It matters to me. I use maps to understand the world, not get from point A to B as smoothly as possible.
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As opposed to other cities, where the subways go door-to-door?[quote=âEnkidu, post:20, topic:5634â]
That a single map might provide you with enough information to be successful in both modes seems to me to be superior to the idea that one should get a second map for the second mode.
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Unless a map includes surface streets then it wonât be particularly useful to pedestrians whether itâs geographically accurate or not.
The primary function of a subway map is to help riders navigate the subway system, not to act as a complete atlas of a city. Trying to improve its ability as the latter can impede its function as the former.
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[quote=âstephen_schenck, post:21, topic:5634â]
I want to understand the world, not get from point A to B as smoothly as possible.
[/quote]Then maybe you should skip the subway altogether and just take a nice walk. âGetting people from point A to point B as smoothly as possibleâ is pretty much the sole purpose of a mass transit system.
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I and others have already opined that there may be more walking assumed in NYC that in at least some others cities.
Iâm sure what youâre saying has merit in the abstract, but the very minimal concessions the official MTA map makes to accuracy greatly improves its flexibility for a typical traveler, and I fail to see how itâs reduced its effectiveness as a subway map in the process. I was impressed withhow it aided my city-averse and easily-lost mother during a visit, both above and below ground.
Thereâs an interesting parallel in software developmentâthe âdo one thing and do it wellâ âUNIX approachâ has many fans, and to some extent Iâm one of them. But many in software development know that tactical violations of that philosophy can pay huge dividends.
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The official MTA map does include major surface streets, bridges, islands, and so on, because theyâre landmarks people use to navigate themselves. You need to know how to get into the subway before you can start going from point A to B. DC is incredibly terrible from that regard, as the glob of colored spaghetti doesnât really tell you where or how far the stops are â a ride thatâs 3 blocks looks as close as a ride thatâs 10 minutes â and New York has the advantage of a grid system over its most trafficked island.
New Yorkâs approach has always been that the subway is for people without cars, who are walking to a station, so the stations should be findable on a map used by people who walk. They care about parks, rivers, obvious landmarks and, of course, the difference between short blocks and long blocks.
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But I care where things exist underground, not just where I can see them above ground. Non-specific, simplified, or inaccurate depictions of tunnel routes are uninteresting.
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Most people have goals that involve stepping outside the subway system itself.
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I suppose you live at E5.
I donât believe I ever advocated an efficient subway map as a replacement for all other forms of navigation.
I agree, but if youâre looking for âinteresting and highly informativeâ instead of âefficient means of navigating the subway systemâ then maybe a subway map isnât the best choice of reading material.
By all means, go get yourself some detailed maps that show streets and landmarks and topography and infrastructure and sewer system layouts and connecting portals to the secret underground lairs of the mole people if thatâs your thing.
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I didnât read through all of the comments, so I may repeat someone elseâs thoughts, but this is an interesting concept and It does have a certain beauty to it. However, and Iâm not looking at a current map to compare, but I feel familiar enough with it. This map feels much larger and the text is way too small. Nice try, but the beauty sacrifices legibility and practical use of printing/display space.
Iâve found that the best functional balance usually works like this:
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At each station or stop are detailed, geographically accurate maps showing the locations of subway stops in relation to surface streets and landmarks. Travelers can carefully study these maps as long as they need to in order to figure out where they are and what stations are nearest their ultimate destinations.
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Within each subway car is a simplified abstract map, similar to the one here, that provides just enough information to help travelers quickly figure out how to get from one station to another.
Edit to add: Something like this. On the left is the official map of MUNI services in San Francisco. Complete, accurate, useful for finding your way around the city. Itâs at every bus stop and every train station. On the right is the official MUNI light rail map that appears within each street car. Simplified, easy to read, to-the-point. Each map fulfills its intended function well but would absolutely suck at filling the role of the other.
Yes, New Yorkâs subway system is much more extensive but I think that only reinforces the need for a easy-to-use version of the map.
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Brainspore is teaching his students to solve the wrong problem. People donât want to know how to get from one subway station to another. People want to know how to get from their point of departure to their destination. Those are street addresses. Finding âwhat are the nearest subway stations to both on a suitable line or lines?â is the question they want to answer. The spiral map is useless for that.
A map that strikes a balance between geographical verisimilitude, keeping the crowded bits readable, and somewhat telescoping the outlying lines so as to not have vast blank areas is the best approach, and the one used by the current official maps. This circular map is a triumph of style over usefulness. Edward Tufte would cry if he saw this.
I lived in Manhattan for 10 years - having a useful subway map is important.
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Whether you advocated it or not, the current NYC map does a decent job of meeting that need, The subject map does not. Most folks will not want to carry multiple maps and attempt to correlate from one to another.
And if you donât need a surface map, you probably donât need a subway map either.
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This isnât the kind of map Iâd imagine people carrying around on their person, itâs the kind that makes the most sense posted inside the subway car itself.
Of course, lower Manhattan, arguably the area of most interest and most geographic complexity, is a smashed together block of text, while Flushing and Forest Hills are spaciously linear.
The non-uniformity of whitespace is a big strike against this, imhoâŚ
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Yes, but I live in L.A. I dare anyone to make sense of this mess:
http://subway.umka.org/map-los-angeles.html
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Iâm enjoying all of these maps. The geographically accurate one just isnât sexy enough to look at every day.
Is this for sale? I need this.
Believe me, Brainspore: If youâre a tourist in NYC, you will want to carry the traditional map. You will want to be able to plan your activities partly based on whatâs near where, and you will want to be able to make and revise those decisions without having to stand inside a subway station while doing so. Iâve been away from NYC long enough that I carry the map when playing tourist there, though I make every attempt to avoid having to consult it on the street because I hate looking like a tourist.
Youâre imaginging. Iâve observed, and Iâve done.
