It is an interesting exercise – and an informative one. And as four Columbian staff members compare various modes of travel by “racing” from downtown Vancouver to the heart of Seattle, the results are predictable.
Our reporters found that – compared with airplane, bus and train — auto travel is the fastest and cheapest way to traverse the 168 miles from Esther Short Park to the Space Needle. It also is relatively low in carbon emissions – at least if you are driving a hybrid Toyota Prius, as reporter William Seekamp did.
Of course, there are other factors involved, and the details can be found in an article from Saturday’s edition of The Columbian. But the overriding lesson is that there is good reason the United States has invested significantly more time and money in infrastructure for automobiles than it has in modes of mass transit.
The results: Making the trip by car took three hours and cost $30.25 in gas and parking fees. At the other end of the spectrum, a bus ride followed by a ride share from the terminus to the Space Needle took the longest — 4 hours, 41 minutes; a plane ride, with parking at Portland International Airport and transit from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, was the most expensive at $263.60.
In case you are wondering, an Uber ride from Esther Short Park to the Space Needle would have cost $364.98 as of Monday morning. And, according to Google, riding a bike would require approximately 18 hours – assuming you are fit enough to make the trip. We’re guessing most travelers would rule out those options.
But there are some caveats. One is that going by bus, train or plane allows travelers to gaze mindlessly out the window or complete work on their laptop or take a nap. We would not recommend those activities if you are behind the wheel of a car.
Another caveat is that embarking on an early Wednesday morning is the ideal time for a car trip to Seattle. At many times of day, drivers can expect to encounter traffic congestion through Olympia and for the final 30 miles of the trip from Tacoma to Seattle. It is not uncommon for a drive from Vancouver to Seattle to take 3½ hours or longer.
And finally, there are vast differences between a trip to Seattle and the commutes undertaken by workers on a daily basis. In an urban area, extensive and reliable public transportation is essential for providing viable options, reducing carbon emissions and mitigating congestion. Even if you never ride the bus or use Portland’s light-rail system, be thankful for people who do; such modes of transit help reduce the number of cars on the road.
Still, the experiment undertaken by The Columbian demonstrates why the United States has evolved – or devolved, depending upon your perspective – into a car-centric society. Development of the Interstate Highway System beginning in the 1950s made Seattle and other far-flung places more accessible for Vancouver residents, connecting the people and commerce of the Northwest as never before.
That creates difficulties in attempting to mitigate climate change. Transportation generates 28 percent of carbon emissions in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, giving it the largest share of any sector. That should influence policy decisions regarding infrastructure; but so should the fact that automobiles remain the fastest and cheapest mode of travel in many cases.
Unless other options – including electric vehicles and mass transit – become more efficient, Americans will climb into their cars regardless of the consequences.
