The Bus Rapid Transit investment in this north-south corridor is aimed at fulfilling adopted policies and goals of Sarasota County, the City of Sarasota and the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization to manage growth and to foster sustainable economic and community development.

Goals
Specific project goals include:

• Improve the quality, speed and attractiveness of transit services in the core area of the region, particularly in areas of highest residential and employment density
• Support regional economic development by improving transit access to key employment sites and activity centers
• Improve the operating efficiency of transit services in congested corridors and roadways
• Support long-term sustainable development and land use in the region

The alternatives analysis is examining various transit service improvements to achieve these broad local and regional goals and to boost bus ridership by improving connectivity to key activity centers and bypassing congestion.

Potential Improvements
Among potential improvements being studied are:

• Roadway infrastructure enhancements to create a dedicated transit guideway.
• Traffic signal priority for buses at selected intersections.
• Increased bus service frequencies and passenger information systems.
• Improved passenger stations and shelters

Timeline
SCAT expects to complete the alternatives analysis in September 2008. The study will compare costs, benefits and impacts of a range of potential transit improvements in this north-south corridor. SCAT anticipates that local elected officials will select the preferred set of transit investments in fall 2008. SCAT then plans to submit project information to the Federal Transit Administration in pursuit of federal funding for eligible improvements through the FTA’s “Small Starts” program.