UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the BRT Program. A Final Engagement Summary Report and answers to your questions are now available – Click here to learn more.
Welcome to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) engagement page. We want to hear from you about the BRT program.
Within this page you can:
Learn about Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)—find out what it's all about and where we’re at with things.
Share your thoughts—discover the ways you can contribute to the discussion and let us know what we should keep in mind as we develop the network.
Find out about the program background—learn how we got here and who we've heard from though previous public engagement initiatives.
What is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)?
Before providing feedback, it’s important to learn about the BRT program. Find out what this program is all about and how it will improve Calgary's transit network.
The City of Calgary is working to improve mobility choices for all Calgarians. Our goal is to make the entire system work better, including walk, cycle, transit, and auto. One of those choices is improved transit and one way we are doing this is The City's new BRT Program.
BRT is a fast, reliable bus service achieved through infrastructure improvements such as dedicated bus lanes and transit priority at traffic signals. BRT is a cost effective approach to providing a high quality transit service at a fraction of the construction cost of LRT. By providing improved transit service without taking away travel lanes for autos we strive to balance all modes through sensitive design while offering competitive choices for Calgarians.
BRT routes have fewer stops than a regular bus route, which means they can cover more ground, more quickly. Four new BRT projects will fill important gaps in the existing transit network, and provide more direct connections to major destinations and LRT stations. The BRT program strongly supports the Calgary Transit Customer Commitment to provide safe, reliable, easy to use, informative, helpful and clean transit service.
All BRT projects are different. Some BRT projects, for example, require dedicated bus lanes to run efficiently and reliably, while others operate well in mixed traffic, or on the shoulder of existing roads such as Crowchild Trail.
Similarly, some BRT projects are built into the heart of under-serviced communities so that Calgarians can walk or take a feeder bus to a station, while other projects focus more on providing connections to LRT stations and other major destinations.
The City of Calgary’s BRT network includes many different types of BRT service and infrastructure. The City adapts BRT projects to suit the needs of the communities and customers it serves. Decisions about route alignments, station locations and station size are all dependent on a number of criteria, including:
- Existing demand for a service
- Future/forecasted demand for a service
- Passenger origins and destinations
- Pedestrian accessibility
- Options for traveling to and from BRT stations
- Station capacity
Topics for Discussion
Below are the top Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) topics Calgarians told us are important to discuss. We heard these topics from Calgarians through a research survey and previous public engagement. For more information see the documents under the 'What We've Heard from Calgarians' section.
Click on the topics below to learn a bit more about each topic.
How did we get here?
Click through the tabs below to learn about each phase of the program history. These are some of the major public engagement initiatives and plans that led to the BRT program.
1. imagineCalgary
2005 - 2006
Who Provided Input
- 18,000 Calgarians create a 100 year vision for Calgary.
What Was Done
- ImagineCalgary long-range sustainability plan created. Includes 32 goals and 114 short-term and long-term targets.
- Council asks for an integrated transportation and land use plan to align with imagineCalgary.
Why It Matters
- Calgarians clarify their vision for sustainable urban growth over the next 100 years.
- City Council recognizes the importance of creating more concrete plans that align with citizens’ long-term vision for Calgary.
Learn more about imagineCalgary.
2. PlanIt Calgary
2008 - 2009
Who Provided Input
- Over 6,000 Calgarians provide input and ideas on how Calgary could grow in a sustainable way over the next 60 years to accommodate over 1 million new people. This public engagement initiative was called PlanIt Calgary.
What Was Done
- Calgary Transportation Plan and Municipal Development Plan approved by Council in 2009.
Why It Matters
- Focus of future land use, development, and transportation changes to build up and out and improve walking, cycling, transit, and auto travel. Primary Transit Service defined.
Learn more about the Municipal Development Plan & Calgary Transportation Plan. Learn more about what we heard from Calgarians through the PlanIt Calgary public engagement.
3. RouteAhead
2012
Who Provided Input
- Thousands of Calgarians provide input on their vision for public transit over the next 30 years.
What Was Done
- New public transit vision, direction and strategies for delivery outlined in RouteAhead approved by Council.
Why It Matters
- The concept of a new rapid transit network (connecting more parts of the city to frequent, reliable and fast transit service) was identified in RouteAhead as part of the 10-year priority list and staging plan.
Learn more about RouteAhead and the RouteAhead engagement summary.
4. Investing in Mobility
2012 & 2014
Who Provided Input
- Hundreds provide input on transportation infrastructure investment priorities.
What Was Done
- Investing in Mobility Plan approved in 2012 and updated in 2014 to prioritize funding for the majority of the rapid transit corridors.
Why It Matters
- Transportation infrastructure investment priorities determined.
- Funding allocated to initiate the majority of the rapid transit corridors identified in RouteAhead.
Learn more about the Investing in Mobility Plan and What We Heard from Calgarians.
5. Action Plan
2014
Who Provided Input
- Over 6,000 Calgarians provide input on what they think The City's priorities should be over the next four years.
- An efficient and reliable public transit network emerged as the top priority with citizens saying that Calgary Transit was a top priority for increased service and spending.
What Was Done
- Action Plan (2015-2018 City business plan and budget) approved by Council.
Why It Matters
- Improving the efficiency and reliability of the transit network was prioritized in The City’s four year business plan and budget.
Learn more about Action Plan and what we heard from Calgarians through the Action Plan engagement.
6. BRT Program
Who's Provided Input (so far)
- For more information about what we've heard so far, see below:
What We've Done (so far)
- The four new projects were first identified on the Primary Transit Network in the Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP), which was approved by Council in 2009.
- Preliminary functional studies were approved by Council for the 17 Ave SE Transportation Planning Study (2010) and the Calgary South West BRT Functional Planning Study (2011).
- The projects were then included in RouteAhead (approved in 2012), and Investing in Mobility (approved in 2012 and updated in 2014).
- The capital budget approved by City council in 2014 allocated $78M to the BRT Program, which includes the South Crosstown, North Crosstown, 17 Avenue S.E., and Southwest BRT projects. In the fall of 2015 the Government of Alberta approved the City of Calgary’s application for $130M in GreenTRIP funding for the BRT Program, bringing the total approved BRT Program funding to $208M.
Why It Matters
- The City of Calgary is working to improve mobility choices for all Calgarians. Our goal is to make the entire system better, including walk, cycle, transit and auto. One of those choices is improved transit and one way we are doing this is The City's new BRT Program.
- BRT is a fast, reliable bus service achieved through infrastructure improvements such as dedicated bus lanes and transit priority at traffic at signals. BRT is a cost effective approach to providing a high quality transit service at a fraction of the construction cost of LRT. By providing improved transit service without taking away travel lanes for autos we strive to balance all modes through sensitive design while offering competitive choice for Calgarians.
For more information, please visit the BRT program page or specific BRT project pages:
