The LA Metro Twitter account just shared this new map, ready just in time for the opening of the Expo Line’s extension to Santa Monica tomorrow. Overall, it’s a really nice map, continuing the strong, unified branding and design that Metro deploys across everything: maps, signage, vehicles, stations, their website and other communications material. However, there are a few points of interest worth talking about.

First, the map no longer shows Metrolink commuter rail lines, although it still indicates where a transfer may be made to that service. I think this is a pretty good compromise, although everyone will have different opinions on how integrated a regional transit map ought to be. The map also loses information about bicycle and car parking available at stations, which is odd… there’s plenty of room for this useful information. Or are we meant to look stuff like that up on the internet these days?

Then there’s the odd decision to show the course of the Los Angeles River on the map instead. The benefit of its inclusion seems negligible to me (is it really used as a navigational/geographical landmark by users of the transit network?) and it adds clutter to the map, especially in the already busy central section. When I first looked at the map, I actually thought it was representing a transit route: it’s a similar thickness as the actual route lines, and has a similar tonal value to some of the lighter lines.

Also strange: the way that the loop in the Blue Line in Long beach has flipped from the west side of the branch to the right, basically so that the labels for Pacific Av and Downtown Long Beach won’t clash with the Silver Line. While the order of stations visited is unaffected, the old way was demonstrably more geographically and relationally correct.

Some of the station spacing seems a little uneven to me, especially on the Red Line. In situations like this, I often concentrate on getting the labels spaced right, rather than the dots along the line… it just helps the eye scan the names a little easier. I’ve also seen comments that the neighbourhood names on the map should better align to the final destinations of the trains, which sounds eminently sensible to me.

Our rating: Carries on the strong LA Metro “house style” of design, but makes some curious decisions that affect the quality of information shown. Still, when the Regional Connector opens, everything will change again – so it’s really a placeholder map of sorts. Two-and-a-half stars.

Source: LA Metro/Twitter