Despite new pleas for a firm stand on the Wolseley bus route issue Monday night, Winnipeg city council wiped out its previous decision and decided to wait a new proposal from its safety committee.
Earlier council had decided the bus should run on Garfield St. to Portage, along Portage to Sherburn and down Sherburn to Wolseley, on a 90-day trial basis.
Ald. Lillian Hallonquist, who had moved notice of motion two weeks earlier to rescind that order, said Monday night she didn't think her motion was necessary, because the safety committee had a new plan. Council disagreed and passed her motion anyway.
"Council has to display some courage once in a while," said Ald. David A. Mulligan.
"We made a decision and just because a few people come down here to sit in the gallery we back down. It isn't right."
"Don't judge everyone by yourself," snapped Ald. Hallonquist. "I don't like these insinuations at all."
The new plan appeared to be the establishment of a bus turn-around on Aubrey St., said Ald. H. V. McKelvey. "I think there is some political pressure involved in that decision.
"There's only a small group of people on Aubrey and they don't control many votes," he said. "There are a lot of people on Sherburn and Garfield and they control a lot of votes.
"Safety committee studied this before and came up with a recommendation. I don't believe there was that much wrong with their decision that it has to be scrapped now."
"This move to rescind council's earlier decision shows a lack of intestinal fortitude and I can use a stronger word than that," said Ald. H. B. Scott.
Unless council rescinded its earlier motion, the bus would run on Garfield and Sherburn warned Ald. Peter Taraska. The transit commission was drawing up its winter schedule on the basis of council's earlier decision.
Ald. Hallonquist's motion was carried 12-5.