Submitted by Alexey, who says:

Hi! I am currently developing a metro scheme for Bucharest, and I would like to hear your comments on this. The tram and bus lines to the airport are also marked on the map, they will be displayed only on the poster version.

Transit Maps says:

This is a handsome diagram, distilling the Bucharest Metro down to its base elements only. In reality, the yellow M1 is nowhere near circular, so it’s a little risky to portray it as such. However, I think that Alexey has done a good job – putting Universitate station at the exact centre of the circle is a nice touch.

I would like to see some more diagrammatic treatment of the lines: the M3 could line up from Preciziei to Anghel Saligny, entering and exiting the circle at the same position. The southern ends of the M2 and future M5 could line up with each other, and so on. It might also be a good idea to separate the two parts of Dristor station to make it absolutely clear that the M1 doesn’t continue around the loop coming from Piata Muncii.

My biggest thought is regarding the black background. It’s very stylish, but it also reduces contrast with a lot of the other colours on the map. It’s especially problematic with the very thin tram and bus routes, and even the dashed future Metro lines. Some colours may have to be lightened a bit, or lines thickened slightly to make them stand out a bit more from the dark background.

Our final word: A stylish, compact diagram that could be worked up a little more to make it really stand out.