The chairman of Winnipeg's rapid-transit task force is now calling the 2005 exercise a $200,000 waste of time because key recommendations have been ignored.
Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt has accused Winnipeg Transit of "watering down" the task force's final report, which called for diamond lanes for buses and the creation of busways parallel to Pembina Highway and Nairn Avenue.
On Monday, Wyatt appeared before council's public works committee to complain new diamond lanes proposed for McPhillips Street, Regent Avenue and Henderson Highway do not come close to what the task force had in mind.
"The recommendations are being so watered down, you can't recognize the report any more," the councillor said later in an interview. "It's sad to say, but the citizens of Winnipeg should know the Rapid Transit Task Force was a waste of $200,000 of public funds."
Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz created the rapid-transit task force in late 2004, following the cancellation of previous mayor Glen Murray's plan to build a busway parallel to Pembina Highway. Wyatt was named chairman and was granted a $220,000 budget to consult the public, seek expert advice and complete a final report in 2005.
In 2006, the city embarked upon a six-year, $142-million transit upgrade and is now in the midst of deciding what to do with a $17.9-million federal transportation kitty granted to the province earlier this year.
Rapid-transit lobbyists want the bulk of that cash spent on the first leg of the Pembina busway, which could cost a total of $70 million. But the mayor and Premier Gary Doer have hinted the cash could be spent on conventional transit or bike paths.
Wyatt, however, said $17.9 million won't even begin to make a dent in Winnipeg Transit's infrastructure deficit and said the city needs 100 new buses as well as at least two busways. The utility's reluctance to even build diamond lanes — a cheap alternative to busways — underscores how little is being done in the city, the councillor complained.As the price of gasoline soars and motorists in other North American cities embrace public transit, Wyatt believes Winnipeg needs to overhaul its own transit system to ensure people actually use it.
"Clearly, we have not made an investment in transit. And there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency, even with oil at $130 a barrel," Wyatt said. "The premier and the mayor need to wake up and smell the coffee — or in this case, the gasoline fumes."
Katz, who has grown accustomed to seeing Wyatt criticize other politicians, reacted diplomatically to the criticism from a member of his own cabinet.
"When Coun. Wyatt cares about something, he's prepared to fight for it," said the mayor, adding it sounded like the former transit czar was merely frustrated on Monday.
"I believe the rapid-transit task force had a great deal of value to the city. I'm very glad it was done and I also believe it came up with recommendations we're moving on," Katz said.
But the mayor also said he's a big fan of diamond lanes and would be disappointed if he learned Winnipeg Transit is shying away from creating more lanes for buses.
On Monday, Winnipeg Transit director Dave Wardrop told the public works committee the creation of more full-time diamond lanes would create more traffic problems than they would alleviate.
In April, when Wyatt first attacked Winnipeg Transit for being too timid, Wardrop declined to shoot back and said the councillor was entitled to his opinion.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca