ABSTRACT
Bus Rapid Transit is a new technology which can run on existing roads and highways and does not need the higher capital costs required for light rail. Bus Rapid Transit on suburban highways can serve distances and population densities not feasible for any kind of rail transit. It can be frequent, run close to where people wish to go, and be both comfortable and affordable at a much lower initial cost. As most communities already run bus services, they have an operating agency which can manage the upgraded transit. The more frequent service needed to attract riders means more buses and more drivers, but that investment can pay off over time in increased property valuations around the transit stops, and more mobility for employees and customers. Placing Bus Rapid Transit stops along commercial corridors, supported by development regulations that permit mixed uses, could facilitate the transition to new, more profitable uses for many distressed suburban properties which have become vacant because of changes in retailing and office use. The remaining retail, like restaurants, health clubs, or hairdressers, can cluster in the locations served by transit. Apartments and row houses, which are often scarce in suburbs, can fill the land between the transit stops and still be within walking distance of the transit. People in the neighborhoods on both sides of the transit stops will also be able to walk to both shops and transit.
