Here’s a seriously curious photo, brought to my attention by reader Ryan Vansickle. It shows the new signage that has been put in place for the opening of the new Orange Line in Miami that we just featured. Apparently, this sign has been at the Douglas Road station since February, which is impressive pre-planning!

However, the curious thing is that it doesn’t match the actual system map in any way whatsoever. True, this is a strip map and not geographically accurate – but how linked to geography does a two-line system (and that’s being generous, as the Orange Line only adds one new station to the system) really need to be?

If some of the aesthetics and information from this map could be transferred to the main map, it would be vastly improved. Unlike that map, this one clearly denotes stations where people can transfer to Metromover, Tri-Rail and busway services, and the grey background would look much more striking than the dull beige currently in use. On the other hand, this map could benefit from integrating the parking information from the full map.

A unified approach to design is one way a transit agency can present a professional, modern approach to its users. Currently, Miami-Dade Transit appears to be more than a little confused.

Source: DearEdward/Flickr