A first look at the new in-car strip maps for Portland, Oregon’s streetcar system. With the opening of most of the eastside loop, there are now two lines: the original route is now the North/South (NS) line, and the new track is the Central (CL) line.

Unfortunately, for a brand new service that the city desperately wants everyone to like and use, the design of this map is terribly dowdy and old fashioned. There’s some good information there – I particularly like the inclusion of all the bridges over the Willamette River – but it’s just all crammed in with no room for anything to breathe. It may be usable, but it’s definitely not pretty.

Source: carrythebanner/Flickr