The state Assembly has passed a bill increasing the speed limit on Wisconsin interstates. The bill could, however, still stall in the Senate. Leaders there have said it's not a priority.
Calls to go slow on a bill raising the speed limit to 70 miles an hour on freeways and speedways went unheeded. Milwaukee Democratic state Rep. Fred Kessler supports faster traffic, but says there's no indication yet the public wants it. “In a two week period, this is being accelerated far too fast.”
Another Democrat from Milwaukee, state Rep. Josh Zepnick, had safety concerns he says weren't addressed in a public hearing because neither state transportation officials nor the AAA gave input. “A vehicle that could weigh anywhere from 6,000 to 16,000 pounds is going to have a more dangerous impact at a higher speed.”
The bill's author disagrees. State Rep. Paul Tittl, a Republican from Manitowoc, says safety won't be compromised. “In fact, highway safety engineers say that raising the speed limit could make our roads safer.”
Tittl says there was no analysis of car insurance rates to see if they'd go up when the speed limit rose.
