Upon browsing the upcoming budget proposal from city staff we find that staff propose spending $252 m over the next three years on bus-based "Rapid Transit Initiatives" and expect about $168m (i.e., two-thirds) to support this in federal/provincial grants in 2008 and 2009. (email your councillor and voice your opinion on how you want your transportation taxes to be spent: http://ottawa.ca/city_hall/mayor_council/councillors/index_en.html)

Meanwhile, the LRT MOU, which is part of the New Deal for Cities and Communities - working in partnership with municipalities and provinces toward a vision for sustainability, is still on the table, with both levels of governement waiting for us to submit a business plan that makes economic and environmental sense. Have staff given up?

A bus plan won't qualify for funding (at least not under the original MOU), and judging by the overcrowded streets, we have no where to put them anyway! Our practical plan calls for relocating the current downtown bus-convoy to the outskirt neighbourhoods and using eLRT through the downtown core. Thus, no new bus purchases are needed, and we get better (faster) service using a hub and spoke system.