From the ashes: New vision emerging for a Bus Rapid Transit route to north London

More than five years after city council refused to fund a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route between Downtown London, Western University, and Masonville Place mall, a new concept is being discussed openly at city hall.

On Tuesday, Mayor Josh Morgan and Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis proposed a motion that would slam the door shut on a BRT route up Richmond Street (north of Oxford Street) by downgrading the Official Plan’s classification of the area from Rapid Transit Corridor to a Civic Boulevard.

At the same time, the mayor suggested a BRT route (and the associated high density residential developments) might be better suited along Wharncliffe Road and Western Road.

“We need to pull back on the Rapid Transit Corridor on Richmond Street north of [Oxford Street] and convert it back to a Civic Boulevard classification until we determine how transit will move from the central to the north part of the city,” Morgan told the Planning and Environment Committee (PEC).

The Official Plan already recognizes the “L” shaped route along Riverside Drive from the Downtown to Wharncliffe Road and north to Oxford Street as Rapid Transit Corridor.

It was initially meant to be part of the West BRT Route that was also not funded by the previous city council in 2019.

Map of current roads categorized as Rapid Transit Corridors. (File)

Reclassifying Wharncliffe/Western Road from Oxford to Western University as a Rapid Transit Corridor would complete a connection to the northernmost stretch of the original North Route that terminates at Masonville Place Mall.

After the meeting, Morgan emphasized that before council considers if BRT should serve additional parts of the city— they must first approve London’s 25-year Mobility Master Plan (MMP).

“I could imagine that a North Rapid Transit line would be strongly considered along Western Road,” he told CTV News. “But I'm not going to get ahead of the final decision of the MMP process.”

According to the Get Involved London website, the next step in the MMP process will “confirm and refine the path forward” this fall.

“I always thought Western Road was a strong candidate for BRT, not only because it syncs with any contemplated future West Route by aligning those two routes in the way that they come out of downtown, but it also dealt with a number of problems that the North Route had,” the mayor explained.

Section of Western Road not currently categorized as a Rapid Transit Corridor. (File)

When the previous council decided against funding the North BRT Route, Morgan did not vote because as an employee of Western University (at the time), he had a conflict of interest.

Deputy Mayor Lewis told colleagues on PEC that he’d be willing to consider new BRT routes beyond the three already under construction (East Route, South Route, Downtown Loop).

He suggested BRT might be suitable to the London International Airport and Sifton’s West 5 Development, “I don't think the sort of octopus legs version that we had originally envisioned is going to be where we end up.”

Financial contributions from the senior levels of government that could have been used to construct the original North BRT Route have been redirected towards other transit/active transportation infrastructure projects.

However, the federal government has announced a plan to offer billions of dollars in permanent transit funding starting in 2026.