Have a problem with State planned Roundabouts? Have the state Transportation Department fix it.

Sure, a lot of us hate roundabouts, but over time they're really not so bad. Yet when you have 3 or 4 round-a-bouts in a row, in the middle of nowhere like you'll find just outside of Mt. Horeb, it can be frustrating. I'm assuming Mt. Horeb has a reason for their roundabouts, perhaps plans to become a major metropolitan city at some point in the future.

It's the Walker Authority's transportation department's problem if you don't like what they're doing. Maybe the administration should take some responsibility and address the issue.

Instead, and so typical of our freeloading Republican politicians, Rep. David Craig would rather pass the problem off onto local communities under guise of "local control." Oh sure, now they're for it after trashing local sick pay laws, tenant/landlord regulations, local taxes, local voucher schools...etc.

At least one guy, in a community that has had roundabouts longer than anyone, says take some responsibility, fix it on the state level:

WBAY: Howard has the longest history of the circular intersections in Wisconsin. "We're always clamoring for local control, so I'd hate to be hypocritical and say we shouldn't have local control," Paul Evert said. But that's just how Howard Village Administrator Evert feels when it comes to roundabouts: Let the State decide where they should go.

"There's a huge public benefit. You won't have T-bone accidents and you won't have a head-on collision which are really the most fatal and damaging of all accidents, so to actually kind of throw this out there, when you have good solid statistics and engineering and opinions that they're the way to go is a little bit of a concern," Evert said.

But to Rep. David Craig, this sounds like a whole lot of work, and not something he's going to find readily in his "government for dummies" ALEC manual. 

Republican State Rep. Bies fights installing Roundabouts, wants local control. But on that statewide Cellphone Tower Building free-for-all, that’s okay?

My head is spinning.

I just blogged how Republicans bestowed an amazing budgetary gift to the wireless industry by killing local control over where towers can be located, a move that could also destroy a cities possible revenue stream from cell tower fees, not to mention put unsightly structures anyplace they want. 

  

Oh, and the wireless industry is a big donor to the Republican Party.

Juxtapose that with those unsightly roundabouts, with no lobbyists? That’s a whole different story. Now we want a state law giving local control over their possible locations:

State Representative Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay) signed on to legislation this week that would give village, town and city governments the final say on whether the state can build a highway roundabout in their municipality.

Bies said, “…I think local folks should have a direct say as to whether or not they want these in their communities.”

Rep. Bies appeared on a local radio show … most calls was the proposed roundabouts … “But what I’m hearing from constituents is they want to be part of the conversation. This legislation will give them an opportunity to express their thoughts to their local governments.” 

Amazing what a little constituent heat can do. Too bad the secretly passed cell tower law didn't get that kind of public airing, huh?