Month: January 2014

Submission – Official Historical Map: MBTA Map in Chinese, c. 1985

January 30, 2014
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Submitted by Randy Wong, who says: The MBTA map in Chinese characters. These used to be posted at the Orange Line Chinatown T-stop, and also at a few of the other lines that intersected/were near Chinese speakers. There are lots of Chinese who live near Malden, Oak Grove, Chinatown, Forest Hills, Quincy, and Quincy Center T-stops, though I don’t recall which stops actually had Chinese T maps. Transit Maps says: Nice localisation of the classic […]

Submission – Official Map: Metro de Medellin, Colombia, 2014

January 30, 2014
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Submitted by Daniel Echeverri, who says: Medellin (Colombia) transit map. Downloaded from the official website of Metro de Medellin. It shows Metro Lines, Articulated Buses lines (Metroplus) and Aerial Tram lines (Metro Cable) Transit Maps says: Medellin’s transit system is fascinating because it’s one of the first places in the world to implement aerial gondolas as part of a mass transit system. Other cities may have gondolas and aerial trams, but they’re almost always deployed […]

Historical Map: Tactile/Braille Map of the Washington DC Metro, 1988

January 24, 2014
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A tactile map designed by J.W. Wiedel for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education. Tactile surfaces on the map reveal information about the Metrorail system for vision-impaired users, including whether stations have side or centre platforms (more information than can be found on the official map) and transfer stations. It’s hard to make out, but braille text is also included for major stations and areas. Each route line also appears to have a […]

Submission – Unofficial Map: Philadelphia SEPTA Rapid Transit System

January 23, 2014
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Submitted by Henry, who says: Hi, my name is Henry, and I’m a senior in high school.  I made this map of Philadelphia’s rapid transit services (mostly SEPTA but including PATCO). This is the first transit map I’ve made, for my home city, Philadelphia, a map which I know you have much distaste for. I know it has several problems (alignment mostly I think) but I think it’s a huge improvement over what’s there now. […]

Transit “Map” Fare Card from Tbilisi, Georgia

January 23, 2014
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Illustrations, Miscellany
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transporteconomics: Having seen @transitmaps’ post with the Japanese travelcard reminded me to post the MetroMoney card I got in Tbilisi, Georgia. The drawings show different modes of transport available in the city (metro, bus, minibus (marshrutka)) and have absolutely no resemblance to the actual metro network, which consists of two lines. Figuring out all the labels is not too easy – if you happen to speak Georgian, share them in the comments below. However, I […]

Weird: The Maryland Transit Administration’s Version of the DC Metro Map

January 22, 2014
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Not only is the map out of date (no Rush+, no indication of the Silver Line at all), but the MTA has simply encased the official DC map in their own branding shell and then covered it in hideous and distracting callout boxes denoting their own commuter bus services. Yes, it performs a service, but – dear God! – is it ever ugly. There should be a law against this kind of thing. Source: Maryland […]

Tutorial: Using Illustrator or Photoshop to Check Your Design for Colour-Blind Accessibility

January 21, 2014
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Here’s a simple little trick that works in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop CS4 and above: You can quickly check your artwork to see how it might appear for a colour-blind user by simply going to the View menu > Proof Setup, then choosing one of the two colour-blind profiles at the bottom of the list. Then select View > Proof Colors (Cmd/Ctrl-Y in Photoshop). As you can see from the GIF above, the results can be […]

Official Map: Southern Vectis Bus Map, Isle of Wight, England, 2014

January 21, 2014
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An attractively drawn map that bridges the gap between geographical representation and a diagram rather nicely. While the shape of the island is quite accurate (if simplified slightly), all the roads have been straightened out to remove unnecessary kinks and twists. The routes are clearly marked and major stops are shown efficiently. The map is also supported on-line by town maps for the destinations shown in larger type, so there’s more detail where it’s needed. […]