6 replies to this topic

[theurbanryan]

I'm interested to see people's opinions about what makes a good bus route map.  Do people prefer geographic accuracy and correct scale, or simplified but distorted?  I feel like bus timetables and route maps are a bit neglected.  Post an example or two of what you consider good.  

Just to clarify, I mean route map that you'd find in a printed timetable or schedule, not a system map.  Here's a few examples to get started.

Here's my hometown, and my route.  MARTA, Atlanta GA - schematic map, not geographically accurate.  
http://www.itsmarta....spages/113.html

Metro Transit, Minneapolis MN - I like the level of detail.  And that the timetable has a map of where the route travels in the service area on the front cover.  (PDF warning)
http://www.metrotran.../routes/022.pdf

Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), greater Detroit, MI - I like SMART's corridor-oriented timetables (they group schedules together by shared segments, with up to 2 or 3 routes per timetable) and show all of them on the map.  
http://www.smartbus....AINW670H479.jpg

Port Authority of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh PA - I'm a fan of the inset and attempts at geographic accuracy.  
http://www.portautho...ps/maps/11D.gif


What does the Urban Planet community think?  Post an example or two.  And a disclaimer: this is my first post here.

[sean]

The Pittsburgh system map is the most appealing to me.  Depicting the bus lines and how they relate to the river helps anchor my understanding of the subject. In contrast, the Atlanta system map and the Detroit system maps are very minimalist and they abstract the geography.  Different strokes for different folks.

Are you a Cartographer?

[theurbanryan]

not sure if i'd call myself a cartographer or not, but i do quite a bit of GIS analysis and mapping.  i've been developing my own map format to see if i can come up with a GIS-based geographically accurate design that could be put together in a reasonable amount of time.  i'm more of a transit planning analyst by trade than specifically a cartographer.

sean, on Feb 5 2008, 11:32 AM, said:

The Pittsburgh system map is the most appealing to me.  Depicting the bus lines and how they relate to the river helps anchor my understanding of the subject. In contrast, the Atlanta system map and the Detroit system maps are very minimalist and they abstract the geography.  Different strokes for different folks.

Are you a Cartographer?

[greenvillegrows]

Here's one from Greenville, SC

[TheBostonian]

With a large system like Boston's, a problem for me is that not all routes are equal.  I did a couple class projects where I mapped only key routes that are always running every 20 minutes or better.  But I only mapped them for the sake of spatial analysis, not in a sensible way that someone trying to get from A to B might need.

[Cotuit]

greenvillegrows, on May 22 2008, 03:16 PM, said:

Here's one from Greenville, SC

That's almost exactly what the Rhode Island maps look like, and I hate them. They are almost OK for someone familiar with the area, but totally fall down for someone unfamiliar as they don't show the surrounding area to give a sense of where you are and what is being served. I have trouble figuring out where some buses are going in areas that I am familiar with.

[manzell3]

I'm partial to these - I know they've done extensive work on making them informative but easy to use and visually attractive.

http://www.cata.org/...17/Default.aspx