TTC Cartography, Signage, and Wayfinding

[kotsy]

I don't know, the orange bulbs for the interchanges are already severely worn out on most trains I see as they are always on for reasons unknown — the interchanges are pretty easy to see on the map, I really don't think they need to be a different colour.

They really should've gone with a system similar to NYC that lists the next few stops and the terminal station and then put a full train system map next to the door in the advertising spot.

Agreed wholeheartedly. We certainly beat NYC and most other cities with trains featuring open gangways and they are really great trains but NYC's newest trains with the constantly updating map just destroys the one we have in the TR. I also find our map a bit confusing. The green dots are stations that have already been visited from what I recall which doesn't to make much sense to me. In my opinion - green = go or good = station is coming up. There isn't even a legend or explanation on the map for the colour usage. I can imagine that most new subway riders aren't able to ready it correctly. Maybe we'll get lucky one day and they'll just upgrade the maps to something more useful.

 

[CDL.TO]

I always wonder why the TTC thinks that people need or want to know where a train has already been? It's useless, extraneous information!

Just light up the stations where the train is going to go!

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

I always wonder why the TTC thinks that people need or want to know where a train has already been? It's useless, extraneous information!

Just light up the stations where the train is going to go!

Actually it's pretty useful to know where a train has been that way you know if you are on the right train in case you made a mistake.

 

[superman]

What's happening to this station signage update anyway? Is it still happening?

 

[CDL.TO]

Actually it's pretty useful to know where a train has been that way you know if you are on the right train in case you made a mistake.

No, I'm pretty sure the only way to know whether you're on the right train is to know where it's going, not where it's been.

Please explain to me the situation where you say "I don't care where this train is going. I just need to know where it came from.".

 

[ndawgg]

Agreed wholeheartedly. We certainly beat NYC and most other cities with trains featuring open gangways and they are really great trains but NYC's newest trains with the constantly updating map just destroys the one we have in the TR. I also find our map a bit confusing. The green dots are stations that have already been visited from what I recall which doesn't to make much sense to me. In my opinion - green = go or good = station is coming up. There isn't even a legend or explanation on the map for the colour usage. I can imagine that most new subway riders aren't able to ready it correctly. Maybe we'll get lucky one day and they'll just upgrade the maps to something more useful.

The green/red mixup on the signs is SO ridiculous. I wrote them about this and the answer was pretty much, "I don't know why it's like that. I'll forward your question on" and then I never heard back. This discussion just came up again this past weekend with friends who are not transit enthusiasts, and they too were complaining about how it makes no sense. Is there something we can do like bombard them with emails/tweets, or a petition or something?

 

[mdrejhon]

I think they'll do something once the York subway is about to come online, but let's make sure they get something better. Or simply dim/turn off the lights of stations not yet visited.

 

[44 North]

the only way to know whether you're on the right train is to know where it's going, not where it's been.

That's deep. I think I had a fortune cookie say the same thing.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Woah.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

No, I'm pretty sure the only way to know whether you're on the right train is to know where it's going, not where it's been.

Please explain to me the situation where you say "I don't care where this train is going. I just need to know where it came from.".

well if it's been to the station you want o go then your on the wrong tran

 

[animatronic]

http://www1.toronto.ca/static_files/economic_development_and_culture/docs/BIA Maps/PATH_map.pdf

Just noticed that the latest PATH map still has the Spadina streetcar listed as an LRT

 

[reaperexpress]

The green/red mixup on the signs is SO ridiculous. I wrote them about this and the answer was pretty much, "I don't know why it's like that. I'll forward your question on" and then I never heard back. This discussion just came up again this past weekend with friends who are not transit enthusiasts, and they too were complaining about how it makes no sense. Is there something we can do like bombard them with emails/tweets, or a petition or something?

The red/green mixup is counterintuitive, but I expect that switching them the right way around would be even more confusing given that many people have gotten used to it. My thought would be to combine a couple ideas posted above by only lighting up the stations that are to come with both the red and green LEDs (which makes that orange-ish colour currently used for interchanges). Having a separate colour for interchanges adds unnecessary complexity anyway.

 

[kotsy]

Just having the stations already visited with no colour at all will clear up all confusion immediately.

 

[ndawgg]

I know it probably won't accomplish anything, nor get any traction, but the red/green light thing drives me crazy so I thought I'd give this a try.

https://www.change.org/p/toronto-tr...utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

I know it probably won't accomplish anything, nor get any traction, but the red/green light thing drives me crazy so I thought I'd give this a try.

https://www.change.org/p/toronto-tr...utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

Just so you know the TTC is very lily to ignore an online petition, very few of them actually result in anything because pretty much anyone can sign it with any name they want.