InsideTransit

Take a ride on the NYC subway today and you see a (relatively) clean system – no graffiti on the cars (except the new advertising wrapped cars), good quality announcements, air conditioning that works, and overall good service.

Go back 30 years to the 1980s and the NYC subway was completely different. I was a young kid during the 80s but I remember riding how different the subway was back then. The dirt, the endless amounts of graffiti, the crime, the lack of maintenance on the cars, I could go on… But it’s also important to remember the city itself was different back then.

24Flinching has put together a collection of photos from a variety of artists that take you back to the NYC subways of the ’80s.

Here’s one sample – check out the post for the rest of the artwork.

For as long as there have been subway maps, there have  been people who want to redesign the map. It seems to take decades for transit authorities around the world to implement new map styles.

Julie Steele from O’Reilly sat down with designer Eddie Jabbour to discuss his new implementation of the NYC Subway Map.

I’m not a huge fan of the current NYC Subway Map (July 2010 issue) for several reasons including:

• there’s no need to have the commuter rail (LIRR & Metro-North) on one side of the subway map – so few people based in NYC will ride both systems on a regular basis and for those that do, they can grab two maps
• on the back of the map replacing the commuter rail, I would rather see strip maps like they had in the 80s PLUS ads – the MTA is always complaining about cash-flow and budget issues, why not run ads on the back of the map? They ads could pay for the printing costs and also allow for more rotation of maps (monthly perhaps with new ads)
• The new map removed the “guide” box which told you in words where a train ran at different times of the day. They have removed the box and now you are left wondering where a train runs during the day since they show multiple terminals on the map with no info regarding time of service.

I don’t want to post any of Eddie’s map images here because you really need to read his story to understand the changes he is suggesting. I like a lot of Eddie’s suggestions including how he notes which stations you can’t switch directions at if you missed your stop. I can’t tell you how many times people exited the train at my station only to learn that if they wanted to switch back they would have to fork over another $2.25 and if they just stayed on the train one more stop they could easily switch back. Eddie’s map also just looks more modern and current.

The NYC MTA has posted all of the new maps for the five boroughs that include the massive cuts that will take place on June 27, 2010. You can download the maps here. The changes are the biggest set of cuts ever in the history of the MTA. Many of the buses I take on a daily/weekly basis will see major cuts that will impact my ride in a very negative way.

The W and V subway lines will be discontinued and the M becomes orange and will go into midtown instead of lower manhattan.

The week of June 27th should be a very interesting week in NYC. My guess is that by mid-July the complaining and yelling will have subsided and commuters will just learn to deal with the situation. It’s certainly soothing to know the new MTA boss gets $6k for housing each month in addition to his salary.

Last week the TFL (Transport for London) group put out a new London Tube map. The map removed the fare zones along with the Thames River. London Mayor Boris Johnson was “furious” over the Thames removal.

Apparently both items were removed for clarity. I think the river is one of the things that makes the Tube map special. For me it “grounds” the map and I agree with the London Mayor that it must be re-added.

The BBC has a story about the map change and notes that the Thames River will be re-added later this year during the next map update. TfL said the Thames would return on future maps following an “overwhelming public reaction”. From the BBC story, “Mr Johnson said: “I hope Londoners will imagine the Thames in place until it reappears on the maps, and will not forget their beautiful river.”"

For us NY’ers, it would be like the MTA removing Central Park from the subway map.