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London politicians shopping for transportation options could have picked up a bus rapid transit bargain, with Ottawa and Queen’s Park paying the lion’s share. Instead, they settled on a picked-apart system and other wares. City hall reporter Megan Stacey breaks down the big questions.

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THE MONEY

Q: How much government cash did London walk away from?

A: The projects London chose Monday and Tuesday nights – including three of five pieces of the now-carved-up BRT plan, intelligent traffic signals, more buses and cycling upgrades – leave $94 million on the table. That’s enough to plow all the city’s roads for six winters, or buy 162 40-foot buses. It’ll take about $109 million from city hall to tap into the $276 million from the province and the feds.

Q: Why leave so much cash behind?

A: It came down to a smackdown of BRT’s controversial north leg, and a tight vote to kill its west route. Council decided killing those routes, and going without a system to all four sides of the city, is worth it.