Thanks for asking, Sunny!
My opinion on the optimal implementation of BRT is always changing and updating. Currently I think that the actual bus-lanes are generally overkill except in the densest of downtown areas. The UVX line through Provo and Orem is probably the longest amount of dedicated bus lanes needed along the Wasatch Front, and I think it was smart to use them there. Downtown Ogden and Salt Lake City could also benefit from dedicated bus lanes, and those are supposedly in the works. But because adding new lanes is extremely costly, I would use them sparingly.
Instead I want to see main arterial roads flanked with BRT-style side stations, where buses do not need to pull over.
Stopping in traffic is key - since the buses won't need to fight their way back into traffic. This also means that buses can't stop more than every 1/2 mile, since that would stop traffic too much and these stations cost money; the flip side is that by stopping less, the buses have higher average speed and better trip times.
Also, the buses need to come super-frequently. The 6 minute headway of UVX is great and I love it, we need that everywhere. We need buses to come so often that during peak times you don't need a schedule - they just come so fast you won't feel like any time has been lost by not driving.
Potential routes are:
- State Street (with dedicated bus lanes from 9th south to North Temple)
- 2nd South (with dedicated bus lanes from Salt Lake Central to about 7th East)
- 700 East
- Redwood Road
And pretty much all the major east-west streets in the valley, like 33rd, 39th, 45th, 53th, ect., with major tie-ins at TRAX/FrontRunner stations.
This may sound like a lot, but really the only thing that would need to be done is the construction of these side-stations along the way. Traffic light priority is already a thing on Redwood Road and UDOT is pushing that tech anyway, so there's no need to make future bus lines pay for that.
Call this what you will, Frequent Bus Transit, Express Buses, Bus Plus, or whatever, but I think frequency and ease-of-use will create a higher ridership faster and far cheaper than an extensive network of dedicated bus lanes. If some areas become too congested that's OK... dedicated lanes can be added later, like the 33rd MAX line. But it's better to get the line going and have an established ridership in place before begging for more infrastructure. It's easier to win that fight when actual real living people are sitting on delayed buses than when hypothetical planned buses are delayed.
...and that's why we need to make transit free as well, just like freeways are free for cars! FREEways - FREE transit!
By now you're probably sorry you asked, so I'll stop...
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