Author: Cameron Booth

Official Map: TransLink Bus and Rail Network, Brisbane and South East Queensland, Australia

March 26, 2012
comment 1
Filed Under:
Official Maps
Tags:

It’s just occurred to me that I haven’t posted a single map yet from my native land, Terra Australis… so let’s rectify that now with this map of Brisbane’s Translink commuter rail service, supporting Railbus service that complements that service, and busways – dedicated roadways for commuter bus service (BRT). The first thing to notice about this map is the vast area it covers: over 260km (160 miles) from north to south, and around 50km […]

Official Map: Washington D.C. Metro “Rush+” System Map, 2012

March 22, 2012
comments 2
Filed Under:
Official Maps
Tags:

Even though I’ve never been there, I have a history with the Washington, D.C. Metro system. My redesign of it has proved very popular, winning the Peoples’ choice award in last year’s Greater Greater Washington “Redesign the Metro Map” competition. My general dislike of the venerable official map is fairly well known, but it’s still exciting to see this new version, the first stepping stone on the way to the map that will be needed […]

Official Map: Transports en Commun Lyonnais System Map, Lyon, France, 2012

March 15, 2012
comment 1
Filed Under:
Official Maps
Tags:

Requested by clubmaintenant. Another fine example of a multimodal map, this time from Lyon, France. This map shows Métro, tram, bus and funicular service, as well as indications of connections to SNCF mainline train services in a map that wears its London Underground influences on its sleeve. Have we been there? No. What we like: Lovely clear layout, with almost all lines reduced to horizontals or verticals – only a few 45-degree route lines are […]

Project: Boston MBTA Map Redesign

March 11, 2012
comments 39
Filed Under:
Future Maps, My Transit Maps, Unofficial Maps
Tags:

Back in January, I posted a review of the current Boston MBTA transit map on the blog – and I had some harsh words for it (I believe the phrase “hot mess” occurs in the text). Always one to back my words up with actions, I’ve been quietly working on my own revised version that I feel improves the map in quite a few areas. I’ve also created a few different versions to illustrate some […]

Historical Maps: West and East Berlin, 1984

March 10, 2012
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Historical Maps
Tags:

Further to my previous posts, here’s a couple more maps from East and West Berlin, this time from 1984. Both are much better-designed than the examples shown earlier, and West Berlin has taken on the “U-number” line names that we know so well today. No further comments as the basic principles still hold true for each map – presented for comparison and completeness only.

Historical Map: East Berlin U-Bahn and S-Bahn, c. 1989

March 9, 2012
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Historical Maps
Tags:

As a direct contrast to my previous post, here’s the East Berlin perspective of transit in that divided city. Notice anything? West Berlin has almost been entirely excised from the map: a small, empty, featureless area totally encircled by extensive East German rail lines as well as the Berlin Wall: here referred to as the “state border”. A powerful statement of East German superiority if there ever was one. Have we been there? Yes. What […]

Historical Map: West Berlin U-Bahn Map, 1977

March 8, 2012
comment 1
Filed Under:
Historical Maps
Tags:

Berlin’s troubled post-World War II history led to a fascinating dual history for transit in that city, divided into East and West sectors. This West Berlin U-Bahn map from 1977 – at the height of the Cold War – shows that division in a stark, but also curiously understated fashion. The infamous Berlin Wall that completely divided the city is prosaically referred to as a Sektorengrenze, or “sector boundary”. All U-Bahn lines are still shown, […]

Official Map: Metro de Santiago, Chile, 2012

March 6, 2012
comments 3
Filed Under:
Official Maps
Tags:

Here’s another example of a metro map overlaid on a city’s street grid – this time from Santiago, Chile. This system has some marvellous innovations, with a bike sharing program (BiciMetro) and libraries (BiblioMetro) integrated at many stations, but the map somewhat fails to live up to those modern, forward-thinking ideas. Have we been there? No. What we like: Clean layout, with large easy-to-read (if not particularly stylish) text. The roads are given the right […]

Photo: Early MARTA Rail Map, c. 1974-1979

February 24, 2012
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Historical Maps, Photography
Tags:

A photo from our good friend, Matt’ Johnson, showing a very early system map (circa 1974 to 1979) for the MARTA commuter rail system in Atlanta. Compare to the current map here. Click on the source link at the bottom of the post to read Matt’s comprehensive notes over on Flickr. I’ll just note that I really like the clean, uncluttered design; especially the subtle grey background with the underlying and unlabelled road network reversed […]