Should MARTA switch to a more geographically accurate map? (neighborhoods, live)

[bryantm3]

I was just watching this video about the short-lived map that the New York Subway adopted in the 70s, the same time period our MARTA map dates from. Like MARTA's, it was easy to read, asethetically pleasing, but completely geographically inaccurate. It was so unpopular that it was replaced by the end of the 70s with a more geographically accurate map.








Our system is pretty simple now, but as it expands, should MARTA keep the stylized map, or adopt one that reflects urban geography?

[arjay57]

Excellent post! I am okay with a stylized graphical map when there aren't a lot of lines or stations. However, as the system grows, I can see how making the map conform more to what's up above could be helpful.

[primaltech]

Will the heavy rail system ever grow? Sad if not. Sad that it hasn’t in decades.

[jsvh]

Per the video, most other cities use the same style easier to understand map. It makes it easier to navigate within the transit system. The more geographically correct map helps navigating "above" the system AKA, finding the best station to get on / off the system at.

For our existing HRT system, it is a larger range system where there is basically just one station per neighborhoods. So the existing map works great.

However, as we start to build out our shorter-range LRT system a more geographically correct map may make more sense because many people will use the map to decide which station is closest to them while walking around the city.

[SEAandATL]

I think it's fine the way it is. Even Tokyo's subway map has straight lines.

[2Easy]

When you ride transit you typically know where you want to go and are looking at maps to see how to get there, not how many turns there are along the way. Straight lines are the easiest to process. Plus what difference would turns and wiggles make if you can’t actually get off there?

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by 2Easy

When you ride transit you typically know where you want to go and are looking at maps to see how to get there, not how many turns there are along the way. Straight lines are the easiest to process. Plus what difference would turns and wiggles make if you can’t actually get off there?

This. Today's MARTA rail map...



looks substantially better than the one from years ago...



which didn't even give clear indications as to which train went where.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by 2Easy

When you ride transit you typically know where you want to go and are looking at maps to see how to get there, not how many turns there are along the way. Straight lines are the easiest to process. Plus what difference would turns and wiggles make if you can’t actually get off there?

i think the way it's structured now, it works really well to tell where you are not in reality, but within the system, and with the amount of park-and ride stations there are, people generally get on at one station to park and go inwards. the map is very useful for commuters. where it's not a good fit is when people are relying on transit to get them around within the city. none of the neighborhoods or surface streets are demarcated. and it results in confusion for people who are trying to relate where they are in the system relative to those places.

at least on this forum, it seems to be a big enough problem that we have a whole thread about renaming MARTA stations to clear up some of this confusion, with thousands of suggestions, but maybe that's not really a practical solution— it might be a lot more cost-effective to just change the map so people know where they are in the city.

it doesn't have to be a visual mess like the bus map. but it might be useful to have key streets highlighted. it would be useful for people to know that the MARTA line runs under west peachtree street until it intersects with peachtree, then follows broad street, for example. and this way MARTA doesn't have to completely reinvent the wheel every time it adds a new line. i can't imagine the current map being able to show where the streetcar line and beltline LRT would be in any meaningful way, so they are probably going to have to redraw the map entirely to fit that information. putting a new line or station on a map that generally follows geography wouldn't require redesigning the entire map.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

it doesn't have to be a visual mess like the bus map. but it might be useful to have key streets highlighted.

Excellent idea.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

i think the way it's structured now, it works really well to tell where you are not in reality, but within the system, and with the amount of park-and ride stations there are, people generally get on at one station to park and go inwards. the map is very useful for commuters. where it's not a good fit is when people are relying on transit to get them around within the city. none of the neighborhoods or surface streets are demarcated. and it results in confusion for people who are trying to relate where they are in the system relative to those places.

at least on this forum, it seems to be a big enough problem that we have a whole thread about renaming MARTA stations to clear up some of this confusion, with thousands of suggestions, but maybe that's not really a practical solution— it might be a lot more cost-effective to just change the map so people know where they are in the city.

it doesn't have to be a visual mess like the bus map. but it might be useful to have key streets highlighted. it would be useful for people to know that the MARTA line runs under west peachtree street until it intersects with peachtree, then follows broad street, for example. and this way MARTA doesn't have to completely reinvent the wheel every time it adds a new line. i can't imagine the current map being able to show where the streetcar line and beltline LRT would be in any meaningful way, so they are probably going to have to redraw the map entirely to fit that information. putting a new line or station on a map that generally follows geography wouldn't require redesigning the entire map.

Most people default to opening their phone when navigating, so adding all that detail to a map that is suppose to quickly convey the basic information of the rail system will only it make confusing. rail maps should be easy to read and minimize curves, bends, etc. Even the NYC Subway map is not geographically accurate and removes curves and bends to make the map simpler.