BY MARY PEVETO, BOB SALLINGER and ADRIANA VOSS-ANDREAE

This month, Portland City Council is considering a $450 million expansion of Interstate 5 through the Rose Quarter. Proposed as "congestion relief," the city might as well light the half billion dollars on fire. Not a single urban freeway expansion in the history of United States has ever reduced traffic congestion. Instead, freeway expansions have simply encouraged people to drive more, and have ultimately made congestion worse.

Traffic engineers use the term "induced demand" to describe how freeway expansion counterintuitively exacerbates automobile congestion. And study after study of freeway projects has shown this to be true. Motorists were mortified to learn a $1.4 billion freeway expansion in Los Angeles actually increased commute times. Well-meaning politicians invest in bigger freeways to relieve bottlenecks and then find themselves with the same -- or even worse -- congestion problem as motorists eagerly fill the new lanes. Portland's traffic congestion is undeniably miserable, but every indication suggests throwing money at a disproven policy solution will only make it worse.

Last month, a coalition wrote a letter asking City Council to demonstrate leadership and publicly reconsider whether this freeway expansion is a wise use of taxpayer funding. The letter outlined numerous reasons why this is a poor investment in the health, safety and livability of our community:

It's costly, and it won't work

It doesn't make us safer.

It perpetuates unhealthy communities.

It's terrible for our climate

The only policy with any success at alleviating gridlock is congestion pricing. This system of charging people to use our roads during peak hours has worked well to reduce congestion in other cities, with exponentially smaller costs than freeway expansions. Pricing must be implemented fairly, shouldn't disproportionately burden low-income drivers and the proceeds should be directed to low-carbon, equitable and effective infrastructure such as transit.

Portland's livability today is directly descended from the leadership in the 1970s that fought to fund light rail and stop the Mt Hood Freeway. What's missing from Portland today isn't another mile of freeway; it's courageous, forward-thinking political leadership for cost-effective solutions. Our coalition is eager to collaborate with whichever city, regional and state officials wish to stand up for the very values a freeway can't provide: a healthier, cleaner future with less gridlock.

Mary Peveto is president of Neighbors for Clean Air. Bob Sallinger is conservation director of the Audubon Society of Portland. Adriana Voss-Andreae is executive director of 350PDX.