If less pollution, reduced travel times, fuel and traffic congestion could be achieved for $10 million, why on earth are our politicians opting to spend $327 million? 

When former mayor Glen Murray put forward a $50 million bus rapid transit plan, critics raised concerns with the lack of a business plan to show how many minutes it would shave off the commute time downtown and whether Winnipeggers would actually use it.

To the benefit of those critics, all they had to do for Mayor Katz and Premier Doer’s recent $327 million bus rapid transit announcement was dust off their old speaking points.  Just like the saying “putting the cart before the horse”, the governments’ new bus rapid transit proposal was announced before the completion of a business plan.  We still haven’t seen time savings estimates, let alone details on how many Winnipeggers would actually be willing to use their system.  Surprisingly, Mayor Katz acknowledged at the announcement that his plan still won’t get the majority of people out of their cars.

So what’s this about a $10 million option?  It involves a technology called “active transit signal priority” (ATSP).   Basically, busses would be equipped with transponders that would allow them to send signals to upcoming transit lights.  A signal from the bus’s transponder would tell upcoming lights to turn green a bit earlier or stay green a little bit longer.  It depends on how the city chooses to adjust the settings for the system.

Ultimately, busses spend far less time waiting at red lights, use less fuel and emit less pollution.  For passengers, this means less time commuting from point A to B.

It’s not risky, new technology either.  Cities around the world have been using it for years and have experienced some pretty impressive results.  In fact, according to a major U.S. report, through the introduction of the technology, some cities have been able to reduce transit times by as much as 40%.  Toronto, Minneapolis, Portland and Los Angeles are a few examples of cities that are currently benefiting from ATSP technology.

The benefits to this technology keep rolling in.  No pun intended.  Unlike the governments’ plan to build 10kms of new roadway for a bus corridor, three new bridges and a tunnel, ATSP technology would allow busses to continue to operate along Pembina Highway.  Isn’t the city always suggesting that it doesn’t have enough money to repair and maintain its existing infrastructure?

Further, unlike the governments’ Pembina Highway corridor, ATSP is flexible and could be used city-wide to reduce travel times.  It can even be used on emergency vehicles to help them control traffic lights as they rush to their destinations.

Perhaps the best part about ATSP is that it’s inexpensive.  The city of Los Angeles recently signed a contract to hook up 211 intersections for just under $8 million.

If you’re wondering about the impact that the technology has on cross street traffic, major studies have concluded the delays to be negligible.  Winnipeg Transit officials confirmed that finding with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

The city of Winnipeg has been planning on introducing this technology for quite some time.  The question is, if it works so well in other jurisdictions, why not try it out here first, before opting for the unproven $327 million option?

 Note: This commentary ran in the September 24, 2008 edition of the Winnipeg Sun under the title "A 'rapid' waste of cash"