By Merritt Paulson and John Carter

Tammy Baney, Oregon's Transportation Commission Chair, got it right. It's time to get serious about reducing road congestion in the Portland area. As business leaders, we see the impact traffic has on our employees, our customers and our bottom line. Portland's traffic not only creates challenges for local businesses and commuters, but also makes it difficult for producers across the state to move their goods predictably, reliably and efficiently through the metro area.

In 2014, congestion cost businesses and families $1.8 billion in wasted time and fuel. With the Portland region growing at record pace, the problem is worsening every day. By 2040, congestion is projected to increase by more than 30 percent at an even higher cost to Oregon's economy.

In 2016, we convened a task force of leaders from a wide range of business sectors to identify ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while keeping Oregon's economy and businesses healthy and competitive. Reducing congestion is one of those strategies. It will reduce emissions, improve air quality in neighborhoods adjacent to freeways and increase the movement of freight critical to Oregon's businesses.

Building more roads alone won't solve our traffic problem. But putting a price on using road during peak hours of the day will.

"Congestion Pricing" creates incentives for drivers to use alternate modes of transportation or shift discretionary driving to less crowded times of the day. Designed correctly, congestion pricing will result in more efficient use of our transportation system.

With today's technologies, we can collect tolls without interrupting the flow of traffic and design systems to ease the financial burden for low-income Oregonians. Versions of congestion pricing have been used successfully in 14 states and internationally in cities such as London and Stockholm.

After a year of deliberation, the task force identified reducing road congestion as our highest priority action. To get people and freight moving more efficiently, we recommended the legislature direct the Oregon Transportation Commission to design and implement congestion pricing and make complementary investments to improve transit in the Portland area. Transportation makes up 37 percent of Oregon's greenhouse gas emissions and those emissions are expected to grow if we don't address the problem.

The Legislature's Joint Committee on Transportation Preservation and Modernization is on the right track. The Oregon Transportation Commission should work closely with Metro, the City of Portland and TriMet to create a pricing program that includes dynamic highway tolling, cordon pricing and peak-hour parking fees.

Conservation organizations, business leaders and health, housing and human service providers have testified in support of congestion pricing. We urge legislators to pass a transportation bill that includes bold action on congestion pricing. Doing so will be good for Oregon's economy, job base and quality of life.

Merritt Paulson is the owner and chief executive officer of the Portland Timbers and the Portland Thorns. John Carter is on The Nature Conservancy's Oregon Board of Trustees.