Metro has refused to change Unibus service on Lindsay Street following a stormy session with residents of the street in River Heights.

Councillor Hutton said although the residents of the street have several legitimate complaints, he could not agree to the request that the service on Lindsay be cancelled.

Transportation director Harry Burns said in a report to the committee that if residential streets cannot be used for the Unibus service, it is "doomed to failure". He said it would be impossible to meet the objectives of Unibus if the buses are restricted to Metro streets or regular transit routes.

It was the second airing of the matter before Metro, with Wednesday's delegation appearing before transportation committee. An earlier representation was made to Metro Council last week.

After several interruptions from the delegation, two committee members, Councillors Bernie Wolfe and Bill Hutton, asked that the delegation — mostly housewives—have some respect for decorum in the council chambers.

Councillor Wolfe, visibly angered, said that the "unmannerly behavior" of the delegation "may make it necessary to hand out a leaflet on conduct within the council chambers."

Legal counsel for the Lindsay street residents, Graeme Haig, restated the delegation's earlier statement that there are other Metro streets that could be used for the Unibus service without disrupting those who live on the street.

"Lindsay Street is already carrying its fair share of the public burden in River Heights," he told committee.

The Unibus service is an experiment by the University of Manitoba Students Union to alleviate parking problems on the campus. Buses for the service are chartered from Metro's Transit System and routes for the service were worked out in conjunction with transit officials. It is being subsidized by the University.

Residents say the service along their street — 12 buses daily — is a hazard to children, and will depreciate the value of their property. They are backed by Winnipeg Ward 1 Alderman Warren Steen.

Also appearing at the committee was U of M engineering student, Michael Stringham who organized and co-ordinated the bus service. He said a total of about 800 passes have been sold to date, with about 300 of these in the River Heights area.

The service, he said, has resulted in a 20 per cent decrease in student applications for parking on the campus. Mr. Stringham told the committee that the River Heights route would end in a financial loss with longer travelling time if buses were rerouted away from Lindsay Street.

No complaints were heard from residents of other streets the Unibus service uses.