Instead of using the scroll bars to move the artboard left and right, it would be much quicker to grab the artboard with the hand tool to move it around. Much in the same way it’s used on the right 3D side, but simply moving it to fit in your window.
Seconded!
20 characters…
There are two other options to using the scrollbars, depending on your input device:
- If you use a mouse: use the wheel to pan +/- Y and shift + wheel to pan in +/- X
- If you use a trackpad: use the scroll up/down the same way as the mouse, or you can use two fingers to move the viewport around (if your trackpad supports it. I know Mac laptops do).
Unfortunately there already is a click + drag action (rectangular selection). We would either need to make this something like shift + click + drag or create a “hand tool” like you are saying. But if you have a “hand” tool, then you need a “selection” tool also (for getting out of “hand” mode).
Not click+drag, but,wheel-click+drag. 
Pretty much a standard combo across many apps.
Could you do a ‘Command + Drag’, or ‘Control + Drag’ depending on platform?