It's 2020. Can we forget about busses. I can't believe the same people who think it's subways subways subways think busses are better than LRT. Just because you can't afford a Ferrari doesn't mean you need to drive a fiat. Nothing wrong with something in the middle like a Lexus.
Sure, let's just ignore all the areas where BRT outperforms LRT, and examples of world-class transit systems like Brisbane's busways, in favour of a glorified streetcar network of LRT's that Finch West and the surface section of Eglinton will be without signal priority.
Buses have a reputation problem because they are the workhorse of many transit systems including our own. A proper BRT system should be considered as rapid transit, just like our subway system, it is not a bus route even though it shares the same type of vehicle as a bus route.
A good way to think of it would be how our streetcars and LRT systems are both using Bombardier's Flexity Freedom line of vehicles.
Or to attract significant developer attention. Bus routes come and go, tracks are forever.
BRT is not a bus route though. It is a piece of physical infrastructure, just like an LRT track. Build a physical dedicated bus median and the notion of permanence is achieved.
Developer attention is attained through reducing commuter time, thus making more areas of the city attractive for development. If we implemented BRT on all our main arterial roads, we would greatly expand the area that can commute to downtown within 45 minutes.
It's been studied, the level of investment attained by BRT and LRT is comparable.
"In fact, as calculated in 2018, the HealthLine delivered more than
$9.5 billion in economic development along the Euclid Corridor -- a staggering $190 gained for every dollar spent on creating and launching the new service. The HealthLine"
(source)
This is in Cleveland, Ohio, which did not even implement a proper BRT system (despite what the local transit authority is trying to market in the link), but rather a BRT-Lite system (which would probably be sufficient for our north-south arterial roads like Victoria Park, Islington, etc.).
Under the current configuration, the Finch West LRT has less signal priority than Cleveland's BRT-Lite system (not even a proper BRT).