Support for building new roads below 50%

According to the People Speak Poll conducted by the Public Policy Forum, support for adding new lanes to I-94 between Milwaukee and Waukesha drew the support of only 49% of those who responded, while 39% of those who responded were opposed to building new lanes.

However, while support for adding new lanes to I-94 was under 50%, a majority of those who responded the poll (53%) supported a half-cent sales tax as the best way to fund Milwaukee County’s financially troubled bus system. Considering a majority of Milwaukee County residents previously voted to support an advisory referendum in support of a dedicated county sales tax for parks and transit, this poll result is not the least bit surprising. Considering the margin of error in the poll was plus or minus 5%, support for the dedicated sales tax could be as high as 58%.

Hopefully our elected officials will start to actually listen to what the citizens want – as demonstrated by the advisory referendum – and get serious about finding a solution to Milwaukee County’s transit situation.

H/T to xoff at Uppity Wisconsin.

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8 thoughts on “Support for building new roads below 50%

  1. It’s not even that supported. That PPF poll is heavily biased toward Waukesha and Washington Counties, which would be much more likely to support an expanded I-94, and much less likely to support rail.

    If that poll asked a real reflection of the metro area’s population, it’s very likely that rail would have had a higher approval than the freeway expansion, given the reponses from Milwaukee vs. suburbs.

    Lots of GOP and suburban-biased polls have been out recently (the guv and Senate polls are equally BS). Someone’s trying to create a sentiment that doesn’t exist, and we need to be out front revealing this garbage, or else some people might be fooled into believing it.

    1. Hey – if you guys in Milwaukee & Madison want to build trains, have at it. Just do it with your own money & leave us state & federal taxpayers out of if. If support is that widespread, you should have no problem paying for it with local taxes & fees.

  2. Locke is right. If you build it they will come. and you will make so much profit on the new train system all that economic expansion and revenue can be selfishly kept in your communities. We won’t make you share the money you collect from huge success.

    Next time ask the question something like “Would you the people of Milwaukee to Madison corridor support a 5% Sales tax increase, or a doubling of your Property tax to support a “Not so Very High Speed” Rail system to move a few Lawyers back and forth to Madison everyday?”

    I think you will find the support drop precipitously.

    Racine County will be having an actual vote over the KRM, and it looks promising that Kenosha County is considering joining in that vote.

  3. Locke and co. might not want to look at the most recent road distributions the state just gave out then, because Waukesha and Washington Counties just got a whole lot of MY tax dollars to add to roads that encourage their wasteful lifestyles. I guess you believe they should be taken off of the state’s WELFARE and forced to raise their own funds as well, right? Or they “more important” than those of us in the crowded, dirty, cities?

    You don’t want to play this game, because under Wisconsin’s current tax system, the suburbs take a lot more from cities and taxpayers than they put in. And you need those cities a helluva lot more than we need your sprawl towns and your whining.

    Oh, and your areas voted for Reps that sponsored wars that I wanted no business paying for 7 years ago, and am sickened over still paying for. But I don’t threaten tax revolts over it like you complainers do. Says a lot, don’t it?

    1. Jake – Don’t presume to know my views when you don’t. My areas voted for Reps? You have no idea what area I’m from and just assumed I live in the suburbs because I said something negative about Milwaukee & Madison. You know what they say about people who assume. There are actually places in this country that are neither city nor suburb.

      I don’t think burbs are any more or less important than big cities. I choose to live in a small town (proudly named Freedom, population about 6,000) because that’s what I like. Unlike many people (apparently including you) who think their way is superior, I have no acrimony. This choice of where to live is one of the more important parts of American culture.

      Interstate highways are for the feds, intrastate, the states. All else should be the responsibility of the local government. It’s not like this is some fringe position. You want to connect Madison and Milwaukee with a train, with only Madison & Milwaukee to benefit, they should pay for it.

      And by the way, if memory serves, there were many Democrats who voted in favor of the Iraq War Authorization including Wisconsin and the Democrat’s own Herb Kohl. And for what it’s worth, I disagreed with Bush and the majority of Congress’s decision to invade Iraq.

  4. Jake, The people in Washington, Ozaukee, and Waukesha Counties on average contribute more $$ to the transportation fund than those in the City of Milwuakee. Here’s the numbers. Suburban and Ex Urban people generally have 2-3 vehicles pre household, compared to City residents 1-1.5 per household, (Many of course have no vehicle at all). The registration and licensing fees for those vehicles goes into the Transportation budget. Furthermore those same people tend to drive more miles in larger vehicles, (Family type vehicles). The Gasoline Tax at the State and Federal level is also used in the Transportation fund.
    Now the State Transportation Fund is used to build roads, re used to subsidize money sucking Bus systems, the ports and waterways, and the Airports receive funds as well. Somehow the Transportation funds had so much extra money that Jim Doyle and the Dem’s had enough money left over to hand a fat check to the Education fund!! So those sprawlers and whiners are paying the users fees for their products. It’s not too much to ask you Inner city folks to cough up your fair share on the Buses and the Trains. I would raise bus fares .25 per year until they are equal to the cost per rider, with no subsidy. Of course doing so will only reduce the number of riders and encourage people to buy cars. Because when it comes right down to it MOST people don’t want to be moochers on the Taxpayers dime.

    If Barrett and the Dem’s really want to save Milwaukee widen the 94 corridor to 4 or even 5 lanes. Next finish a line going north/ south near the stadium and finally a nice continuation of the 894 by-pass across the North of the city.

    Respectfully Jake: Roads don’t drive business and people away; they drive people, businesses and tax money TO places. Increased taxes, regulation and “Whiny” Urban-ites who insist everyone live like they do..do not attract business. The whole world is not Downer Ave. we can’t all serve each other Coffee and Scones, in between our piercing’s and tattoo appointments. Those are not essential services.(BTW I don’t actually know Jake, just being a little tongue-in-cheek). For the record I live in a very urban environment, and I know of whom I speak.

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