Common Ground
A homeowner in Waukesha for 20 years, Steve is president of the Waukesha Dog Parks Organization and enjoys motorcycling, fishing and staying on top of politics.
Roads and Economy
During a lull at work, I was catching up on trade periodicals. In one magazine encompassing the building trades, a survey of 1,200 contractors around the country was done. It asked if road and traffic conditions were affecting their business.
Over 90% responded that business was being hampered by driving delays. Road delays cut productivity and increases costs which are of course paid for by consumers.
It is a rare commute to work where I am not delayed in the morning. Joining me are numerous air conditioning companies, electricians, plumbers, dump trucks and all sorts of business vehicles that are being delayed making their deliveries, arriving at service calls or getting parts from wholesalers such as where I work.
As conducting continuing education classes for customers is part of my job, I had an early Monday morning class to hold in Chicago. I drove down Sunday evening to stay at a hotel and encountered stop and go traffic on the Interstate 294 bypass. Mainly people going home from spending money on northern Wisconsin's economy.
The point of all of this is that roads, in good condition and large enough to handle peak traffic volumes, are necessary for a robust economy. If somebody can explain how spending money on resurrecting a railroad system from the 19th century can solve any of these problems, I'm anxious to hear them! Oh, and Oconomowoc, don't fret the temper tantrum from Doyle and Busalachi. Maxim's is a bigger attraction than the slow speed rail could ever draw. Just keep the roads around it in good shape!
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