Bus lanes bitterly debated at Hamilton committee

[projekktor id=’17270′]

(Updated)
Another reprieve of sorts for Hamilton’s controversial dedicated bus lane project.

A marathon session which included hours of presentations, discussions and debate ended in the defeat of a motion that would have killed the year long pilot project. But councillor Chad Collins who tabled the motion, says he will table it at next week’s council meeting where it’s expected to have enough support to pass.

City Councillor Chad Collins: “You don’t need a traffic engineering degree to know that this hurts downtown businesses. The only losers through all of this isn’t the people who raised their hands today, it’s the businesses that continue to be hurt as a result of that congestion.”

City Councillor Sam Merulla: “I think it sends a clear message to the province that we’re not capable of the LRT and the billion dollars associated with it. That’s going to send a terrible message to the province. It’ll give them the opportunity to blame us rather than them because I don’t think they ever had any intention of giving us the money.”

The city’s director of transit wants to keep the bus lane, and perhaps even expand it.