Watch Speaker Robin Vos Get a Bumpy Ride in an Ambulance

WISCONSIN -- “If we don’t fix our roads, sometimes it could be a matter of life and death.”

Those were the words of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, one day before the Wisconsin State Assembly Transportation Committee holds an informational hearing on the budget request from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).

Vos is pushing for state funding to close Wisconsin's billion-dollar road funding shortfall. To prove his point, Vos took to the streets of Burlington, Wis. in his home district to illustrate why road funding is important.

“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.

>>>>> image via Speaker Vos' office