Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will be back on the agenda in London Wednesday, as residents get a chance to weigh in on the look and feel of proposed rapid transit stops.
Staff are holding a pair of public workshops at the Central Library to let residents have a say in features and materials that could be included at the stops, like Wi-Fi.
Coun. Phil Squire has been a vocal critic of what he calls a lack of communication by staff to the public about the scheduling of these types of sessions.
While talking about streetscapes and stations is nice, Squire says there are some other things they need to figure out, first.
“I think we need to go back and say, ‘What are we finally going to decide Richmond Street north of Oxford Street is going to look like?’ I’m not trying to be difficult, I’m just saying, right now, we don’t know whether it is going to stay as a four-lane street or whether it’s going to end up as a six-lane street. As you can imagine, that makes a monumental difference,” said Squire.
The workshop will feature discussions on safety and security, accessibility, heritage and culture. Squire says although there are stages to working through the BRT process, it’s hard to talk about one without the others.
“I think it’s all mixed in together, and I think it’s pretty difficult to isolate one from the other,” said Squire.
“In other words, how can you talk about your streetscape without talking about what the street is actually going to look like,” he said.
Wednesday sessions are scheduled for 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.