Official Map: New Jersey Transit Rail System, 2011

November 10, 2011
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If you’ve reached this page from a search engine hit, please note that this is not the official NJ Transit page, but an independent review of the map as it stood in 2011. If you want to see the current official map, then follow this link [PDF]. If you love transit maps and diagrams, then please stick around and read the review – and more – on this site!

This morning, an interesting tweet came across my desk: “NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein unveils new customer friendly rail system map at today’s board meeting” with a link to the new map. Always eager to check out a new transit map, I clicked through… and was incredibly underwhelmed by what I saw.

Far from being the paradigm of customer friendliness that was promised, this map comes across as sad, tired and amateur. It seems to have taken elements from many different transit maps and mashes them into one big mess. We have the thick route lines and giant circle transfer stations of Washington, DC Metro, icons for the lines similar to – but nowhere nearly as well executed – the Lisbon Metro, and different station symbols for each and every mode of transit.

Admittedly, this map faces some unusual challenges in that it shows a state-wide system, rather than just a smaller city. Because of this, some semblance of geography and distance between stations has to be shown. However, I feel that there has to be a better solution than this, where the light rail systems around Hoboken and Newark are crammed into a tiny space with miniscule station names, while vast amounts of space remain empty throughout the rest of the state.

The stylised geography also troubles me – what exactly happens to the Delaware River when it gets to Port Jervis? And why do we need to see the vast empty bottom part of the state, especially when it cuts an ugly swathe across the informational text at the base of the map.

Have we been there? Yes – I’ve caught the train from Newark Airport into New York Penn Station.

What we like: Ambitious scope, attempting to show all rail services in the state of New Jersey – NJ Transit, PATH, light rail systems, as well as an indication of connecting services in neighbouring states – MTA, SEPTA and stations serviced by Amtrak. This is the first real transit map I’ve seen with a QR code on it – I wonder what it does?

What we don’t like: Unfortunately, despite its best intentions, this map is hideous. Almost everything – from the icons and colours chosen for the main routes, to the typography, to the clumsy treatment of the geography, to the enormous circles used for transfer stations, even the spacing of the stations – looks amateur and poorly thought out. Suffers even more from having to include every logo of every separate transit agency.

Our rating: A hugely wasted opportunity to create something memorable and exciting. One-and-a-half stars.

Source: Official NJ Transit website – PDF

On Colour Blindness and Transit Map Design

November 9, 2011
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Colour blindness affects a small but significant percentage of the population, mainly males. It is estimated that around 7 to 8 percent of men are red-green colour blind (the most common type of colour blindness), while less than one percent of women are. Strangely enough, I knew a girl in high school who was colour blind, but I digress…

  • Washington DC Metro Map
  • London Underground Map
  • Official Paris Metro Map
  • Unofficial “Geo-Accurate”Paris Metro Map

Transit maps, as informational design, should pay attention to how colour blind users perceive them. Shown above are a few examples of transit maps which have been run through a Photoshop filter called Vischeck which simulates the effects of colour blindness. The left half of each image is a simulation of red-green colour blindness, while the right half is the standard map.

On a simple map with just a few lines, as shown in the Washington DC Metro, things aren’t usually a problem as the routes are easily distinguishable from each other.

The London Underground map does an excellent job of using contrast to differentiate between adjacent route lines, so usability is hardly impaired at all. Look at the northern Circle Line where pink, yellow and burgundy lines become grey (mid-dark), yellow (light) and black (dark) – all very distinct from each other.

The next step up in complexity is the Paris Metro map. Its subdued pastel tones actually hold up surprisingly well – again, by ensuring that adjacent route lines have plenty of contrast between them. Note also that the background colour doesn’t shift in tone at all, giving predictable results for the routes themselves.

Compare the official Paris Metro map to the unofficial one featured yesterday, and things are quite different. The low contrast colour palette used causes many of the routes to turn into very similar shades of yellow and blue, and the background colour shifts completely from green-black to blue-black. While it is certainly still possible to trace the routes, it’s definitely harder on the eye to do so. And as I said yesterday, the workaround solution of tiny “rune” markers on each line is way too small to be of any practicable use.

In the end, a diagrammatic map will almost always be usable by a color blind person, simply because the simplified form will make it easy to trace routes, but more care must be taken the more complex the system becomes. Labelling end points of lines with a letter or number may also help where there are many route colours. A simple plugin like Vischeck allows a designer to quickly gauge how their work may be perceived by those with colour blindness, allowing them to tweak their chosen colours for optimal usage by all.

Unofficial Map: Paris Metro with Geolocated Stations

November 8, 2011
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Further to yesterday’s post, here’s a new unofficial map of the Paris Metro that’s been hot on the interwebs over the last few days. Unlike the official RATP diagram, this version places all the stations in their exact geographical locations, although I suspect the route lines have been tweaked between those points to create more graceful curves than in reality. Also unlike the official map, it doesn’t attempt to show tram services or mainline train routes, removing some valuable information.

According to the author, the benefits of his map include showing where it’s easier to walk instead of transferring to another train (he uses the excellent example of transferring at St-Michele to get to Cité station, when you’d really be better off just getting off at St-Michele and walking over the Seine to the same point) and enhanced zone information (it’s often cheaper to catch the Metro to a similar point and remain in Zone 1, when the RER station may be in Zone 2 or 3!)

The map also makes use of Ethan Schoonover’s Solarized colour theme, a set of well-designed low contrast colours specifically designed for on-screen viewing. However, with a transit map, our eyes often need contrast to allow patterns to be discerned and routes to be followed, so I’m not entirely sure about its application in this case.

The author also claims that his map is good for color-blind users, but I’m not entirely convinced that his solution – tiny, rune-line marks on each line on either side of station marker – are actually any more effective than the big line numbers at the end of each line. More on this tomorrow.

Have we been there? Yes.

What we like: Overall effect looks gorgeous. A lot of thought and theory has been applied to this work. Released under a Creative Commons license, which is very generous.

What we don’t like: Labelling of stations gets messy in the centre of Paris. Zone areas look very blobby: these could have been smoothed out a little more. The perfect circle described by the eastern end of Line 7B goes against the author’s stated goals of accuracy and comes across as an affectation. Colour-blind route markers are too small to be of any use.

Our rating: Interesting, well-executed, but flawed. Not as good as the real thing. Three-and-a-half stars.

Source: Author’s Website – link no longer active

Official Map: Paris Metro/RER/Tram Map, 2011

November 7, 2011
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If you visit Paris, you need to use the Metro to get around, so it’s a good thing that its map is up to the task. It took Paris a long time to come around to a diagrammatic approach (Harry Beck created two versions on spec, but both were rejected), and earlier diagrams were not as successful as this – one had all vertical lines set at a jaunty 15-degree angle, which made the whole city look like it was leaning to the right (a subject for a future post, I think!).

Have we been there? Yes, in 1997 and again in 2003. In 2003, I was in Paris for almost three weeks and used the Metro every single day – it’s one of my favourite transit systems in the world. Fast, cheap (even more so if you buy carnets instead of single tickets), reliable and almost always convenient – the system is incredibly dense, with stations just about everywhere you look.

What we like: The sheer amount of information presented in a very clear, concise and ordered manner: Metro, RER commuter rail, tram lines, the Montmartre funicular, even an indication of mainline train services, all in an understated, very French, pastel colour scheme. This map proves beyond doubt that you can present all type horizontally in a transit diagram if you really try – not one line of type is angled, and it rarely cuts across route lines. Interchanges, especially between different modes of transport, are very clear and well thought out.

What we don’t like: Station names on the tram lines are a little small, and the closeness of stations on the T1 (blue) line in the upper left causes it to look like an “under construction” dashed line. The pastel color palette does lead to a few very similar colours (mainly greens), but ultimately this isn’t a huge problem as the route lines themselves are pretty easy to follow and the similar colours generally only cross each other, not follow the same path.

Our rating: An extraordinarily elegant diagram (and very evocative of Parisian style – this map definitely has a sense of place about it), especially considering the amount of information it packs in. Five stars.

Source: Official RATP website

Official Map: Metro, Lisbon, Portugal, 2011

November 5, 2011
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A beautiful example of an abstracted rectilinear diagram – everything is evenly spaced, with subtle curves and a lovely complementary rounded typeface. The colours in this diagram work wonderfully well, with “traditional” route colours of Blue, Yellow, Green and Red being given a pastel twist and lovely icons that fit in with Lisbon’s maritime history perfectly. An excellent bi-lingual key and icons pack this map with useful information and all type is set horizontally. The overall effect is light and spacious – and very welcoming.

Have we been there? No.

What we like: The translucent effect as the lines pass over each other is lovely. The icons for each of the lines are beautiful, reflecting the former names of the lines themselves: Blue Line = Seagull, Yellow Line = Sunflower, Green Line = Caravel, Red Line = Orient (or East).

What we don’t like: Perhaps not enough geographical cues for out-of-town visitors – the abstractness of the diagram makes it a little too divorced from reality and perhaps difficult to use for sightseeing. The Metro logo seems placed in a very odd location – I think over underneath the “Network Diagram” text on the left may have worked better.

Our rating: Abstract and rational, yet still lovely and very welcoming. Beautifully designed, but at a slight cost to those who don’t use the system every day. Four stars.

Source: Official Metropolitano de Lisboa website

Photo: Barcelona Wayfinding Signage

November 4, 2011
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A excellent example of how strong transit map design is carried across to other elements of the user experience: here, strong and easily understood wayfinding signage in the Barcelona Metro.

Source: airways/Flickr

Official Map: Subte, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2011

November 3, 2011
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This map is another fine example of how to integrate a transit diagram onto a street grid. The streets are shown in a subordinate grey at a thinner line weight, and fade away to nothing when no longer needed. The bright, bold subway lines stand out well against this background, and lots of important information is clearly marked.

One piece of information that I don’t think I’ve seen on any other transit map: a line through the middle of a circular station marker denotes that the platforms are central (island) platforms, rather than side platforms. By extension, this must mean that the “half-circles” at Alberti and Pasco stations on the “A Line” denote that there is only one platform (in one direction only?) at those stations.

Have we been there? No

What we like: Clean, crisp, distinctive design. The inset for the “P Line” – a connecting tram service (PreMetro) – works really well, filling in an otherwise blank space and allowing the map to remain in a compact rectangular form. Really like the simplicity of the transfer station symbols.

What we don’t like: The icons for main line railway stations seem a little clunky and not as well thought-out as the other icons. And are they even really necessary? The blue “transfer to railway station” icons serve the same purpose and are far more distinctive. The “U Line” marker looks out of place with no route line to accompany it.

Our rating: Excellent and distinctive design – this map looks like no other transit map, with a unique style all of its own. Four-and-a-half-stars.

Source: Official Subte website

Photo: Map

November 2, 2011
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When your system is as big and complex as Berlin’s, you need a big-ass map on the wall to show you where you’re going.

Source: eelke dekker/Flickr

Unofficial Map: The Accessible Underground, 2007

November 2, 2011
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Older transit systems like the London Underground face huge problems with access for disabled users. Originally constructed at a time when such things were not thought about, retrofitting is expensive and difficult. Sometimes, even stations that rely on elevators for platform access – like Russell Square on the Piccadilly Line – are still not wheelchair-accessible, because there’s still a flight of stairs between the elevator and the platform.

So what does the London Underground look like for a disabled user? That’s what this intelligent and disarmingly simple diagram attempts to show. By simply deleting non-accessible stations from the famous Tube map, a stark picture is presented. Only on the newer Jubilee and Docklands Light Rail lines are there a decent amount of accessible stations. The original author counts just 82 out of a total 275 stations (33 percent) as having access in 2007.

Matters have improved somewhat in the last few years, with the current Tube Map showing quite a few more stations with access, as well as differentiating between step-free platform access and step-free train access – an important distinction that takes “Mind The Gap” to its logical extreme.

Our rating: Thought-provoking. 5 stars.

Source: Just Urbanism – link no longer active

Official Map: Oslo T-bane (Metro) System, 2011

November 1, 2011
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An excellent example of a fully diagrammatic metro map. Clearly marked routes (both by number and end station name), bright and attractive colours and lots of useful information like bus, tram and main line railway interchanges. The city centre area is nicely denoted by showing it as a white square against the light grey background – the information is there, but is definitely subordinate to the main purpose of the map. There also appears to be some thought put into making the map future-proof: note the gap between Majorstuen and Nationalthreatret stations, where a new station, Homansbyen, will be built; and the extension of the 6 Line which is currently being brought up to full T-bane standards.

Have we been there? No

What we like: The lovely gradient between the dark blue 4 Line and cyan 6 Line as the service changes from one to the other on the Ring Line. Effective and easy to understand tram and bus interchange information.

What we don’t like: The black tick marks for normal stations seem a little tacked on – I think I would prefer ticks in the same colour as the line they’re on. The white keyline strangely disappears on the 6 Line after Jar station – a mistake?

Our rating: Really quite excellent. 4 stars.

Source: Official T-banen Website