Having
long been an advocate of other people taking the bus, it’s exciting to
see Ald. Brian Pincott’s forward-thinking plan to run “bullet buses”
up and down 14th Street S.W. to move people efficiently out of the
southwest.

The cost of his proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) route
could be as high as $50 million. That’s a mind-boggling figure, but
not when you consider that $50 million is basically the cost of
building one interchange — and this proposal includes a short,
bus-only underpass at 90th Avenue.

The plan involves building
two north-south bus-only lanes running along the east side of 14th
Street, separated from traffic by barriers. There is space to do so in
the existing right-of-way and no houses would be demolished.

The
route would run along 14th Street S.W. from Anderson Road north to
Glenmore Trail and tie in to existing bus-only lanes on Crowchild Trail
and then into downtown. There would be stops at key points, including
Rockyview Hospital, Mount Royal University and Heritage Park. Included
in the plan are “better than standard” bus shelters, says Neil
McKendrick, manager of transportation planning for the city.

Read full Calgary Herald article here