As city councillors once again put off a vote to support LRT, Mayor Fred Eisenberger says he's sorry for uttering his "put up or shut up" challenge to those who question the project.

"I'm trying to get LRT landed here, so I know what I say matters. You know, I regret having said 'put up or shut up.'"

"Yes, at some point people have to make a commitment before we go too long down this process, but the aggressive nature of the way I said it wasn't my intent, but it certainly came off that way."

The mayor is not the only LRT advocate taking a step back.

A week ago, Sam Merulla said councillors who wanted to delay his motion to reaffirm support for the project were "weak-kneed and lack balls."

Now Merulla is talking about being "collaborative" and listening to concerns about the $1-billion provincially-funded project.

Why the change of tune? As Bob Dylan yodelled, you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

Instead of reaffirming their support, restive councillors rocked supporters with a 9-6 vote to defer the debate until this Wednesday so they can ask staff questions.

Those questions will still be asked, but now, at the mayor's request, Merulla has agreed to table the motion to early June, giving everyone even more time to consult and identify specific concerns.

Clearly, neither Merulla nor Eisenberger believe they have the votes to carry the day. And, clearly, both have decided a more placating approach to LRT skeptics and fence-sitters is needed in order to keep the project humming.

While Merulla has spent the last few days reaching out to some of the questioners, Eisenberger has asked staunch supporters such as Matthew Green and Jason Farr to dial back some of their aggressive language.

"As I said earlier, we need some patience," said Eisenberger. "This is going to be difficult. People are concerned with change and there are various different voices out there who express that to councillors on an ongoing basis. We need to be cognizant of that and not get too fired up."

Concerns range from issues with the design of the 11-kilomtetre route from Mac to the Queenston traffic circle to its impacts on traffic, businesses, and conventional bus services.

Tom Jackson, for example, says he may stay onside with the project if the Mountain is guaranteed additional buses and he gets assurances the James Street spur line will extend to the waterfront.

Among other queries, Donna Skelly wants to know if the city will be compensated for lost revenue from the bus service the Metrolinx-owned LRT will displace.

And Doug Conley wants definitive assurances the city doesn't need to contribute any capital dollars, that LRT won't create a traffic "nightmare," and that the Mountain will benefit in some shape or form.

Conley thinks Merulla's motion has needlessly sparked tensions and spawned divisions. "I think it was absolutely unnecessary."

Merulla claims the opposite is true. Far from being surprised by the lack of support, he says he wanted to highlight it.

"I didn't bring this forward because I just wanted a headline. The issue is serious. The support isn't there. And I'm trying to work this through so we can garner support."

"It's incumbent on somebody to say we need to fix this before it becomes a powder keg."

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Merulla says it's important to know which councillors are interested in solutions and which are trying to "sabotage" the project before it's too late.

The point of no return is arguably mid-2018 when construction contracts are expected to be signed. By those lights, Eisenberger is quite right that Merulla's motion isn't a defining moment. Killing LRT would require voting to stop work on the project or reject the provincial funding.

Nonetheless, the motion has become a crossroads of sorts, forcing councillors to choose a direction. From that standpoint, Merulla's argument that he's trying to strategically smoke out where they stand is plausible enough. But telling skeptics they have no balls is probably not the best way to win friends and influence people.