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NYC New Subway Map

nytimes.com

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Re: NYC New Subway Map

#21

Post by kmoser »

mmooss wrote: post #15
kmoser wrote: post #6

I can see the advantages of both styles. Scale and proximity are very important to people traveling to destinations they don't usually travel to (often tourists), but the schematic nature of this new map definitely makes it easier to tell how the system interconnects. It would be great if, in addition to providing realtime bus and train info, the MTA provided realtime station info so third parties could create maps i…

For purposes of a subway trip in Manhatten, for example, scale isn't that important - a train will quickly take you a long way if you can get on the right one.

It's not just about how far the train can take you; it's also about how far you have to walk to your destination once you exit. For example, the squashed height of the new map makes it look like if you exit at Central Park South, you can walk to Central Park North in a relatively short amount of time, when in fact it's about 2.5 miles.

Being able to determine relative distances also helps you decide whether it's worth waiting for the next train, or whether to switch from an express to a local or vice-versa.

Re: NYC New Subway Map

#22

Post by jcranmer »

JCM9 wrote: post #20

The map still amusingly mostly pretends that New Jersey and transit running into New Jersey doesn’t exist. For example, the PATH is very faintly represented but yet the JFK AirTrain (which isn’t part of the subway and the airport isn’t run by the MTA) is given more prominent status. PATH is owned by the same entity (PANYNJ) that owns the AirTrain but is nearly hidden on the map because it goes to New Jersey. Back whe…

Note that JFK airport is already within the regular bounds of the map; it doesn't require anything to be shifted to include that information.

New Jersey requires the map to be shifted to include it, which means either going to a larger map, or shrinking the existing content of the map. There's a cost to doing so, and that cost may not be worth the extra benefits providing that information would.

Re: NYC New Subway Map

#24

Post by atkailash »

JCM9 wrote: post #20

The map still amusingly mostly pretends that New Jersey and transit running into New Jersey doesn’t exist. For example, the PATH is very faintly represented but yet the JFK AirTrain (which isn’t part of the subway and the airport isn’t run by the MTA) is given more prominent status. PATH is owned by the same entity (PANYNJ) that owns the AirTrain but is nearly hidden on the map because it goes to New Jersey. Back whe…

[dead]

Re: NYC New Subway Map

#26

Post by addaon »

JCM9 wrote: post #20

The map still amusingly mostly pretends that New Jersey and transit running into New Jersey doesn’t exist. For example, the PATH is very faintly represented but yet the JFK AirTrain (which isn’t part of the subway and the airport isn’t run by the MTA) is given more prominent status. PATH is owned by the same entity (PANYNJ) that owns the AirTrain but is nearly hidden on the map because it goes to New Jersey. Back whe…

This is an MTA map, not a general “transit” map. Having the AirTrain on it is a bit of a bonus, but probably reflects (a) it being the most common question MTA gets and (b) it being more integrated with the rest of the MTA system than PATH (use of metrocard, etc).

Re: NYC New Subway Map

#27

Post by tekla »

kmoser wrote: post #21
mmooss wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For purposes of a subway trip in Manhatten, for example, scale isn't that important - a train will quickly take you a long way if you can get on the right one.

It's not just about how far the train can take you; it's also about how far you have to walk to your destination once you exit. For example, the squashed height of the new map makes it look like if you exit at Central Park South, you can walk to Central Park North in a relatively short amount of time, when in fact it's about 2.5 miles. Being able to determine relative distances also helps you decide whether it's wort…

The old map makes prospect park look like a jaunt when its quite a hike. It's not useful in the way you claim.

Re: NYC New Subway Map

#29

Post by jwagenet »

bananalychee wrote: post #16

Looks much better. The current map is a nightmare for readability, especially when you're squinting from a distance trying to read it inside a subway vehicle without encroaching on the personal space of someone sitting below it. For actual locations in relation to other points of interest, consult a general-purpose map, there are more options for that than there are readable and up-to-date alternative renderings of p…

If reading from a distance is your complaint, the new map has a similar font size for the stations and therefore about as useless.
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