They say it's natural to want what you haven't got, but in Ottawa's and Montreal's particular transit cases, the adage has pitched and rolled itself to lofty heights indeed.

Here in Ottawa, almost all recent talk is and has been of light rail – where (and whether) to build it; how much to pay for it; how many times council can decide on it. Most seem convinced a long and shiny strip of steel rails, either east-west or north-south, is a sure ticket to cure what ails the city's clogged auto arteries.

But Montreal's city council, in almost mirror image-like fashion, is now pondering the implementation of a cross-city bus line. It's a freakishly similar proposal to Ottawa's much-maligned but well-used Transitway rapid bus network, in operation for years.

Citing the affordability of buses at around $3 per kilometre – a recently constructed 5.2-kilometre metro extension into Laval, by contrast, cost $147 million per kilometre – some in Canada's Sin City feel the time has come to beef up the municipality's roost of road warriors, in the form of a "bus rapid transit" (BRT) route. So they've proposed a 20-kilometre corridor running from the northern edge of the city, feeding into the downtown core.

After all, many argue, buses seem to work just fine in Ottawa.

"The system in Ottawa is doing a fabulous job," said transportation expert Murtaza Haider of McGill and Ryerson universities, in a Montreal Gazette piece last week, which also showed Ottawa's transit ridership rates, at around 20 per cent, are on par with subway-clad cities such as Toronto and Montreal.

In Ottawa itself, however, most talk over the past three years hasn't concerned buses very much at all – except perhaps to complain of the broken-down variety. Critics slam their obstruction of the downtown road network, or lambast their smog-contributing ways.

Indeed, council's latest plan calls for the elimination of much of the Transitway's four-wheeled capabilities, in favour of laying tracks within already-defined transportation corridors. The city's plan would feature an LRT-only tunnel through downtown and see the Transitway from Baseline to Blair ripped up, to become rail track.

It's true most in the business community stand firmly behind the idea of some kind of light-rail system, and that the implementation of an efficient light-rail network will no doubt be a panacea for both corporate interests and small business alike.

But the near-retrospective longing for a new bus network in Montreal – coupled with much of council's apparent desire to completely gut a similar network here in Ottawa – surely says something about the grass indeed being greener on the other side.

Forward, march!

I'm sure some of you by now are wondering what direction the Ottawa Business Journal may be headed over the next few months, as we gradually transition from the accomplished stewardship of former editor Leo Valiquette. Leo led the OBJ forward for the better part of three years, crafting informative copy and compelling content.

And while I don't want to ruin any surprises – as a business and investing crowd, you no doubt recognize value in receiving as few shocks as possible (especially considering the market's current capriciousness) – we do have a few commodities we'll immediately bring to market. Starting next week, look for a regular stocks page profiling the ups and downs, pushes and pulls of a timely local public company through the past several months.

As well, be on the lookout for our monthly construction page, probing various issues, dilemmas and characters within the industry. And, of course, keep your eyes peeled for the same great, in-depth reporting you've come to expect from the OBJ, supplemented by news-breaking web stories on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.