It's still a pdf.

This is a huge obstacle. Lots of people can't load pdfs from their phones, or if they can it's a pain. Yes, not all people who would access this would do it from their phone, but if the idea is to increase user-friendliness from the bus stop itself, smartphone access is a big part.

WMATA needs to completely revamp its bus maps from the ground up. The maps and schedules at the bus stops are incomprehensible. They should come up with something much more user friendly, and they should format it into html to make accessing it easier.

Also, on a related note: I get that Google is at a stalemate with WMATA over schedule data, etc., but why can't Google incorporate the subway lines into the map? When you click on a station in cities with Google transit, the subway line appears. Why can't Google do that with WMATA? It's not like they need schedule data for that, and it's not information that is likely to change anytime soon. It just seems unnecessary to keep that information out.

by Reid on Aug 17, 2009 11:13 am • link • report

Just took a look at the Tenleytown map. Not much use seeing a map of the central downtown area. If I'm getting off at Tenleytown, I'm probably not doing it to get on a bus and go downtown. How about a map of the local area?

The frequency table is useful though.

by rdhd on Aug 17, 2009 11:23 am • link • report

A step in the right direction. I guess the downtown map is useful insofar as it's harder to tell exactly where downtown any given bus will end up. But if you're at a Metro station and you're trying to get downtown, wouldn't you just take the train? Buses are more useful for non-downtown destinations where there isn't a direct train route.

by tom veil on Aug 17, 2009 11:41 am • link • report

I think it's great that WMATA has listened to public comments and suggestions and implemented one of them. Even after living in the area for years, it is possible to not know where bus stops are or where routes go.

I don't get the PDF comment. Even if they put the map on their website instead of in a PDF, chances are a non-smart PDF would squish and distort the webpage to fit on its screen to such a degree that you couldn't see the map or read the information anyway. WMATA seems to be focusing its energy in the direction technology is moving, which is smart phones.

Also making them PDFs means a person could save the file of the stations they use most often to their smartphone or computer and refer to it withouthaving to go to the internet and the WMATA website each time.

Having a larger map of the station area rather than of downtown would be helpful, but nonetheless, I think this is a step in the right direction.

by ogden on Aug 17, 2009 11:48 am • link • report

I was anticipating the PDF comment. I first suggested that WMATA put these up as PNG files (about 200K each) but eventually the process put them up as PDFs (about 5-7MB each). I wasn't able to get a good answer for why PDFs are preferred.

The maps are essentially crops of maps that already exist. Other than converting them and placing on the web, this did not require any design effort from WMATA. Which is good because they didn't have any budgeted time for this, they did it out of spare time they could afford.

Is it perfect? No. But it's good, and if they're tracking their webpages they might see whether this information is useful to the riders.

by Michael Perkins on Aug 17, 2009 12:51 pm • link • report

good start.

pdf is a horrible format, but it's still better than everything else. png, for instance, is worse -- in this case, where you may actually need some detail. a google map-type overlay would be great.

other than that, my impression is...'confusing'. i'd like to see a lot less 'transit' and a lot more quality service -- just a very few transit lines, and super-high quality service. people need to get used to walking or riding their bikes a few blocks -- yes, including old people, including the disabled, including everyone. of course, nice walking and riding places are required, direct paths are required (i.e. no excuses about forcing rider 'just one block over', etc.).

by Peter Smith on Aug 17, 2009 1:02 pm • link • report

I agree with Peter. Looking at the map for my station reveals more buses than I knew about, including a K11 bus that only makes 1 trip every Saturday!

by Erik on Aug 17, 2009 2:13 pm • link • report

Unless I'm not downloading the files correctly, several of the Maryland station maps I tried to look at only had the list of buses serving the station and a map of which bus bay to catch which bus. Now, the service chart is helpful. But if I'm wondering how to connect from a station to someplace nearish in the bus, I'm out of luck.

by Lara on Aug 17, 2009 4:03 pm • link • report

@Lara: Which stations? This process was highly dependent on what the full station map looked like and apparently what information was easy to cut out of that larger PDF.

by Michael Perkins on Aug 17, 2009 4:09 pm • link • report

Now if only one of those Dupont buses went to U st....

by egk on Aug 17, 2009 5:33 pm • link • report

@ Lara and @ Michael: Brookland only has bays and a list. Is there a roll out timeline for when all stations will get complete maps?

by Sophiagrrl on Aug 17, 2009 6:35 pm • link • report

It's a nice start, but examining the Dupont map, I've found a number of errors and things that are confusing. I realize that trying to cram that much information into a Metro station area map is difficult, but some of the letter locations aren't exactly precise.

And it says that you should board the D2 only at Location C (which on the map is on the north side of Q Street.) Technically, the D2 bus terminal stop is around the corner on Connecticut Avenue, but drivers will usually stop in the bike lane on south side of Q Street (not the north side). Additionally, you can pick the D2 up at two locations on P Street, but the map key doesn't mention that.

by mgrass on Aug 17, 2009 7:20 pm • link • report

I'm glad WMATA is finally producing something like this. What a pity that it only took them 33 years.

by Monumentality on Aug 17, 2009 9:08 pm • link • report

These are nice, but I have a few questions/comments:

Who is actually supposed to be using these? If I'm already online and looking up the best way to get from Point A to Point B using public transportation, I might as well just use the trip planner. The idea of using these maps would make sense if trip planner didn't exist. Still, I would rather see trip planner integrated into a mapping system that would show stations and bus routes.

If these are meant to be posted at Metro stations, I don't really see the convenience. One scenario would be that a person would randomly get off the Metro at {blank} station and then look for a way to get to their final destination by bus. That seems rather unlikely. The other scenario would be someone who walks/bikes to {blank} Metro station and then looks at this map for some alternative way to get where their going. Possible, but then again, how likely?

I would love to see bus maps that are more in tune with the manner in which people think about transportation. Using examples from my neighborhood, we could have bus maps that give information on where people may reasonably want to go. For example: the 90s bus shelters along U Street can say something like:

Trying to get to...

Union Station or the Capitol? Take the 96 bus towards Capitol Heights. Runs every ___ minutes.

Eastern Market? Take the 90 bus towards Anacostia or 92 bus towards Congress Heights. Runs every ___ minutes.

7th Street/Georgia Ave? Take the 90, 92, or 96 bus. Runs every ____ minutes.

Anyway, you get the idea. Point is that I am willing to bet that few people in my neighborhood knew that the 90s buses go down to the Hill. Why would they? The bus says it's going to Anacostia... Providing some reasonable information, such as listing out places people may actually want to go, might encourage them to take a bus.

by Adam L on Aug 18, 2009 12:14 am • link • report

Unless my copy of Adobe Acrobat is broken, a number of maps are cut off at the margins. Plus, I would have to hope that WMATA updates these maps more frequently than they do the systemwide bus brochures (which the paper form has not been updated since 2006).

Anyway, given the average frequency of buses in many parts of the region, I think it might be better if you made a "15-minute" or "30-minute" bus map. I know that at least for 12-minutes, you cut off a lot of lines, especially in Virginia. (For instance, the 10A-B combine for 15 minute frequencies, as maybe even the 171/REX now that Fairfax County increased frequencies on the 171 to 30 minutes each).

by Wes McGee on Aug 18, 2009 3:24 am • link • report

For examples of what I'm talking about, look at the maps for West Falls Church or Vienna-Fairfax. Is it just me, or are those maps cut off at the top (so you can't see much of the routes of many of the buses)?

by Wes McGee on Aug 18, 2009 3:36 am • link • report

To follow up on my earlier comment:

I stole a glance at the Tenleytown map as I was leaving the station yesterday and I believe the map there actually shows the neighborhood, not the downtown core as the downloadable pdf does. Much better. But I was in a rush and might have been wrong.

rdhd

by rdhd on Aug 18, 2009 8:24 am • link • report

Again, these maps are cut off from the large station maps displayed at the station. What got cut off is going to vary. I don't think Metro is going to put much more effort into this since it wasn't budgeted.

by Michael Perkins on Aug 18, 2009 8:31 am • link • report

@Michael -- Takoma, West Hyattsville, PG Plaza and College Park

@Adam -- the full maps, which are posted at the Metro station are helpful, although perhaps not as user friendly as your suggestion. I think the maps are helpful if you live in the neighborhood.

by Lara on Aug 18, 2009 9:50 am • link • report