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The segmented plan – staff broke out each of the BRT network’s five corridors – is more likely to win a majority of council votes than the all-in project. That was clear in the reaction Wednesday from BRT supporters and opponents. It’s one of the rare times pro- and anti- factions on council have been on the same page.

“There are really good parts of the plan. We can’t say no to the whole thing, that’s crazy,” said Coun. Steve Hillier, who campaigned against BRT ahead of the October election.

He wants council to discuss individual pieces of the plan, and toss out those that won’t work. For him, that includes any corridor that requires long periods of downtown construction, which he’s said could cripple businesses in the core.

On the table is more than $370 million in senior government funding for transit infrastructure projects in London. Holder laid down a March 31 deadline for council to choose projects to pitch for funding and avoid getting lost in the shuffle of a fall federal election before securing the cash.

“The political fix seems to be to get the parts of the BRT that appear to be politically acceptable, and get money for that, and then try to get money for other projects that aren’t really part of BRT,” Sancton said.

BRT always has been expected to take 10 years to build out.

Coun. Maureen Cassidy, a BRT backer, said the long construction timeline could give council a chance to start small and expand later.

“We were never going to put shovels in the ground for all five phases at once. I also believe, the optimist that I am, that anywhere we start, if the results we deliver are the results we anticipate, it provides momentum for the next phase,” she said. “If we start in the east and we have really good results, we can go south and downtown. Eventually, we’ll get the best transit, where we need it most.”