A new take on the frequent transit map.
Categories
Tags
Published on
January 14, 2025
Author
Cole Dev
Share
Roughly a year ago, I produced a fast and frequent network diagram of the Greater Montreal Area. Now, I redrawn it from scratch and improved it's legibility. I've also devised a new data driven method to decide which lines to represent. With the ARTM having the desire to develop a metropolitan frequent bus network, I believe my diagram would be a good template to further value the frequent bus lines in the region.
Updated.
Removed a doublet of paragraphs.
Added an addendum about the upcoming service changes for the STM 439 in January 2024.
Updated September 6th 2023.
Post navigation
Post navigation
Recommended reading
Stay connected
Subscribe for free to get a notification in your inbox when I publish a new article.
Uniquement disponible en français.
Explore the carefully crafted diagram of the frequent bus network, trains, REM and Métro system. All of this combined into one diagram, after hundred+ hours of labourous work.
*By downloading, you agree to the CC BY-NC-ND license of the diagram.
The idea of creating a frequent bus network diagram.
Decreasing bus ridership.
STM daily weekday average bus network ridership from 2011 to 2023 (APTA).
Ever since 2011, the bus ridership on the Montreal island, never recovered. I believe that one way to promote usage of the bus network, is to promote the usefulness of the network (i.e. the frequent bus network), and create a better user experience. One mantra that I believe strongly in to promote a better user experience, is that transit systems must be a frictionless experience. This means, that when the client needs a particular piece of information, that it is easy to find that piece of information. I've already worked on this for the majority of signage elements for the bus network in my previous project, that develops new wayfinding standards for the bus network. The last missing piece of the puzzle, is exactly the core transit network diagram.
A missing in-between diagram.
Map or diagram in-between?
ARTM's metropolitan diagram (left) and STM's network diagram (right).
Akin to my previous diagram, there is a certain gap between the complete network maps published by the operators and a simple rail transit map. Other transit agencies, such as Translink produce many different types of maps, including a complete network map and a rail network map. One diagram that particularly peaked my interest was the frequent transit map and the regional transit network map.
ARTM's metropolitan corridors.
The ARTM is currently working on developing frequent corridors that 70% of the population in the Greater Montreal Area will be covered by within 750 meters (La Relève). It will be crucial to map out this network on a clear diagram, so that it shows to the population that good public transportation options exist near their neighborhood and can be used for some or all of their trips. There needs to be a diagram with good bones to convey this information easily.
Issues with my first attempts.
Although the my first attempt was a remarkable feat to accomplish, the end result was less than stellar. Over the last year, I had reviewed literature, watched other transit map making videos, learned new applications and techniques and stared at many different maps. Looking for the best examples, I've purchased the books titled "Transit Maps of the World" and "Iconic Transit Maps : The World's Best Designs", both authored by Mark Ovenden. However, it does not mean that I no longer stand behind what I applied in the first diagram I produced. In fact, I've taken all that has worked on the previous diagram, and tweaked it to work even better.
Cluttered.
Some areas of the map just felt too busy with bus lines, such as Longueuil (left), Laval (center) and Dorval (right).
My existing diagram was too busy. Each bus line had it's own line, and each line was quite thick. On top of that, lines were not structured. Therefore, the new map needed to combine bus lines so that they take up less space. The trade-off with this decision is that it is no longer easy to see where does service overlap. However, in a diagrammatic diagram like this, some segments are exaggerated or underestimated in perceived length. Therefore, there could be an overlapping section that seems longs and may have stops on it and goes places, while in reality, it is not the case.
The only implied grid in the existing diagram was the east-end of Montreal, where buses already run in a grid.
On top of that, the part of the map that was visually lighter, was the east end of Montreal where buses were drawn as running in a near-perfect grid. This means that a probable solution to make it easier to understand, was to create an implied grid in other locations and as much possible, so that the diagram seems less busy. It is also key to align different elements so that they seem more visually appealing.
Bus line indicators too prominent and difficulty to locate bus terminal points.
Line indicators along the bus lines are too similar to the bus line terminal indicators and clutter up visually.
The rectangle shape with a coloured background makes the indicators too prominent on the map. They make the map seem busy and take up tons of space and therefore compete for the users attention. The hierarchy needed to make them less prominent, yet keep or increase the prominence of bus terminals so that they can be found easily by the user.
Text that is too small.
For the existing diagram to be printed, it had to be printed very large since the text is small. This is because the diagram was already very busy and for it to be less busy and the text to fit in some places, it had to be adjusted. This is because the existing diagram was drawn without consideration for the position and placement of the labels. Therefore, careful consideration should be taken in the future diagram for the placement of the stations and lines, that takes into account their labels.
Non-data driven method of identifying frequent bus lines.
To decide which bus lines to place on the diagram, I just used my knowledge and the previous routes that the STM marked as frequent. I used the Transit App to check the frequencies, and then I would decide to place it or not. This lead to some less than ideal choices, and including routes that are not that frequent ending up on the diagram, and others that are more frequent were not included.
Some EXO route do not operate that frequently, yet they still ended up on the diagram.
A diagram that cannot last.
The frequency indicator of the previous diagram.
The diagram would have to be updated frequently, especially the frequency information, as schedules are changed four times per year. On top of that, it would be difficult to fit in future bus lines and the REM stations, especially the labels.
Miscellaneous.
Universal access pictogram.
Accessible pictogram for the Jean-Talon station.
The pictogram that I created did not have correct proportions, and it just did not look nice. On top of that, it is not an active accessible user pictogram. The latter point is very important, since it is important to value that this group of people also move and they are not stagnant people in one place. The Accessible Icon Project lays the ground work for a strong case to move towards this type of pictogram that better represents this often marginalized group.
Hierarchy of labels
The label size for train stations and Metro stations is identical.
Labels for train and Metro stations are the same size. This is not good, since the Metro deserves way more prominence than the train system, since it runs much more frequently and it is a higher quality service. Therefore, the text for train stations should be smaller and less prominent than the Metro stations, so that the latter stands out more.
Redundant information
Bus terminal indicator for the Fairview bus terminal in the West Island part of Montreal.
Every bus terminal on the map is indicated with the word "Terminus." Not only this is inconsistent compared to train and metro stations who do not have their respective mentions of "Gare" and "Station," but is is redundant. The name should be enough to identify the terminal, and there should not be the need to add the small text above to indicate it is a terminal. It should be evident that it is a bus terminal or a major connection point based on the location and the context around it.
Downtown connections
Downtown Montreal has several underground connections between many subway stations.
It just takes up too much space and clutters the map. On top of that the wayfinding is poor and often out of date. I do not think it is good to indicate such connections, unless the wayfinding is well done. The network is also complex and not all of the connections are shown. Consult the map of the entire underground city network.
Fare zones.
Only cities and areas are marked directly on the map. Users have to check the diagram to see which color.
It is not indicated directly on the diagram which zone is associated with the color. Users would have to check the legend to know what each color represents. The goal initially was for users to be able to associate the city with the respective fare zone, however users are no longer accustomed to using legends, especially since modern mapping applications like Google Maps do not have legends. Fare zones and area names could not have been mixed, since the user could be confused, and instead I left it with only the area name on the diagram.
Planning the diagram.
Before starting the diagram, I had decided to plan out my objectives, the lines that I will place on the diagram, and visualize a geographic representation of the map using the GTFS shape files.
Objectives.
After laying out the issues that I had found with the existing map, I developed a list of objectives for the new diagram.
Completely redraw the map from scratch.
Friendly, approachable design and clutter-free.
Create an implicit grid for as many bus lines as possible, notably for Laval and the South Shore.
Make it look as close as possible to the existing Plan Métropolitain, yet still include improvements.
Increase the text size so it can be printed on sheets as small as 30 cm squared.
Follow the guidelines developed for the new bus stop signs.
Accessible to people who are colorblind, and thus include Deuteranope, Protanope and Tritanope testing.
Indicate fare zones with their original colors assigned by the ARTM, and indicate them directly on the diagram.
It has to endure and be able to adapt to an evolving transit network.
Use a GIS application to determine frequency per bus lines.
As this diagram includes the surface network, it should be only in light color (unlike dark such as the Métro diagram).
Include notable landmarks and streets to help user-orientation.
User-friendly design that avoids as much as possible the need to consult the Legend.
Bus labels de-emphasized and better hierarchy between different transit modes.
Evaluating the frequency of all the bus networks in Montreal.
To simplify the understanding of the diagram, I've devised two definitions of frequent buses, based on the existing STM definition :
All-day frequent lines
A bus that comes every 15 minutes or less from 6am to 8pm, weekdays, bidirectionally.
Rush-hour frequent lines
A bus that comes every 15 minutes or less from 6am to 9am and from 3:30pm to 6:30pm, weekdays, unidirectionally.
I tweaked these definitions compared to the official STM's one, to be able to include some suburban lines on the diagram, and that 15 minutes is what most operators use in North America (although 10 minutes is always the gold standard!). I also do want to note, that true frequency should be the all-day frequency definition, and this should be the only lines that are truly frequent. However, if I did that, the diagram would look void of lines.
Frequent bus lines also have to run off-peak, or have another route that does the entire frequent route similarly, with all-day frequencies of around 30 minutes or better.
Starting off with ArcGIS
The first analysis of the metropolitan bus network in ArcGIS.
I started off by using ArcGIS to analyze the frequency of the entire bus and metro network in the Greater Montreal Area. I chose to start off with ArcGIS, since it has built-in tools that allows to directly get the frequency of transit lines from the GTFS files. However, the issue is that it displays frequency, without using the precise shape files, that draws transit lines following the correct roads. Instead, it just joins each stop in order, and links each one up with a straight line. Therefore, long distances between stops, renders the bus line difficult to follow.
On top of that, it is difficult to export the information into a table, and obtain a list of bus lines that operate frequently. ArcGIS is also not optimized that well, and it takes a long time to load the map and navigate it.
Changing to R to analyze the transit networks.
Analysis of the EXO Richelain / Roussillon area (left) and the RTL (right) frequent bus networks.
Instead, I've decided to learn R to do an analysis of every single bus operator. R is a programming language for statistics, and has useful extensions with commands and functions tailored to GTFS data treatment. This allowed me to scientifically filter potential candidates of bus lines to be placed on the map. This allowed me to narrow my search of the bus lines, and just double check what the program was producing.
I adjusted the lines chosen by the program in R, to follow some additional restrictions. For example, Montreal's STM bus routes must operate all-day, except for some minor variations. If the bus route does not run the full day, it must have an alternative route that follows near exactly the same route, without transfers. This is why the bus line number 196 or the 460 of the STM is not included on my chosen list, despite following the definition of operating every 15 minutes or less during peak hours.
A geographic map of the frequent lines.
Geographic representation of the chosen lines for the frequent transit network diagram. (OpenStreetMap contributors).
Finally, I've decided to map geographically all the bus lines, to then be able to create cohesive grids on the diagrammatic representation. It also allowed me to see visually the areas that are dense in lines and make sure to create more space in consequence to better represent the lines and ensure the diagram is clean.
Challenges & Design process.
East Montreal bus network.
The very beginning of the diagram. Note how lines are assembled through straight lines and standardized curves assembled together.
Since this part of the previous diagram was the most successful portion, I decided to start on this portion of the diagram. Station spacing on the orange and green lines was based on the grid of frequent buses that operated on this portion of the island, to create roughly equal squares between the bus lines.
Immediately west of the western orange line branch.
One of the challenges was to clean up lines near the western end of the orange line. The lines are geographically dense, and many intersect. It is therefore important to show a clean representation of all the lines.
OFFICIAL DIAGRAM
The official diagram feels that it could be improved simply by having identical or a multiple of a identical spacing.
PREVIOUS DIAGRAM
The previous diagram uses a lot of minor adjustment curves and turn around loops, which makes the diagram feel cluttered.
NEW DIAGRAM
Equal spacing and multiples of equal spacing allows for lines to look simple and feel "light" to the eyes. It increases comprehension and eases the complexity of the diagram. The train lines also help organize and contain the bus network.
This was achieved by using spacers of identical length to space out transit lines from Highway 20, all the way to the 51 bus line, which are drawn at identical distances. I was amazed at the immediate difference it made to clean up the diagram and make it seem less busy, even though it is the same amount of bus lines.
The spacers used while creating the diagram.
Adjusting the 51 bus and the Côte-des-Neiges connection.
The official diagrams fails to not display the connection of the 51 bus at Côte-des-Neiges station. It turns a block or two before the station and deviates away from it, to serve Snowdon after, which in a way, renders the new diagram also more geographically accurate, but that was by coincidence and not on purpose. But the new diagram shows correctly the connection pattern of the 51, yet keeping it simple, and avoids the zig-zag design from my previous diagram.
OFFICIAL DIAGRAM
Notice how it claims that the 51 has a connection at Côte-des-Neiges
PREVIOUS DIAGRAM
I avoided this error with this awful zig-zag design, which I had to highlight because it is that bad.
NEW DIAGRAM
The new diagram adjusts the blue line, so that the 51 only needs to be slightly adjusted to show the correct connection pattern.
Lasalle and Verdun bus network.
LaSalle and Verdun is probably the most complicated portion of the map. Buses do not run in a grid and intersect many times between each other, and eventually most terminate at the same place. It was also a huge challenge to try to fit the network in the small west to the green line.
GEOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION
Bus lines do many turns, and do not necessarily run straight. They cross many times and most of them join up at the Lafleur/Newman terminal.
NEW DIAGRAM
I tried to organize the lines in a logical arrangement, to make the most sense.
Montreal's new light metro : REM.
Splitting the REM in one place, instead of splitting twice.
OFFICIAL DIAGRAM
On the Plan métropolitain, the REM is shown as splitting twice, like in real life, however there is no stations to on the shared section to justify this dual split.
NEW DIAGRAM
Since it is a diagrammatic representation, and there is no plan to add a station along the shared stretch, I decided that it would be clearer to show that all three branches split at the same place.
I am guessing that they decided to split it twice, to avoid the un-naturally long distance between stations after the split. However, I think the importance of the REM splitting at the same place is more important, than the un-naturally long distance between stations.
On top of that, the REM portion in construction is shown by using a dashed line. Some people, especially those who do not have a habit to look at the legend, nor those who do not speak French, may interpret this another way, such as being a limited service. That is why on my diagram, I used a diagonally slashed line, that reminds people of construction stripes, and a lighter color, for the line and text, so that users understand that it is under construction.
Angled text versus horizontal text.
NEW DIAGRAM
With my representation of the REM splitting at the same place, it allowed me to keep the text horizontal (Note : The REM has a white line in my diagram, this photo is just from when it was not complete).
Horizontal text is always more readable than angled text. However, I think angled text has place on diagrams, especially to save space. Alternating text below and above the line, just to keep the text horizontal, is actually more difficult to understand since it hinders the readability of the stations as a list. Reading stations as a list is essential to what the transit diagram is supposed to do.
How to represent bodies of water?
Water could be represented many ways. One thing I thought that was confusing on the official diagrams, is that water is not colored. This could mean those who are not familiar with the rough geography of the region do not understand what this lighter tone of gray means.
Instead, I thought of making it easier to understand by adding waves and the color blue, however this looked ugly when zoomed out. I tried adjusting the color of the waves, but it looked bad or it was just difficult to see the waves, defeating the purpose. Instead, I decided on just using a solid color to represent the bodies of water, and use dark blue text to name the major rivers.
OFFICIAL DIAGRAM
A lighter gray tone is used to represent water.
ORIGINAL IDEA
Originally, I thought of using waves, but the diagram looked bad when zoomed out.
Finally, I set on a light blue color to represent bodies of water and dark text for naming them.
Gridding the Laval and Longueuil bus networks.
Creating implicit grids makes the diagram seem less busy and makes it easier for the eye to follow. Therefore, I aligned carefully as many lines as possible, on this grid.
PREVIOUS DIAGRAM
Even though the previous diagram has less bus lines, it still looks more busy, because every bus line has its own line, and it is very disorderly, with arbitrary distance between each line. There was also neighboring space that was empty. Therefore, I wanted to optimize the usage of the space available.
NEW DIAGRAM
Since the lines create an implicit grid, this allows the diagram to be significantly cleaner, and looks simpler than the previous diagram.
To achieve this I first used the geographic representation and colored it in. I colored horizontal (red) and vertical (blue) lines. This allowed me also to match parallel bus lines together, if they operate in a parallel fashion.
Coloring horizontal and vertical lines on the geographic representation of the diagram.
Once the yellow line drawn, I had an idea of where the buses would originate from. I also placed the 61, so I know how much space I had to place all the different bus lines. I then used spacers and temporary lines to draw out the grid, so I had an idea of the spacing.
Drawing out the diagram started with temporary lines and spacers (in red).
This allowed me to grid the old Longueuil, make symmetry between the 61 on the south shore and Montreal, and align correctly the 200 with the train line (in purple). The same technique was applied to the Laval portion of the map, with great success :
PREVIOUS DIAGRAM
The disorganized lines makes the diagram feel very busy. Yet the eastern portion of Laval is very empty.
NEW DIAGRAM
Since the lines are equidistant, this results in a much cleaner diagram. A better usage of space, and the absence of the Laval 144 bus line gives more space, especially for the EXO 8 and 9 bus lines, which just run on highways without stops.
Laval began with organizing all the different transit lines in order, and then drawing the island.
Using major roads as landmarks and to aid user orientation.
Certain roads were added to the diagram to aid user orientation.
Each of these roads were added with intent, and had the space on the diagram for them. They are drawn in white, to contrast with the slightly colored backgrounds.
The first I added, were the three main West Island boulevards, which are often used as navigation by the locals, and have existed for a very long time. These are St.-Charles, St.-Jean and Des Sources. Pierrefonds was added to show where the majority of these roads end, and the existing Vaudreuil train line was used to show where they start. This video below explains the origins of these major roads.
Henri-Bourassa was added since it is a long boulevard, but also there is the project of placing the REV and all day bus lanes on it (Ville de Montréal - Corridor de mobilité durable Henri-Bourassa). Many bus lines use Henri-Bourassa, and is intersected by the orange line, the Saint-Jérôme line and soon, the REM.
Notre-Dame was added since many routes terminate along or at this street. Lastly, Curé-Labelle was added, since it's a major corridor for the North Shore and for the Laval 151 bus as well the EXO Laurentides 9 bus.
Aligning stations to be correctly positioned vis-a-vis each other.
I am creating a diagram, which is not geographically accurate. However, spacial placement of stations is crucial, not lines. This is why the Mascouche line passes above Charlevoix, while in real life it passes below it. But this is not important, because there is no station on this portion of the line. Users do not care about where the line is, but rather where stations are located in relation to each other. This is why in my new diagram, the positions of stations matter.
Therefore I attempted to align particular cases together, so that they are representative of their placement. One such example is the Candiac line and their respective bus terminals.
GEOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION
Georges-Gagné bus terminal is located in-between Saint-Constant and Delson. Montcalm-Candiac is located in between Candiac and Delson stations. ( © Mapbox, © OpenStreetMap and Improve this map)
PREVIOUS DIAGRAM
The previous diagram, nothing was correctly aligned spacially.
NEW DIAGRAM
The new diagram is corrected, with the correct placement of the bus terminals. La Prairie is a bit off, to better represent the bus lines.
Parks & major landmarks.
Certain parks and major landmarks were also added. However, this proved difficult because of the lack of space. For example, Angrignon park has no label, and the Maisonneuve park is just missing. On top of that, I wanted to place more major landmarks, but due to the lack of time to draw them, I just did the Saint-Joseph Oratory.
Metropolitan infrastructure and other station information.
In all of my previous diagrams, I had to align the icons manually (or use Figma's frame feature). For this project, I used Affinity Designer entirely. Therefore, without the auto-aligning help from Figma, I had to find an easy and fast way to align the icons and make sure they are the correct size. Therefore, I had decided to export the pictograms from my new bus stop sign project, and place them inside FontForge to create a custom typeface.
This allowed me to perfectly and consistently align with ease the pictogram, by simply changing the typeface. Each pictogram is associated with a letter, so it is as if I am typing a text.
The pictograms look just as good as using the original files, and they are consistently perfectly aligned with the text size.
Future improvements could include better spacing between the icons, so that there is a custom space between each one, instead of just the space.
Testing for colorblindness accessibility.
I believe that transit systems is the vector for accessibility for everyone. It is one of the only modes that a person could possibly travel independently, and provides true freedom to its users. However, this can only be achieved if the necessary infrastructure and systems are in place. Unfortunately, placing elevators is expensive, but fortunately for us, making wayfinding accessible is an easy low-hanging fruit that the ARTM must work for. Such signage elements must be introduced, such as tactile and braille signage, but also existing wayfinding products must also be accessible. One method of accessibility is for people who are colorblind, especially for maps and line colors, so that they can differentiate the different lines.
Fortunately, Affinity Photo has a LUT for testing colorblindness accessibility. Therefore, I started off testing with the official colors of the diagram by the ARTM, and I found some interesting results :
OFFICIAL DIAGRAM
Protanope testing for the official diagram. Notice how the orange and green lines are barely distinguishable.
PREVIOUS DIAGRAM
My previous diagram fared the worst in the Protanope testing.
NEW DIAGRAM
Adjusted colors, make no difference to the naked eye, but make a big difference for those who are colorblind.
OFFICIAL DIAGRAM
Deuteranope testing for the official diagram. This is not as bad, but it could still be improved.
NEW DIAGRAM
The new adjusted colors are even more distinguishable than before.
Bus lines.
The type of line.
Originally I was planning to follow the standard that I elaborated in my new bus stop sign project (a supposition of the ARTM standard is officially).
Standard of the type of line per mode (New wayfinding project for the bus network, page 42).
Instead, the bus line was changed significantly, to better differentiate the terminal points from the major connection points, and to be able to recognize the terminal bus line faster.
The official ARTM standard versus the standard used in the diagram.
In diagrams, I always find historical mapping so important to look at. Because as much things change, as many things remain the same. I was trying to find a way to show the number at every terminal, but I did not want to place an additional box with a number beside the existing dot, as it would take up too much space. Therefore, I found the perfect solution in a previous map. This map dated from 1941, even before the STM existence and when tramways still ran in Montreal.
Map of Montreal transit from the Montreal Tramways Company (BAnQ)
It solved all the problems that came with the approach of combining the number and terminal together. For example, what if many buses terminate at one place (see the 68 & 72 above), when a bus line terminates at another bus line (see the 12, 44 and 94 above), when the terminal is located on a loop portion of the line (see the 6 & 55 above), or when two bus lines run along the same path but one terminates early (see the 94 & 95 above, where the 95 continues, but the 94 terminates).
The combination of indicators along the line, and placing terminal indicators on the side, aided with context and where they were placed, resulted in an easily understandable map. On top of that, they also had lines that only ran at certain times, so that is why they have some lines in outlined boxes. Just like my diagram, but in my case it is for the only peak-hour frequent lines.
Non-stop versus partial service segments.
Some bus lines have portions of non-stop service, where it is basically useless on that portion, because users cannot embark or disembark. It can also indicate if the bus will travel quickly or not. On top of that, certain bus and train lines have extensions or variations, which only operate at certain periods or certain departures. Both of these aspects are useful to represent on the diagram. The challenge with this, is that many different strokes must be used, but they cannot look too different, because otherwise it will loose the meaning of the mode type itself (because the type of line also represents the mode). Therefore, I went searching to see if there are any diagrams that presented satisfactory solutions.
Turns out, many bus network maps in the U.S. have these three different strokes. This makes sense since they have an extensive interstate highway system. Notable examples of this representation is Chicago and Seattle.
The legend of the Chicago bus network map shows which portions of a bus route have no stops and limited stops (CTA).
The legend of the Seattle bus network map shows which portions of a bus route have no stops and limited stops (Seattle Transit Map).
All-day versus peak-only frequency.
The last point I needed to differentiate, was the type of frequency. Again the same challenges remained, but this means that both lines had to have the same meaning with a similar look. I also had to avoid the bus lines taking over the entire map, and contributing to the clutter of the map. I had to keep the latter to the minimum. Finally, inspired from the type of line used for frequent routes on the newest MBTA map, I decided to "highlight" the all-day frequent routes in the operator color, and in the bus rapid transit green color for enhanced bus infrastructure with center-running roadway and stations.
This is the solution to represent the bus lines and the various service patterns (all-day frequent lines above and peak-only frequent lines below).
The future of mapping and diagrams.
Maps of the future will be similar to today, but online versions will not just be a PDF of the printed version. It would be enhanced to introduce a new dimension to mapping. For example, clicking on specific items and elements of the map will bring more information to the user, or bring them to another page to get additional information. This additional information could be like the infrastructure present at the station, the next departures and any other pertinent information.
I attempted to add some sort of interactivity to the diagram. I managed to make it an interactive PDF. This means that there are many links throughout the diagram. These links are located on the under-lined portions of text, the legend and all the names of stations and bus terminals. Once clicked, it brings the user to the station information page, the schedules of routes, or obtain more information about certain services and intercity transportation agencies and hubs.
Selecting the exo 9 route inside the legend, will bring the user to the schedule page of the 9 bus line for EXO.
Selecting the bus terminal will bring the user to the bus terminal map so that they can locate their bus and obtain other information.
Some agencies have been trying to move away from paper maps, to these interactive ArcGIS maps. However, this is the worse, since these maps providing information in a way that is not intuitive to the user, or information that is unstructured. It does not allow to see lines distinctly, nor to see the various frequencies and service patterns of the different lines.
However, King County Transit has applied this wonderfully with ArcGIS, by overlaying a paper-esque map over an ArcGIS map. But this map is static. In the future, maps should be able to change the quantity of information that is offered to the user when they zoom in. For example, when zoomed out only the Métro shows, then when the user zooms in, it shows train lines and even further it will show frequent lines, then all the other bus lines, then streets, then the bus stops, and etc. This type of interactive map has been attempted before by the MTA, but its performance is left to be desired.
In the future, more advanced technologies will allow these types of maps to be possible, and will unlock a new dimension to mapping.
Paper mapping.
Paper maps will also evolve, so that they can complement online sites and apps. QR codes will be located on various mapping and wayfinding elements. They will allow direct access to real time departures at the specific stop, without the need to navigate through an interface. In other words, the user will just scan and the departures will be directly there at their fingertips. On top of that, it will be more convenient to navigate, since on the same page, the user can search a destination, and the app will automatically find the trip from this exact bus stop to where they need to go. This app will be a web app, or some kind of app, that can work on any phone, without download.
One such example of this type of implementation, is in San Francisco. Their new signage program created also a webapp, with QR codes integrated inside the design. This allows users to seamlessly use physical and digital wayfinding elements, and they complement each other. It also shows departures at other stops and nearby rail services. It's also a navigation page for the transit network, displays fare information along, PDF copies of all the transit maps, station information, customer service contact information, fare information, etc.
The route page shows a detailed list of major stops and upcoming connections along with real time and scheduled departure times.
The station page shows upcoming departures for every bus and train at the station.
This page shows upcoming departures at the specific stop.
All pages have a footer linking up to additional resources, information and pages, such as maps and contacting customer service.
Physical signage of the bus schedule at a bay. Notice how there is a QR code, which brings the user automatically to the webapp shown above. (Reddit r/bart from areatransgirl)
Downloads.
Uniquement disponible en français.
Explore the carefully crafted diagram of the frequent bus network, trains, REM and Métro system. All of this combined into one diagram, after hundred+ hours of labourous work.
*By downloading, you agree to the CC BY-NC-ND license of the diagram.
Uniquement disponible en français.
I created a complete wayfinding system for the bus network, which includes this diagram. It is a 200+ page manual that outlines the colors, pictograms, arrows, and all the standards surrounding their application, as well as containing a handful of examples.
*By downloading, you agree to the CC BY-NC-ND license of the document.
Much of the diagram is based on my bus stop redesign project. I encourage everyone to read the article, and especially the standards guide. It places a glimpse into the creation of a unified wayfinding system for the bus network, which was used for this diagram. The standards was updated to include this diagram, as well as a few corrections.
Discover how I redesigned the Montreal bus stop sign to contain more information and adapt it to the mobile age to better cohabitate with these devices.
Conclusion.
By writing about the challenges and design choices of my diagram, I illustrate the challenges of creating a transit diagram. I learned that it is all about trade-offs, preferring one ideal approach over another ideal approach. Since, it is sometimes difficult, and impossible to have the ideal situation for readability, the designer has to choose.
A concrete example of this, is horizontal versus angled text. Having horizontal text is always better than angled. However, when it defeats the purpose of the diagram being a list of stations to read, maybe it is better to prefer the readability of a list of stations rather than just horizontal text. Thus, the designer must be careful about juggling these different elements, to be able to make the best choices.
Finally, I hope that I made the best decisions I could, and the diagram is the result of plenty of micro-decisions throughout the creation of it. This means, perhaps I could have mapped another bus line, or remove a few, but I believe this is the best portrait of the frequent-ish bus network in the Greater Montreal Area. (I say frequent-ish, because bus lines that are only frequent during peak-hours, or even bus lines that come every 5 minutes at peak, yet every 30 minutes on weekends is crazy, are not frequent.)
In conclusion, this is a good step forward, and I cannot wait to show my next step forward, with my upcoming project. The regional transit diagram, will show all the key connections in the Greater Montreal Area. It will display lines by mode, and show how transit works in the region, even beyond the ARTM, such as including connections to Joliette and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them down below in the comments, or send me an email at cole@coledev.ca .
Disclaimer :
I am a map enthusiast who redesigns the ARTM diagram as a personal hobby for fun and challenge. I am not affiliated with the STM, ARTM, or any other organization, and the opinions expressed in this blog post are solely my own. Any complaints or criticisms I share reflect my personal preferences and minor nitpicks and are not intended as harsh critiques of the current maps. I have great respect and appreciation for the effort and dedication of the STM, ARTM, and their map designers in creating and maintaining the official map.
In fact, compared to other cities, Montreal is leading in wayfinding. Especially compared to Toronto, Montreal is light years ahead. With this aside, it does not mean that Montreal is perfect, there is still room and opportunity to improve. I want to seize these opportunities, and make the Montreal Metro a design icon, just like Montreal itself.
This video from Paige Saunders, explains very well the praise and appreciation that the Montreal's Metro signage and wayfinding elements deserve, as well as STM's design language. He compares it with Toronto's wayfinding practices, and displays the challenges and problems when things remain the status quo, using redundant and outdated nouns and transit terminology. Making good signage is difficult, and often the final product is the result of many challenges and fighting back outside forces for the greater good. I am just a random guy on the internet doing things I love, and I must acknowledge that implementing this diagram brings a whole lot of other challenges and stakeholders to the table.
Let's stay connected.
Get a notification in your inbox when I publish a new article. Unsubscribe when you want to.
This is a personal blog. I do not represent nor affiliated with the ARTM, STM, STL, RTL, EXO or any other entity.
All content is © Cole Dev unless noted.
Comments