transitmap.net

Submitted by Cédric, who says: I got interested in a historical map of the Moscow Metro featured on this site some time ago (November 2012, 4 stars). expanded Moscow metro network, I started to apply a similar design language to a series of metro systems around the world, selected for the intermediate complexity of their network, allowing for a compact and unique-looking map, yet somehow challenging design-wise. Building upon the original map of Moscow, I tried out ways to display additional layers of information: branching lines, route numbers, and interchanges to other public transit networks. Of all the examples you’ve shown, I think Milan is my favourite: a series of similar interlocking arcs all connected by the straight line axis of Line 3… wonderful!

Inside the city of Wrocław it’s also possible to travel by train having a city’s public transport ticket. Fitting over 20 tram lines and almost 80 bus lines into a compact canvas like this is an almost impossible task, so you’ve got to admire the herculean effort made here. However, it’s undoubtedly difficult to use: there are only two colours for routes (magenta for trams and blue for buses) and you have to find and then painstakingly follow route numbers across the map. Some good design discipline has been used to set up the major route axes of the map along 30°/60° angles, though the effect is somewhat spoiled by the dashed green fare zone boundary, which weaves its way drunkenly around the edge of the map.

Milan’s Metro has grown since I last reviewed the official map (way back in March 2012), with Line 5 now being open and Line 4 under construction – The first thing I noticed is that the suburban lines have all been upgraded to have their own colour-coded route line instead of sharing a common colour as on previous maps. The Metro lines are nice and thick, and now have curves when they change direction instead of a hard corner, which make the map flow a bit better for me. The angled labels aren’t helping matters, and are particularly unfortunate seeing as previous versions had labels that were all set horizontally.

You’ve definitely done a good job of untangling the denser parts of the proposed network, and the mode differentiation between metro (solid lines) and commuter rail (cased) works well. The full list of stations and their grid reference are a nice addition to a comprehensive legend, though I think the type is a bit small and could fit into the available space a bit better. The complaint about small type continues to the labelling, especially the tiny text naming the lines – for something that’s meant to aid accessibility, it’s just far too small to be useful. Many transit maps use larger bullets with a letter or number representing the line’s designation at each terminus, which I generally think is more effective than tiny labels along the line itself.