Great title, even better photo.
Source: pablo.raw/Flickr
Photo: Seeking Enlightenment
Historical Map: Los Angeles Pacific Electric Relief Map, 1920
A fascinating snapshot in time of the full extent of the great Pacific Electric Railway Company’s operations in Los Angeles and southern California. The famous “Red Cars”, a combination of streetcars and interurban light rail spanned vast distances at a time before the car had truly entered the American way of life.
Within 30 years, most of this system – the “largest electric railway system in the world” – had been replaced by motorcoach services on gleaming new highways. Only now is it being gradually replaced – often along the same right-of-way – by Metro’s light rail.
The map itself is beautiful. Made long before Google Earth, or even practical aerial photography, I’m almost certain this this is actually a photograph of a model of southern California that has been printed – all the cartographic details have then been painstakingly added by hand, including the distinctive red tinting of the company’s lines.
Have we been there? Yes, but current rail transit makes it almost impossible to get to the city from the airport. I caught a cab.
What we like: The absolute attention to detail and craftsmanship that went into making this map. It’s a spectacular moment frozen in time – rail transit at its absolute zenith.
What we don’t like: Not actually useful for trip planning as no actual routes are called out in any detail. In a way, this is simply a propaganda piece, basically saying “look at how big our glorious rail system is”.
Our rating: An amazing piece of rail history, but not really a transit map for every day usage. Stunning, nonetheless. Four-and-a-half-stars.
Prints of this map are available in the Transit Maps online store.
Source: Jeremy Jozwik/Flickr
Official Map: Chicago CTA “L” Commuter Rail, 2011
Chicago’s street grid is so incredibly regular that this map seems to be a rectilinear diagram. It’s only after observing some odd little twists and turns in the route lines that you realise that this is actually a fairly geographically accurate map – so much so that the downtown Loop is represented in an detail inset because it would otherwise appear too small to decipher. Even the station names pretty much conform to the grid – in effect, labelling the major streets of the city. This does call attention to a strange feature of the system: repetition of station names on different lines. I count four separate “Pulaski” stations! It’s obviously not a problem, as people would identify them by their respective line colours, but it’s not something I’ve seen very often in other transit systems.
In the end, I feel this hybrid approach ultimately works against the map – it looks so much like a diagram that the jinks in the route lines almost look like mistakes. They’re not, of course, but the effect is a bit unsettling.
Have we been there? Yes, but I don’t have the fondest memories of the “L”, as the Blue Line was under heavy construction, with extremely limited speeds and then bus service to downtown. Almost didn’t make my flight out of Chicago because of it.
What we like: Station labels are (almost; see below) limited to two directions only, allowing for easier reading. The Loop inset allows a lot of downtown detail without compromising the integrity of the rest of the map. The thinning of the lines as they enter the area that the inset represents is quite effective.
What we don’t like: There are only two station names set at a 45-degree angle (Ashland and Clinton on the Green/Pink lines) and they look really out of place, especially as there’s room to run them horizontally. Colour scheme for the background is uninspiring. The dashed line for rush service on the Blue Purple line looks very wonky in places. Some very minor twists in the route lines look overly fussy and unnecessary: the western end of the Pink line, for example. Black outline on the Yellow Line looks heavy-handed and out of place.
Our rating: A solid map that conveys information well enough. It just lacks that certain spark to lift it above the merely informational. Three stars.
Source: Official CTA website
Historical Map: Stuttgart VVS Map, circa 2000
Without a doubt, this has to be one of my favourite transit maps ever. As far as I know, this isometric approach is unique and it is staggeringly effective. Everything is beautifully labelled, and lovely icons highlight important sites like the zoo, museums and sports stadiums. Unfortunately, this stunning map has since been replaced by a far more conventional diagram – a great loss in my opinion.
Have we been there? I’ve changed trains at the Hauptbahnhof, but have never ventured into the city itself.
What we like: The clever three-dimensional representation of the Hauptbahnhof, complete with corner tower, does a lot to complete the illusion of dimensionality. The isometric layout is a clever way of allowing all the type to be set horizontally without hitting route lines. Subtly different line weights for the S-Bahn and U-Bahn work really well.
What we don’t like: The isometric effect is so effective and convincing that the one and only horizontal line — the R31 across the top of the diagram — looks strangely out of place.
Our rating: Undeniably brilliant. 5 stars.
Source: Stuttgart City Information Site
Photo: Old Metropolitan Line Map
Love this, such attention to detail. Every aspect has been carefully considered and it shows. Especially love the outlined version of the LU roundel to counterbalance the heavy METROPOLITAN LINE reversed text next to it. Can anyone date this for me?
Source: garethr1/Flickr
Official Map: MARTA Rail System, Atlanta, Georgia, 2011
This map is a great example of how it’s attention to the little details that separate the great transit maps and the merely good.
At first glance, this map has all the elements of the best: a clean layout, an excellent and consistently applied set of icons for subsidiary information (parking, restrooms, lost and found, etc. – although any information about disabled access to the system is strangely lacking), and good informational hierarchy (note how the road network, although present, is toned down nicely in comparison to the rail lines).
However, closer analysis reveals some elements that jar, and stop this map from being truly world-class. When the Red and Yellow lines curve through 45 degrees together, the gap between them increases dramatically, creating an unsightly white bulge. I know from experience that this happens when Adobe Illustrator’s “Round Corners” effect is applied to any angle apart from a right angle – the algorithm the software uses is flawed and creates curves that don’t quite line up with each other. It’s always better to add curves to route lines manually to avoid this effect.
This map also outlines its routes in black, something I don’t think I’ve seen on any other transit map. It’s a finicky detail that goes against the simplicity shown elsewhere on the map, especially when the black edges butt up to the white circles around each station.
Other overly-designed features also affect the overall impact: the odd drop shadow below the header and the unnecessarily graduated grey background behind the legend.
Finally, type choices. Futura, the main typeface used throughout, is unusual in that it looks better at thinner weights. Compare the elegance of the header type with the bolder “Red Line” labels and it’s hard to believe it’s the same typeface! As a result, the legend looks very heavy, especially with the odd large caps/small caps combination used. Futura also has a relatively small x-height, which doesn’t make it the most readable typeface at smaller sizes.
Strangely, the contact information at the base of the map is set in Helvetica Neue Light, a completely different typeface!
Have we been there? Only at the airport on a layover between flights, which doesn’t count.
What we like: By current US transit map standards, this is a remarkably clean and restrained design and should be commended for that.
What we don’t like: “Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center” has to be one of the most ridiculous station names ever, vying with DC’s “U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo” for the title. Do the announcements call this whole name out every time?
Our rating: Almost, almost really excellent. Three-and-a-half stars.
Source: Official MARTA website
Loser
“A [transit map] designer who cannot make all the type horizontal is a loser.”
Erik Spiekermann, designer of the post-reunification Berlin transit diagram.
Official Map: Buffalo Light Rail, New York, 2011
Having showcased some excellent transit map design, it’s time to see what happens when it all goes horribly wrong. This monstrosity is the official map – available on the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s website – for the light rail system of Buffalo, New York. My eyes hurt.
Have we been there? No.
What we like: It tells us where the trains stop. That is all.
What we don’t like: Where to begin? The hilarious usage of a train symbol at each and every station, just so we don’t forget that trains might run on this light rail system. Uninspired and even downright ugly typography. Dark blue graphics on a dark green background are very hard to see, while red type on that same green background clashes horribly. Finally, the ridiculously over-the-top ornate compass rose puts the finishing touches on a complete disaster. Really, it’s just one line: things shouldn’t be this hard.
Our rating: Ughh. Half a star.
Source: Official NFTA website – map no longer exists
Official Map: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
A transit diagram exhibiting many of the “standard” features of a German transit map: clean design, rectangles for interchange stations that increase in size according to the number of lines that pass through them, and an absence of curves on route lines. A few features set it apart from other similar maps, including the angled type used throughout, set in a slightly odd choice of Futura Condensed – not always the most legible typeface at smaller sizes. The coloured lines representing the tram routes stand out well from the grey bus routes, and some care has been taken to make all the routes easy to follow.
Have we been there? Yes, backpacking in 2003. One tram driver went completely out of his way to help me – yelling out his window that his tram was the right one to get to the youth hostel, holding the tram so I could run across the road and get on, then stopping at the VAG information centre so he could go and get me a map and information on fares. Amazing!
What we like: Showing route numbers in the route line it represents works very effectively and helps in following the route from beginning to end. Excellent disabled access symbology.
What we don’t like: Labels set at multiple different angles, making reading more difficult. The huge red swoosh that the VAG logo is placed in is ugly and overpowering.
Our rating: A solid three-and-a-half. Nothing spectacular, but a good example of German transit map design.
Source: VAG website
Historical Map: San Francisco Market Street Railway Company Routes, 1931
An absolutely stunning overhead perspective drawing of San Francisco in this old cable car company map of services. The Golden Gate bridge does not exist yet, and fares to any part of the city (including transfers) are just five cents.
Have we been there? Yes, but the remaining cable cars are now just a sad, touristy reminder of what there once was.
What we like: Just about everything. The draftsmanship, and detailing is extraordinary – this is all drawn by hand! The unusual aerial perspective of the city is both effective and eye-catching. Nice use of limited colours: this looks like a three-colour print job (black, red, green).
What we don’t like: Perhaps a little difficult to decipher individual services, but it seems this map is part of a booklet that provides greater detail on other pages, so even this is not much of a fault.
Our rating: 5 stars!
Source: Eric Fischer/Flickr