BEFORE. Existing transit diagram for the San Francisco Bay Area. Source: MTC.
Issues:
- Over reliance on color as the sole means of differentiation between transit agencies
- Unclear hierarchy between city names, station names, and transit agency labels
- Bus agency service areas are ambiguously represented by both paths and shaded areas
- Geographic accuracy is affected by the number of connecting agencies at each transit station
AFTER. Redesign of the Bay Area Regional Transit Diagram by Christina Gotuaco, Nov. 2013.
(While this map does not address all issues, it aims to increase accessibility and allow for better utilization of the map information.)
Solutions:
- Organization structured by linear rail networks with secondary emphasis on connecting bus services
- Main emphasis on order of stations and relative locations, rather than specific geographic locations
- Detail of stations as points of transfer between specific transit agencies
- Airports identified by airport code and universal icon
- Transit agencies identified by color, placement, and recognizable logo; phone numbers listed for further information
- Small map overview of all Bay Area counties available as a point of reference
