Call off the funeral, Shift Bus Rapid Transit routes in north and west London are not dead.
This week's decision by city council was a blow to BRT supporters, but a major milestone for the transit mega-project may keep those routes on life support.
The Shift BRT team filed a notice of completion for the environmental assessment report. The document is based on all 24 kilometres of the proposed route.
The head of BRT support group Build This City believes the environmental assessment’s approval will make the west and north segments shovel ready.
Marcus Plowright reminds city councillors that they left $94 million of senior government funding on the table
“If fiscally-minded councillors just sat down and asked what's in the best interest of our city financially, they would find a way to widen Oxford Street using this EA at no expense to London taxpayers by doing it now.”
BRT opposition group Downshift London believes Londoners sent a clear message opposing the entire route during last fall's election and the environmental assessment’s completion changes nothing.
Dan McDonald explains, “Once again we arrive at a place with the taxpayers not really knowing what is going on.”
Council’s decision not to seeking funding would shift more of the future construction costs onto local taxpayers.
Plowright believes when the environmental assessment is approved, the north and west routes will be shovel ready and awaiting political will.
“The opportunity to improve infrastructure in north and west London is not dead, improving transit is not dead.”
McDonald predicts the two routes will be at the centre of political debate in 2022, “The second they voted on this the other night I said to the person I was sitting with, welcome to the next election.”
The public has 30 days to appeal the environmental assessment report.
That will be followed by 35 days for the provincial government to rule on the environmental assessment.
