the goal of 25 percent more people than either of the adjacent lanes and that 11 in every 100 vehicles use the HOV lane illegally.  This has left the HOV lane virtually open during rush hour while law-abiding single-occupancy-vehicles languish in congestion. 

This new information from DOT should be more than enough to influence RTC to discontinue the pilot project and look elsewhere to fix traffic congestion in the area.  After all, those of us who live in the area already know the main reason why I-5 traffic is so bad: We have only three lanes across the Columbia River.  HOV lanes won't help with that bottleneck at Delta Park, no matter how many people use them.  For real relief, we must continue our efforts to pressure Oregon to fix the bottleneck on I-5 and fight for a new corridor over the Columbia.  That has and will continue to be a priority of mine in the Legislature. 

I applaud The Columbian for altering its opinion to coincide with hard, cold facts.  I only hope the RTC can become as reasonable and save the taxpayers of Clark County from the pain of any more attempts to appease Oregon officials with failed social experiments.

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