It's a rapid transit system or a lynch mob marching on city hall, Coun. Roger Young (Pembina-Riverview) warned yesterday.

Carving bus-only lanes out of Pembina Highway or widening the roadway won't sell, Young told public hearings into a proposed citywide rapid transit system.

"I'd be lynched by people in my ward. It'd be madness to consider" anything other than an exclusive busway or light rail from the University of Manitoba to the core, Young said.

That route is the first leg of up to six rapid transit routes envisioned for Winnipeg.

Coun. Peter Kaufmann (Seine River) suggested an early jump on future stages by adding a pedestrian and bus bridge across the Red River at the U of M, connecting St. Vital to the proposed busway.

Both Ottawa, which has a busway, and Calgary, which has light rail, told the hearings they think their systems are equally as good.

And the hearings drew only six people wishing to table opinions or ideas, ranging from a plea to accommodate the disabled to a year-round hovercraft system on the Red River.

Bob Keith, a former Winnipegger who supervised implementation of Calgary's light rail system, said it has been so successful that potential riders along two future portions are demanding construction be moved up a decade.

Calgary believes the rail system will be cheaper in the long run than a busway, which would still have to contend with downtown traffic congestion, he said.

Keith said light rail can carry up to 750 passengers at one time with a single driver, the same maximum load as 10 buses and drivers.

But he also said Calgary's road system has suffered because of heavy capital spending on the rail system.

And he said Calgary city council justified the rail system on the basis of a population boom in the late 1970s combined with a commitment of provincial funding up to 75 per cent.

Manitoba Urban Affairs Minister Gerry Ducharme has said the province will not participate without significant federal contributions, while Keith and Ottawa's transit manager John Bonsall said their projects didn't get a penny of federal money.

Bonsall said Ottawa's system of exclusive busways and bus-only traffic lanes "can deliver the same volume of passengers as rail" with greater flexibility.

University of Manitoba urban planner Kent Gerecke, editor of City Magazine, said Winnipeg needs a transit vision to avoid becoming a "has ben city".

The city should have a comprehensive transportation plan — including bikeways — that includes a land-use strategy and understanding of rapid transit's effect on overall municipal planning, Gerecke said.

"We're not favouring any particular proposed system," said David Martin, spokesman for the Manitoba League of the Physically Handicapped Inc.

The league wants rapid transit stations accessible and vehicles fitted with wheelchair lifts.