Unofficial Map: Thunder Bay Bus Network by faiscequetupeux

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Submitted and created by faiscequetupeux, who says:

A subway-style map of my city’s bus network. I’ve been making maps like this for 5 years now, this is the most detailed I’ve gotten.

The official system map is here.

I have plans to add downtown-level insets showing how the routes run near the two main terminals, and possibly layouts of each of the minor terminals as well, but that will come later.

Transit Maps says: A fine piece of work that looks visually superior to the official map. Perhaps a little guilty of trying to do a bit too much – the map relies heavily on a comprehensive (and slightly overwhelming) legend as well as a bewildering and sometimes less than intuitive array of dashed and stroked route lines to denote different frequencies and service patterns. There seems to be quite a bit of crossover between service icons and service strokes: are both needed, or can they be streamlined into one system or the other? On a more positive note, the icons for off-peak services and summer services are gorgeous, and the directional arrows for bus stops works really well.

Our rating: I’m giving this map four stars despite its flaws, because it looks great and is ambitious in its desire to be better than the existing map, and that sort of thinking should be rewarded.

Transit Maps Turns One!

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From this humble post about the Barcelona Metro map on the 20th of October last year, Transit Maps has continue to grow and thrive, with a staggering 1,800 followers here on Tumblr, more than 480 on Twitter, and 260 on my Facebook page. Thanks to each and every one of you for your interest and support – there’s still so much more to show and share with you!

– Cameron

MetroTable: the Moscow Metro as an Awesome Coffee Table

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Do want.

Source: Vladimir Tomilov’s Behance Portfolio via @Piktograf

Photo: Porto Metro Signage

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Looks quite lovely in location… although perhaps a little small to be seen from far away.

Source: varlamov/Flickr

Unofficial Map: New York Regional Rail by Jake Berman, 2010

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Directly related to the last post, here’s another map of greater New York’s regional rail. Designed by Jake Berman in 2010, this map takes a completely different approach to Carter’s work.

It uses colour-coding to differentiate between agencies, rather than routes, and shows services as main lines and branches, rather than showing each and every route along their entire length. This makes for a simpler-looking, more compact map, although it means that the map doesn’t even attempt to show any service patterns.

Aesthetically, the map is reminiscent of the stark, angular look favoured in the U.S. in the 1970s and early 1980s (examples here and here).

What we like: The treatment of the major hub stations on this map is lovely – the grey background simply and effectively sets them apart. Inclusion of the AirTrain lines at JFK and Newark is nicely handled, while the use of striking magenta type to call out transfers to other services is fantastic.

What we don’t like: One minor nitpick is that the western NJ Transit lines look a little cramped in comparison to other parts of the map. Also, the names of branch lines are quite small and hard to read because they’re contained within the route lines themselves.

Our rating: A completely different way of tackling the same problem as the previous map, but equally valid and attractive. I do slightly prefer being able to trace a route from one end to the other on a map, but this is still a comprehensive guide to regional rail in and around New York. Four stars.

Source: subwaymaps/Jake Berman (link no longer active)

Unofficial Map: New York Regional Rail by Carter Green

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To say I’m excited to share this map with you would be an understatement.

In August, I was contacted by Carter Green, a high school student who had been inspired by my maps (especially my map of French TGV routes) and had created his own of regional rail services in and around New York City. He asked whether I would mind taking a look at it, which I did. Immediately, I was impressed with the amazing quality of the cartography, but had a few suggestions which I thought Carter could implement. He took my ideas on board, and has now got back to me with the final version – and it’s beautiful.

Have we been there? My only experience with regional rail in the New York area is a NJ Transit train from Newark Airport to Penn Station.

What we like: A nicely unified design – the whole map gives off an elegant Art Deco feel (very appropriate for New York!), courtesy of the distinctive Neutraface type family and some nice little flourishes in arrowheads and the map’s north pointer.

The use of increasingly large circles for hub stations is something that could have looked terrible, but I think Carter has actually pulled it off very well – your eye is definitely drawn to them, and it quickly gives an idea of a station’s importance.

I absolutely adore the circular treatment of routes around Philadelphia, which is new to this version of the map.

Neat integration of New York Subway interchanges.

I wish I’d thought of Carter’s solution for stations where not every train stops – white dots linked by connecting lines, as seen on the red Metro-North routes into Connecticut.

What we don’t like: Some minor, minor things. The symbols for connecting services that aren’t the Subway aren’t as effective (just three-letter abbreviations and teeny tiny airport symbols for the AirTrain services).

The curves where a route line has to “step down” to remain next to other routes on the same corridor (on the Metro-North Waterbury branch, for example) could be smoother to fit better with the graceful curves seen throughout the rest of the map.

A couple of errors that can easily be fixed: the LIRR Belmont seasonal service is shown in the legend, but not its parent Greenport branch. “AirTrain” is misspelled as “AirTran” in the legend.

Our rating: Incredibly impressive work that shows a very complex network of services from many different agencies and makes it visually compelling and informative. Did I mention Carter is still in high school? Four-and-a-half stars.

JANUARY 10, 2015: Hey, r/nyc – nice to see you all here! New York’s one of my favourite places to talk about on this site, so check out everything else Big Apple related via the “New York” tag! – Cameron

Source: Email correspondence with Carter Green

Photo: Buried Treasure!

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An extra-special new subway line in Queens.

Source: DYFL/Flickr

Photo: Paris Métro Map Mosaic Wall

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This has the subway mural in Brooklyn beat, I feel.

This awesome tiled map of the 13th arrondisement covers the whole wall of this building (which I’m guessing is located where the red lines on the map intersect), complete with street names, parks, and Metro stations. It looks like the route lines are neon lighting, just for that extra cool factor. The whole thing has a great 8-bit art feeling to it which I love.

Source: Pierre MM/Flickr

Photo: Where Am I Again?

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A marked-up map sitting on my desk of transit projects in Seattle somehow ends up looking uncannily like the New York subway map.

“Subway” by Christoph Niemann, 2010

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Illustrations

Forget the children, this is one of my favourite books! Buy on Amazon here (affiliate link).

Source: Greenwillow Books website – link no longer active