The Minister for Transport is seeking to double the number of Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs) in Dublin and to introduce them to Cork and Galway over the next 12 months.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Brennan said a more "aggressive" approach was required from everyone involved in transportation to satisfy the growing demand for public transport.
Athough the full cost of the plans has not been set out, it is expected to run to tens of millions of euros.
The announcement was made today at the publication of the State's first comprehensive set of guidelines governing traffic management measures aimed at local authorities, government departments, planners and developers.
The chief executive of the Dublin Transport Office (DTO), Mr John Henry, today said bus use in the capital had increased by over 40 per cent in the past six years.
Mr Brennan called for "a more unified, coherent approach" from the likes of the Garda, the DTO, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann to accelerate plans for new QBCs, saying he hoped they would be in operation "within the next 12 months if possible".
"I am supporting Cork with its plans to develop 'Green Routes' and I know that Galway is also developing plans. I also look forward to receiving proposals from Limerick and other urban areas to give greater priority to the bus," Mr Brennan said.
In relation to the traffic-management guidelines, Mr Brennan said the importance of the newly published Traffic Management Manualwas "obvious when you realise that that previous documents largely focused on UK guidelines and placed an emphasis on maximising traffic capacity".
Cyclists, pedestrians and the disabled are set to benefit most from the formalised arrangements, the DTO's Mr Henry said, adding that the manual should lead to best practice at the design stage.
It is hoped those involved in traffic planning will be able to develop measures in a manner more integrated with broader land-use and transport policies.
Mr Brennan said there are no plans to back up the guidelines with legislation but that the manual made provision for road safety and road user audits.
The manual took over three years to develop under the auspices of the DTO and is jointly published by the agency, the Department of Transport and the Department of Environment and Local Government.