I-5 commute to Portland: how bad is it really? (Beaverton: sales, house)

[froggreenstang]

My gf and I were in Portland this past week, coming up I-5 on Friday afternoon. Traffic was bad, but not quite as bad as California traffic (where we currently reside), but still something we want to avoid.

We liked a few areas outside Portland, namely West Linn, LO, and Wilsonville, but jobs in the city would take forever to get to, I think. Using transit didn't seem much better (according to the max website times).

Questions are: how bad is traffic really? We came at absolute worst time, Friday afternoon. And secondly, is traffic a lot better coming down I-5 from WA area to Portland than coming up from below Portland?

thanks. We just are weary of heavy california traffic and would like to avoid it if possible.

[oldtintype]

I don't know exactly how bad traffic is as I live downtown, but it can be pretty bad--I can see it from my house and it's sometimes completely at a standstill. It's definitely NOT better coming from Washington though!

As for the post above, I'm responding mainly to say that my son has horseback riding lessons every Saturday in Wilsonville. I live in downtown Portland and it takes me a MINIMUM of 20 minutes to get there with zero traffic, on a weekend, and living right off of the freeway entrance. So the 15-20 minute time frame is not accurate in terms of a commute.

[Dave99]

Portland metro area is not and was not designed for large volumes of traffic. Local governments are way behind the curve. Although nothing like California traffic, because Portland is so compressed there are many traffic bottlenecks. Wilsonville is not that close, and during heavy traffic turns into a very long commute. You don't need a sales pitch telling you differently, that's for sure.

[froggreenstang]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

I don't know exactly how bad traffic is as I live downtown, but it can be pretty bad--I can see it from my house and it's sometimes completely at a standstill. It's definitely NOT better coming from Washington though!

As for the post above, I'm responding mainly to say that my son has horseback riding lessons every Saturday in Wilsonville. I live in downtown Portland and it takes me a MINIMUM of 20 minutes to get there with zero traffic, on a weekend, and living right off of the freeway entrance. So the 15-20 minute time frame is not accurate in terms of a commute.

thanks. Yah Even I, simply a frequent visitor to oregon, know that it's not 15 minutes from Wilsonville to Portland with traffic. Anything under 40 minutes would be good, considering where I'm coming from (Sacramento)

[mdvaden]

It depends on what neighborhood and what shortcut. I know routes that cut a lot of time off.

I still avoid rush hour, working 6 to 7 hour days to keep my trailer out of heavy trafffic.

That's the nice thing about self employement. Work hard to squeeze 8 hours into 6 hours.

[fojo]

Coming from California, you may be assuming that you will have to drive to work.

Depending on where you live & work, you have the possibilities of riding MAX and/or biking to work. I ride the MAX train every day and the beauty of light rail is that it is generally unaffected by traffic. Your commute time is exactly the same every day & you can read a book or (if you get a seat) take a nap.

No parking and no gas tanks to fill are also bonuses.

Yes, there's downsides like crowding and people who smell bad but its a small price to pay IMO.

[aplwh]

Originally Posted by Dave99

Portland metro area is not and was not designed for large volumes of traffic. Local governments are way behind the curve. Although nothing like California traffic, because Portland is so compressed there are many traffic bottlenecks. Wilsonville is not that close, and during heavy traffic turns into a very long commute. You don't need a sales pitch telling you differently, that's for sure.

I thought there was some talks about a bus or rail system from Wilsonville to Beaverton? Does anyone know?
Thanks.

[Fortaz]

You can thank the free loving hippies for blocking the construction of freeways and creating the traffic problem in Portland

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by aplwh

I thought there was some talks about a bus or rail system from Wilsonville to Beaverton? Does anyone know?
Thanks.

It's a light rail system, and it's just getting started - as well as the one down I-205.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by Fortaz

You can thank the free loving hippies for blocking the construction of freeways and creating the traffic problem in Portland

Yes, because more freeways solve EVERYTHING. Much like Seattle, the available space for freeways is limited. There are several places in which a lane or two can be added, but without ripping up neighborhoods and smaller cities, there isn't anywhere for a new freeway to GO in the metro area.