Speaker Vos Transportation Video Release: Road Work Ahead

Madison…Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) released a transportation video entitled, Road Work Ahead, one day before the Assembly Transportation Committee holds an informational hearing on the budget request from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). The goal of the hearing is to better understand the full ramifications of the proposed transportation budget. The Speaker’s video illustrates the impact bad roads have on emergency responders and ultimately, your family in an emergency.

“If we don’t fix our roads, sometimes it could be a matter of life and death,” said Speaker Vos. “A Band-Aid approach will not work; Wisconsin needs a long-term, sustainable solution for transportation funding and all options should be the table.”

The video is of Speaker Vos’ recent ride in the back of a Burlington Rescue Squad ambulance around his Assembly District. His cousin, who is with the squad, invited him to see the shape of the roads from that perspective.  Speaker Vos is calling on his legislative colleagues to take a similar trip with EMS around their districts.

Speaker Vos has been a vocal proponent of finding a sustainable funding mechanism to address the long-term needs of our transportation infrastructure. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates there is nearly a $1 billion hole in the 2017-2019 transportation budget. There has been an increasing reliance on borrowing for roads; the proposed WisDOT request would use up almost 23 cents on every transportation dollar for debt service. Speaker Vos has consistently stated that the first step is to look for any possible cost savings in the budget, prioritize spending and if necessary, look for additional revenues.

“It’s important for us to remember that it’s not always about a small inconvenience, it’s about making sure that people can get to the hospital, they can get to work, they can actually have the roads they deserve for the taxes we all pay,” said Speaker Vos.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.