Londoners are getting a clearer picture of what rapid transit in the city will look like and it won't include light rail.
After a roughly seven hour meeting, the strategic priorities and policy committee voted 10-5 in favour of full bus rapid transit (BRT) Thursday.
The decision came after three hours of public participation, in which the vast majority of speakers advocated for a light rail/bus hybrid. A total of 39 people spoke, several written submissions were also accepted, and 30 minutes into the meeting the gallery was at capacity.
Tim Pearson was among those pushing for light rail transit (LRT).
“What we have here is what I like to call the ‘good enough for London’ syndrome,” said Pearson. “BRT is good enough for London. Don’t settle for what is good enough."
Amanda Stratton voiced concerns about a lack of space on a BRT system. She ended her remarks by saying BRT is "not worth the sacrifice of capacity, environmental savings, quality of experience, and city building."
Many other LRT or bus/rail hybrid supporters warned BRT would drive millennials away from the city and be viewed as the conservative choice.
Chair of the London Transit Commission, Sheryl Rooth spoke passionately in favour of BRT.
"Our focus needs to be on moving people efficiently and cost-effectively. The city-building needs to come second," Rooth told politicians.
She went on to describe BRT is a "premium service."
Others backing BRT said the city's geography wasn't right for LRT and that the technology was old.
Taking a totally different approach to the subject was Amir Farahi. He told councillors to forget BRT and LRT and instead consider electric modular vehicles. Farahi said this technology would put London ahead of all other Canadian cities and could use the same corridors as BRT.
In the end, the motion to move forward on full bus rapid transit passed. Only Councillors Jesse Helmer, Mo Salih, Virginia Ridley, Stephen Turner, and Jared Zaifman were opposed.
"I'm disappointed by the outcome. I think having the hybrid LRT/BRT would have been better for the city of London," says Helmer. "As I said in the debate, we are really talking about something that is really good and something that is excellent . So while I am disappointed with the outcome we can't lose sight of the fact full BRT and rapid transit in general is going to be really good for the city of London."
Mayor Matt Brown commended councillors on making what he called a "huge" decision for London.
"A $500-million infrastructure spend here in London is the largest infrastructure spend that's ever been contemplated," says Brown. "It's going to drive our economy forward, it's going to change the way we move across the city, it's going to change the way the city grows."
Brown urges those who feel BRT is a second rate choice to read the business case.
"The bus rapid transit system will have a more frequent service than the LRT system would, will cost hundreds of millions of dollars less, will have the same infrastructure improvements , and can be completed in a more timely fashion," says Brown.
A light rail/bus hybrid system, which was selected by council as its preferred option in November, would have cost $880-million. But city staff recommended the $500-million bus-only transit system at the end of April.
The city has committed $129-million to rapid transit and will be presenting the business case to the federal and provincial governments for additional funding.
Full bus rapid transit will run a 24 km stretch from White Oaks mall in the south to Masonville Mall in the north and from Fanshawe College in the east to Wonderland Rd. and Oxford St. in the west. It will feature dedicated bus lanes and stations as well as a rapid transit tunnel, which could also be used for emergency vehicles, under the CP rail tracks at Richmond St. and Oxford St.
The committee recommendation for BRT goes to council for final approval on Tuesday.