MAYOR Sam Katz wants to delay construction of the city's rapid transit corridor because he says the city has failed to do any studies on the project.

But councillors and city staff say studies have been piling up for 30 years outlining the costs and benefits of rapid transit.

"The concern I have right now is that, for whatever reason, we've never done any studies in any way, shape or form," Katz said. "I don't know why. If you are potentially looking at spending $400 million, it's kind of surprising to me there's never been a study."

Katz also believes there may be alternatives to dedicated bus corridors — the high-speed, enclosed laneways for special buses they are also able toodrive on regular roads.

The city was supposed to begin building the first phas of the rapid-transit system this spring, thanks in part to a $50-million funding deal reached with the federal and provincial governments in March.

The southwest corridor would run from the Main Street bridge and Stradbrook Avenue to the Pembina/Jubilee interchange. Then buses will zip down Pembina Highway on diamond-marked lanes, a temporary measure until a separate bus corridor can be built along the west side of Pembina using an old rail right-of-way.

Coun. Jenny Gerbasi said she was baffled by Katz's comments.

"I don't know where he's coming from, because it's been studied to death," Gerbasi said.

Bill Menzies, transit's planning manager, said a cost-benefit analysis for the southwest corridor was done in 2001. It predicted that for every dollar the city spends, $2.10 will flow into the local economy in the form of shorter commuter times for drivers and transit users, lower emissions, fewer car accidents and incrased revenue from bus fares.

After the federal government agreed to help fund the project last March, Ottawa asked for some specific studies on ridership and evironmental impacts before it cut a cheque for the project.

Ottawa also asked for a cost-benefit analysis on the chunk of the corridor from the Main Street Bridge to Stradbrook Avenue to the Jubilee interchange.

Menzies also said that report is almost complete, and the cost-benefit analysis beats the one done for the entire corridor.

"That's where we get the biggest band for our buck, because the corridor will bypass some of the worst congestion in the city, through the Jubilee interchange, Osborne and Confusion Corner.

Menzies said he can't release the reports publicly until council decides whether to go ahead with rapid transit.

The future of the city's public transportation network is just one issue Katz will be tackling when council's summer break ends next week. At the top of his agenda is the phase-out of the business tax.

Katz said he is "totally committed" to reducing the business tax, starting in the city's core, where it would shrink from 9.75 per cent to 7.75 per cent next year.

Katz's cut is expected to cost the city about $2 million in lost revenue next year. That's in addition to a $9 million shortfall projected in 2005, an estimate that will likely rise.