Mayor says $11 million spent on dismantled BRT plan not a 'waste'

City councillors will vote on Monday which transit projects it wants senior governments to support. Between the province and the federal government, there is $375 million up for grabs.

After a marathon public input session last week, the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee meets on Monday at 4 p.m. to select the transit projects to push forward. Mayor Ed Holder spoke with London Morning's Rebecca Zandbergen ahead of the vote. Here is part of their conversation.

How are you feeling ahead of today's meeting?

We've had a number of healthy debates, a great public participation meeting where more than 250 people attended, and some 60 plus presentations, and then we had a number of presentations in writing. As you might expect those views are wide and varied, not all just pro or anti-BRT.

What has been main your concern through all of this?

Well, I think initially it was either a take or leave it Bus Rapid Transit file and this is a project that's been going on for years and years. Now we have a council with the ability to decide, and it's time. I think the citizens of London want us to get on it with it.

Do you know which projects you'll vote for today?

The answer is I'm getting closer and closer to my own views. But I never changed my view about Bus Rapid Transit as take it or leave it. I never thought that was an appropriate option for Londoners and it didn't respect the various regions of our city in terms of what mattered at different times in the city's development.

Do you know if you will be supporting any of the BRT projects or which ones?

I've made it a practice since I've become mayor in my 115 days, give or take, that what I would do is I would share that discussion with council and it's my intention to have more of those comments known tonight.

Great transit around the world involves vision. Where is the vision in a piecemeal project?

It's not that it's piecemeal. It's focused on what the needs are in the various communities throughout the city. You've got your downtown focus and you've got your north-south-east-west areas of focus and then you've got other projects that respond to other areas that aren't specific to those original rapid transit ideas, but certainly are important to London, like the Adelaide Street underpass. My big focus has always been the importance of jobs. So if you look at, for example, at the idea of the Gateway project which is the Wellington Road South down towards Exeter Road and Wilton Grove and the 401, the important piece to me is to do with appropriate east-west transit connections to get people to their work and home again.

We've already spent $11 million on BRT. Why take it apart now when we've got so much invested in it?

I think there's been a pretty significant response from the community and many members of council to say that the take it or leave approach wasn't acceptable and I agree with those people. By breaking it down to it's component parts I think we can be more responsive to the needs of Londoners in different parts of the city. I don't think that was a waste, I think it was an important commitment that was undertaken and I think that information will be used for whatever projects proceed tonight.

If council says no to key elements of BRT, are you worried that might make senior governments less likely to help London down the road?

I don't think so. The communication we received from the provincial transportation minister was, 'we want this reviewed in it's component parts. Not as a take it or leave it approach.' I appreciated the provincial minister taking that approach. I think it's guided council that this is not an all or nothing, that they can vote separately and independently on projects that make sense for our city at this time.

Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.