The City of London is looking for feedback on its transit priorities during a public participation meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
Last week, staff unveiled a list of 19 projects that could be eligible for more than $370 million in senior government funding, five of which make up the city’s contentious $500-million bus rapid transit plan.
Mayor Ed Holder championed the plan’s “unbundling” in an effort to help fellow city politicians and members of the public understand each component’s merits for the city.
At a cost of $28.5 million, the Downtown Loop frames Dundas Place, circling along Queens Avenue, King Street, Ridout Street and Wellington Street. The Wellington Road Gateway takes transit riders from the city’s downtown core to just south of White Oaks Mall, and costs $131.8 million.
The most expensive part of the project is the North Connection, which extends between downtown and Masonville Mall for a price of $147.3 million. The East London Link creates a route between Fanshawe College’s east and downtown campuses for $120.2 million, and the West Connection connects from downtown to Wonderland Road for $72.2 million.
The list includes transit supportive projects too, including new sidewalks, cycling routes and bike parking.
The rapid transit project’s supporters and opponents alike have expressed concern with the unbundling, but Ward 4 Coun. Jesse Helmer says it’s the “only way forward.”
“Segments of it would be built in three-year chunks, and the whole city wouldn’t be under construction for 10 years all at the same time. So I think looking at it in component form makes it easier to focus in on the details of those particular corridors.”
Helmer said he’s looking forward to hearing from Londoners about which of the 19 transit projects they think should be prioritized.
The public participation meeting begins on Wednesday at 3 p.m., at Centennial Hall.