Designing PrinteD transit information materials · 2008-01-11 · Project Staff William P. Morris Mark Mistretta Wendy Teague Pamella C. Clark florida Department of transportation

DesigningPrinteD transit

information materials

A Guidebook for Transit Service Providers

acknowleDgements

This guidebook was prepared by the National Center for Transit Research at the Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida. The guide-book was funded by the Florida Department of Transportation and the USDOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). The authors would like to thank the wide range of individuals and organizations that contributed to the guidebook’s development. This includes the members of the peer panel who provid-ed their comments and insights over the duration of the project, and also the transit agencies and consultants who kindly agreed to the inclusion of their information material designs.

center for Urban transportation research

Principal Investigator Alasdair CainProject Staff William P. Morris Mark Mistretta Wendy Teague Pamella C. Clark

florida Department of transportation

Project Manager Tara Bartee

Peer Panel

Liliane Agee Palm Tran, West Palm Beach, FloridaRandall Beckwith Manatee County Area Transit, Bradenton, FloridaKelly Brasel Agency for Community Transit, Madison County, IllinoisKathryn L. Bryant Pasco County Public Transportation, Port Richey, FloridaJill K. Cappadoro HARTLine, Tampa, FloridaPeggy L. Gies LYNX, Orlando, FloridaJim Gilligan New Jersey Transit, Newark, New JerseyTheresa C. Harrison Regional Transit System, Gainesville, FloridaKatherine B. Hart Smartmaps, Inc., Knoxville, TennesseeSteve Quismundo Palm Tran, West Palm Beach, FloridaDarius Sollohub New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New JerseyRick Wood CHK America, Santa Barbara, California

The guidebook and the supplementary Technical Memorandum may also be found at www.nctr.usf.edu/abstracts/abs77710.htm.

This guidebook is part of a growing interest in the develop-ment of industry standards in information material design. The further development of such standards would undoubtedly benefit individual transit customers and the transit industry as a whole. As part of this ongoing process, we welcome any feed-back you may have on the guidebook’s contents or the impact of any of its recommendations. Please send any comments you may have to [email protected].

The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed in this pub-lication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the U.S. Department of Transportation or the State of Florida Department of Transportation.

© January 2008

AGuidebookforTransitServiceProviders �

BackgroundPrintedtransitinformationmaterialsarethemainstayofeverytransitagency’sserviceinfor-mationstrategy.Systemmaps,routemaps,andschedulesarethetraditionalmeansforprovid-ingserviceinformationtotransitusers.Suchmaterialsareavaluableresourcebecausetheyare:

portable—foruseinpre-tripplanningandtochecktripprogress

accurate—providingdetailsforplanningcomplextrips

independent—sotripscanbeplannedwithoutinteractionwithanotherentity

However,manypeoplefindusingprintedinfor-mationaidslikemapsandschedulesextremelydifficult.Thesedifficultiesareexacerbatedbyinstancesofpoordesignandalackofrecog-nizeddesignstandards.Furthermore,transitus-ershaveawiderangeofreasonsforpickingupprintedinformationmaterials—somejustwanttoknowapproximatelywheretheirbusgoes,howoftenitcomes,orthehoursofservice,whileothersneedmoredetailedarrivalandde-partureinformationinordertoplantransfersordetermineexactarrivaltimes.Transitusersalsohavedifferentphysicalandcognitiveabili-ties,transitexperience,andinformationneeds.Inaddition,transitsystemsacrossthecountryvarygreatly,fromthosethathaveextensiveroutenetworkstothosethathaveonlythreeorfourroutes.Theinformationneedsassoci-atedwithallthesefactorscanvarydramatically.

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Designingeffectivetransitinformationmaterialsisclearlyachallengingtask.However,resourcesareavailabletohelp:

designguidelinepublicationsdevelopedintheU.S.andinothercountries

researchstudiesthathaveidentifieddesignoptionsthatmaximizeusercomprehension

highqualitymaterialsdevelopedbytransitagenciesanddesignconsultantsthatarebasedonbestpracticerecommendations

Thisguidebookisbasedonasynthesisoftheaboveresources.Itisdesignedtohelptransitagenciesdevelopuser-friendlytransitinforma-tionmaterialsfortheirfixedroutebusser-vices.Thisguideattemptstoillustratethewidevarietyofdesignstylesthatmeetbestpracticerequirements,thoughsomeofthestronglyrecommendeddesignoptionsarerepeatedoftenindifferentexamplesthroughouttheguide.Therewillalwaysbetrade-offsinmaterialdesignduetofinancialandspatialconstraints.Thisguidebookprovidessuggestionsonhowtoaddresssuchtrade-offs,whilealsoshowinghowtheinformationneedsofdifferentcustom-ersmaybeaccommodatedwithinonesetofmaterials.

Insummary,thispublicationhasnotbeendesignedasaprescriptive“designmanual,”butratherasacompilationofdesignrecommenda-tionsbasedonsuccessfulindustrypractices.Furtherinformationonhowthevariousrec-ommendationshavebeenderivedcanbefoundinthetechnicalmemorandumthataccompaniesthisguidebook.Thisreportcanbedownloadedatwww.nctr.usf.edu/abstracts/abs77710.htm.

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InTroducTIon

� DesigningPrintedTransitInformationMaterials

guIdeBook Scope Thisguidebookfocusesonthedesignofhand-held, printed materialsusedtoprovidetransit trip planninginformationforfixed-routebus services.Assuch,theguidebookdoesnotcoverthedesignofsignage,onlineinformation,oranyoftheotherinformationresourcesavailabletotransitcustomers.Thedesignofmaterialsforrail-basedtransitservicesisalsooutsidethescopeofthispublication.ThisguidebookfocusesontheEnglish language only.Provisionofmaterialsinotherlanguages,andissuesassociatedwithtranslation,arealsooutsidethescopeofthispublication.

Aspreviouslystated,thisguidebookhasnotbeendesignedasaprescriptive“designmanual”butratherasacompilationofdesignrecommendationsbasedonsuccessfulindustrypractices.Therecommendationsreflectaninterpretationofthecompositionofwelldesignedinformationmaterials.Thedecisiononwhethertoadoptanyoftheserecommendationsultimatelylieswiththetransitagencyand/ortheindividualmaterialdesigner.

Itshouldalsobenotedthatnoneoftheexamplesinthisguideperfectlymatchalloftherecommendations.Somehavebeenreformattedorrescaledtofitthelayoutofthispublication.Insomecases,thishasresultedintypessizesbelowthe8pointminimumrecommended(seep.4,Type Size).

guIdeBook conTenTSThisguidebookbeginswithaGeneral Publication Guidelinessection.ThisisfollowedbyasectiononSystem Map Design,andthenasectiononRoute Map/Schedule Design.Routemapdesignandscheduledesignhavebeenaddressedwithinthesamesectionbecausetheirdesignelementsareverycloselyrelatedandbecausetheyaretypicallypresentedtogether.TheguidebookendswithasectiononInstruction Design.Thissectionofferssuggestionsforthedesignandpresentationofinstructionsthatcanhelpcustomersusetheprintedinformationmaterialseffectively.

Withineachsection,theguidebookprovidesaseriesofdesignrecommendationsaccompaniedbyexamplesofsuccessfuldesigns.Inthisway,thefundamentalelementsofgooddesignaredefinedwhilealsoillustratingthewidevarietyofstylisticoptionsthatareavailable.Eachsectionconcludeswithasummary checklistofimportantdesignelementstobeconsidered.

AGuidebookforTransitServiceProviders

01

�

Information Stage description aid used

� Locatetriporiginanddestinationonsystemmap Systemmap

� Selectbusroutesandtransferpoint(s) Systemmap

� Determinewheretoboardanddisembarkfromeachbus SystemMap/Routemap

4 Identifycorrectsectionofschedule Routemap/Schedule

5 Determinewhentoboardanddisembarkfromeachbus Schedule

mapandscheduleforeachindividualroute.Thisapproachisapplicabletobothsmallandlargetransitsystemsandisgenerallypreferredbytransitriderswhoonlyuseasmallnumberofroutes.Ingeneral,theindividualpamphletapproachislesscostly,moreportable,andeasiertoupdate.

System BrochureAsystembrochureisaone-piecefold-outdocumentthatincludesasystemmapalongwiththeschedulesforeachindividualroute(typicallyprintedonthereverseofthemap).Thisapproachislimitedtorelativelysmallsys-temswithsimpleroutestructures.

deSIgn elemenTSThissectionprovidesrecommendationsforgeneralpublicationdesign.Asummaryofrecommendationsrelatedtofontstyleisonpage4.Fontstylecanhaveasignificantimpactonmaterialreadabilityandshouldbecarefullyconsidered.

Typeface (Font)

Forlabelsandtitles,sansseriffontsarerec-ommended.RecommendedexamplesincludeHelvetica,GillSans,andUnivers.

Forbodytext,seriforsansseriffontsarebothappropriate.Traditionally,seriffonts

InFormaTIon maTerIal packagIng opTIonSInformationaidscanbepackagedindifferentways,dependingonthecomplexityofthesys-temandthegeographicalcharacteristicsoftheareaserved.

Ride GuideAlsoknownasaSchedule Book,aRide Guide packagesasystemmapandindividualrouteinformationtogetherinonebooklet.Thisformatworkswellforsmallersystemsandisgener-allypreferredbycustomerswhousemultiplesystemroutes.Drawbacksofthisapproachareincreasedcost,reducedportability,anddifficul-tiesinkeepingtheguideuptodate.

Individual PamphletsUsingthisapproach,thesystemmapandtheindividualrouteinformationareprovidedsepa-rately.Typically,thesystemmapisprovidedasaseparatefold-outmap,whileaseriesofindi-vidualpamphletsareusedtoshowtheroute

The TrIp plannIng proceSSThetablebelowshowsthefivestagesrequiredinplanningatransittripandtheinformationaidsusedineachstage—systemmaps,routemaps,andschedules.

Asystem mapshowsthealignmentofalltheagency’stransitroutes.Thesystemmapisdesignedtogivecustomersanoverviewofthecompletesystemanditsrelationshiptothegeographyofthearea.Aroute mapillustratesthealignmentofanindividualbusrouteandistypicallydesignedtobeusedwithascheduletoallowcustomerstodeterminewheretoboardanddisembarkfromeachbus.Aschedule(sometimescalledatimetable)providestim-inginformationforthebusesservingaspecificroute.Thescheduleistypicallyusedinconjunc-tionwitharoutemaptoenableacustomertodeterminewhentoboardanddisembarkfromeachbus,andtodeterminehowlongtheirjour-neywilltake.

general puBlIcaTIon guIdelIneS

4 DesigningPrintedTransitInformationMaterials

wereusedforbodytext,butnowsansseriffontsaremorecommonlyusedforthispurpose(asisthecaseinthisdocument).RecommendedexamplesincludeTimesNewRoman,Palatino,andLetterGothic.

Avoidusingmorethantwotypefacesinanysinglepublication.

Type Size

Complaintsthattypesizesaretoosmalltoreadareverycommonamongtransitcustom-ers,particularlyfromseniorsandthevisuallyimpaired.Therefore,�0-�6pointtypesizesarerecommendedwherepossible.However,spacerestrictionsoftenmeanthatsmallertypesizesmustbeused.Sansseriffontsaslowas8pointcanbeusedifnecessary,ascanseriffontsof�0pointorabove.Overall,usethelargesttypesizethatispractical,andavoidtheuseofanysansseriffontsbelow8pointandanyseriffontsbelow�0point.

Type Case

TitleCaseshouldbeusedonmostlabelsandtitles,withUPPERCASEreservedformajorheadingsonly.

Uselowercaseforbodytext.

contrast/print color

Ingeneral,usedarkletteringonalightback-groundfortext.Whiteletteringonaverydarkbackgroundcanbeusedtoenhancevisibility.

paper Finish

Informationmaterialsshouldgenerallybeprintedonpaperthathasaflat,matte,oregg-

shellfinish.Glossyfinishesattractglarefromlightreflection,diminishingreadability.However,glossypaperhasahigherlevelofdurability,andsometransitagenciesprefertouseitforthisreason.

ada (americans for disabilities act) requirements

FederalADAAccessibilityGuidelinesstatethatbusschedules,timetables,andmapsaregenerallyexemptfromspecificregulationbutthatanyonewithadisabilitymustbeprovidedwithanyma-terialsnecessarytoensurethattheyreceivethesameinformationasanyotherindividual.Withprintedtransitinformation,thetransitagencymustprovidetheinformationinaformatthatac-commodatestheperson’sdisability,suchaslargeprint,tactilemaps,colorcoding,Braille,tapedtexts,oraudiorecordings.Thegeneraldefini-tionoflargeprintisanyprintthatislargerthanthatusedinmaterialsprovidedforthegeneralpopulation(typically��-�8points).Requestsforsuchmaterialsaremadebythepersonwiththedisability,andtheagencyisrequiredtohavetheinformationavailableuponrequest.

Fontstylesamples:

MAJOR HEADER Sans serif, 16 point, HelveticaTitle Case—Sub Header/Title Sans serif, 12 point, UniversBodytext Sansserif,�0point,GillSans

Bodytextexample Thisisanexampleofa8-pointsansseriffont(GillSans). Avoidasansseriffontwithalowertypesizethanthis!

Body text example Thisisanexampleofa�0-pointseriffont(TimesNewRoman). Avoidaseriffontwithalowertypesizethanthis!

checklist:

general publication guidelines

Typeface—Usesansseriffontfortitles,sansseriforseriffontsfortext

Typecase—Useinitialorallcapsfortitles/headers,lowercasefortext

Typesize—Use�0-�6pointwherepossibleforsansseriffonts(neverbelow8point)and��-�6pointwherepossibleforseriffonts(neverbelow�0point)

Color—Darkletteringonalightbackgroundisgenerallyrecommended

Paper—Flat,matte,oreggshellisgenerallyrecommended


02

5

Thesystemmapisdesignedtoprovideanoverviewofthecompletetransitsystemanditsrelationshiptoareageography,helpingcustom-ersto:

identifytheirlocationrelativetothesur-roundingphysicalenvironment

identifytheirtriporiginanddestination

determinewhichroute,orcombinationofroutes,theyneedtotake

Asystemmapneedstoillustrateallthemajortransitsystemelements,includingroutealign-ments,transfercenters,andothermajortrans-ferpoints.Asystemmapalsoneedstostrikethecorrectbalancebetweenprovidingsuffi-cientdetailforcustomersthatarenewtotheareawithoutintroducingtoomuch“clutter.”

System map Styles

Therearetwobasicsystemmapstyles—overlayandschematic.Anoverlaymapisbasicallyaroadmapoverwhichtransitroutesaresuperim-posed.Overlaymapsprovidehighlevelsofdetailandaretypicallytoscale,butcustomersoftencomplainofdifficultiesindifferentiatingthetran-sitserviceelementsfromothermapfeatures.Schematicmapsareasimplifiedrepresentationofthetransitserviceareaandthetransitroutealignments.Althoughtheyaretypicallynottoscale,schematicmapsareusefulbecausetheymaximizereadabilityandminimize“clutter.”

SySTem map deSIgn

Threesystemmapstylesarefeaturedinthisguidebook.Inthelastfewyears,GeographicInformationSystem(GIS)technologyhasbeenusedtodevelopa“GIS Overlay”stylethatcombinesthetopographicaccuracyofoverlaymapswiththeclarityoftheschematicstyle.Thisfull-colorstyleprovidesthegreatestlevelofflexibilityforapplicationtodifferenturbanandinter-urbanenvironmentsandisparticularlyusefulforsystemscoveringlargegeographicareas.Transitagenciesservingsmalltome-dium-sizedurbanareasoftenusethe“Semi-Schematic”style,whichisparticularlyusefulinurbanareaswithgrid-likestreetnetworks.Smallersystemswithunusualgeographymaybenefitfromusingthe“Full Schematic”stylemorenormallyassociatedwithrailsystems.Applyingthisstyleofmaptobusservicesisarelativelynewconcept,buthasproventobepopularwithcustomersandisbeingincreas-inglyadoptedbytransitagencies.However,effectiveexecutionoftheFullSchematicstylerequiresahighlevelofskillandexperience.

ItisstronglyrecommendedthattheFull(four)Colorapproachisusedforallsystemmaps,asitsignificantlyenhancesclarityandreadability.Furtherrecommendationsoncoloruseareprovidedlaterinthissection.


Transit System elements

Thealignmentofeachrouteshouldbeiden-tifiedbyauniquecolor.

Theroute numberorlettershouldbeclearlydisplayed.

route names shouldbebasedonthegeographicareaservedbytheroute,typicallydefinedbytherouteoriginanddestination,inadditiontoothermajorlocationsserved.

route variationsshouldbeidentifiedbyabrokenline.

express routesshouldbedifferentiatedfromstandardroutes.

Majortransfer centers and transfer pointsshouldbeclearlyidentified.Wherelargenumbersofroutesconverge,routenumberscanbeshownseparatelyinanadjacentbox.

multimodal transfer pointsshouldclearlyindicateavailablemodes,usingbothasymbolandaccompanyinglabel.

Includingtimepointsorindividualbusstopsisgenerallynotrecommendedastheycancauseclutter;thesearetypicallyshownonindividualroutemapsonly.

TransferCenterclearlyidentified

Insetsprovidedforareasofhighinformationdensity

Roaddetail“setback”inwhitetoaccentuatetransitsystemelements

Expressserviceidentifiedbyadottedline

SySTem map (county level) gIS overlay Style—Full color process Agency: Waukesha Metro Transit (Waukesha, WI) Designer: CHK America


Topographical elements

Street namesshouldbeincludedformajorroadsonorintersectingtheroutealignment.Othermajorroadsnotadjacenttoanyroutesshouldalsobeidentifiedonthemap.

Allpoints of interest/landmarksservedbytheroutesshouldbeshown.Otherlandmarksshouldalsobeincluded,eveniftheyarenotservedbyanyoftheroutes.Iftherearealargenumberofpointsofinterest,itcanbeusefultoprovideatabledetailingtheroutesservingeachone(seep.�0).Agridreferencemayalsobeincluded(seep.��).

Standardized symbolsshouldbeusedtoidentifydifferentcommonlandmarkslikeschools,hospitals,postoffices,etc.Atpresent,anacceptedsetofuniversalsymbolsdoesnotexist,andeachtransitagencytendstodevelopitsownsetofsymbolsbasedonlocalconven-tions.However,www.ultimatesymbol.compro-videsabroadrangeofsymbologythatadherestointernationalnormswhereverpossibleandcanbeahelpfulresource.

Themapshouldbeorientedtothenorth,ifpossible,andincludeacompass rose.

legend

Alegendshouldbeprovidedtoexplainthemeaningofthevarioussymbolsusedonthemap.However,themapshouldbedesignedsothatitcanbeintuitivelyunderstoodwithouthavingtorefertothelegend.Ascaleshouldbeprovidediftheoverlaystyleisused.“NottoScale”shouldbeindicatedifthisisthecase.


use of Scales

Onewaytomaximizetheunderstandabilityofasystemmapistopresentdifferentareasatdifferentscales.Forexample,atransitagencytypicallyservesacounty,whichoftenfeaturesaprimaryurbancentersurroundedbysmallerurbanandruralareas.Presentingtheserviceinformationatthreedifferentscalelevels(forexample,county,city,anddowntown,aswasdoneinWaukesha)allowstheserviceinfor-mationtobepresentedinamanageableway.

use of color

Colorisofkeyimportanceonsystemmaps,greatlyenhancingthesimplicityandreadabil-ityofthematerials.

Thesystemmapshouldbeonawhite or light-colored background.

Colorcodingshouldbeusedtoidentifydifferentserviceroutes.a maximum of nine colors is recommended,althoughitispossibletouseasmanyas��separatecolors.TheninecolorsrecommendedintheManualofUniformTrafficControlDevices(MUTCD)arered, green, yellow, blue, orange, brown, purple, light blue, and black.

Usecontrastingcolorsonadjacentroutes.

Routevariationsindicatedusingdashedline

Routesdefinedbynumberandauniquecolor.Adjacentroutesfeaturecontrastingcolors.

SySTem map (city level) gIS overlay Style—Full color process

Agency: Waukesha Metro Transit (Waukesha, WI) Designer: CHK America


SummarytiminginformationforeachrouteIfpossible,usesaturated colorsfortransitsystemelements.Avoidmostpastels.

partial color coding,whereeachcolorisusedtorepresentmultipleroutes,canbeusediftherearemoreroutesthanavailablecolors.Ifthisapproachisemployed,thefol-lowingpointsshouldbefollowed:

Keepthenumberofroutespercolorapproximatelyequal.

Usehighlycontrastingcolorsforadjacentroutes.

Usepatternedroutelinestoenhancedifferentiation.

Indicatenaturallandmarks(parks,bodiesofwater)intheirnaturalcolor(green,blue,etc).

Summary Service Timing Information

Summaryservicetiminginfor-mation(ideally,servicespanandapproximateservicefrequency)shouldbeprovidedforeachrouteshownonthesystemmapsothatuserswhodonotrequiredetailedtiminginformationcanplantheirtripswithouthavingtorefertoindividualroutepamphlets.

Insets

Insetsshouldbeprovidedtoclarifyhighly-denseareassuchascitycentersandmajortransfercenters.Theinsetsshouldbeclearlylinkedandlogicallyposi-tionedinrelationtotherepre-sentedarea.

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�0 DesigningPrintedTransitInformationMaterials

SySTem map Semi-Schematic Style—Full color process

Agency: RTS (Gainesville, FL) Designer: Group 5 Advertising

75

75

43

43

24

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21

20

16

15

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11

1110

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7

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DowntownStation

Florida Works

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EastwoodMeadows

EastsideHigh

HealthDept.

Tacachale

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NorthwoodVillage

Universityof FloridaCampus

North FloridaRegional Medical

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Tanglewood

GHS

GainesvilleMall

SFCC

MelroseApts.

P.K.Yonge

NationwideInsurance

AGH

PlazaRoyale

DCF

HolidayInn

LoftenHigh

TowerCenter

MillhopperSquare

WestgatePlaza

LincolnMiddleSchool

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RobinsonHeights

42nd Pl.

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41st Pl.

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27th

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6th

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Arbor

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Laurels

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SW 2nd Ave.

NW 5th Ave.

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Oak Ridge Apts.

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Meadowcrest

PlazaVerde

CIL

17

NW 29th Rd.29

route 1: butler plaza to downtown

route 2: downtown to health department

route 5: downtown to oaks mall

route 6: downtown to gainesville mall

route 7: downtown to eastwood meadows

route 8: northwood village to shands

route 9: mccarty to hunters run

route 10: downtown to santa fe community college

route 11: downtown to eastwood meadows

route 12: campus club to mccarty

route 13: florida works to shands

route 15: downtown to gainesville mall

route 16: shands to sugar hill

route 17: shands to downtown

route 20: oaks mall to mccarty

route 21: cabana beach to mccarty

route 24: downtown to job corps

route 29: shands to cobblestone

route 34: lexington crossing to the hub

route 35: mccarty to homestead

route 36 mccarty to homestead (via archer rd)

route 43: downtown to santa fe community college

route 75: oaks mall to butler plaza

RoutenamingbasedonTo/Fromformat

AGuidebookforTransitServiceProviders ��

75

75

43

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20

16

15

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CampusClub 12

11

1110

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9Casablanca

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7

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6

5

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Target

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OaksMall

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TowerSquare

LintonOaks

Publix

Archer Rd.

BuchholzHigh

DowntownStation

Florida Works

SugarHill

EastwoodMeadows

EastsideHigh

HealthDept.

Tacachale

ARCGlen Springs

Manor

NorthwoodVillage

Universityof FloridaCampus

North FloridaRegional Medical

Center

Tanglewood

GHS

GainesvilleMall

SFCC

MelroseApts.

P.K.Yonge

NationwideInsurance

AGH

PlazaRoyale

DCF

HolidayInn

LoftenHigh

TowerCenter

MillhopperSquare

WestgatePlaza

LincolnMiddleSchool

TowneParc

FamilyServices

SFCC

JobCorps

RobinsonHeights

42nd Pl.

SW 35th Pl.

41st Pl.

Butler

Plaza

SW34

thSt

.

27th

St.

NW

6th

St.

6th

St.

ThornebrookVillage

10th

St.

SE 21st Ave.

SE4th

St.

SE 22nd Ave.

SE 9th Pl

SE43

rdSt

.

SE44

thSt

.

NW 23rd Blvd

NW

19th

St.

NW

21th

St.

NW 39th Ave.

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Gaineswood

Capri

SR 121

SE24

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.

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Homestead

SW

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N.M

ain

St.

NE 49th Ave.

SW 20th Ave

.

SW61st St.

64th Ter.

6th Pl

70th

Ter.

67th

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NW 45th Ave.

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The Woods

PinetreeGardens

Spyglass

Univ. Terrace

RockwoodVillas

LakewoodVillas

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MuseumWalk

Windmeadows

Arbor

ThePolos

GreenwichGreen

Laurels

In the Pines

TreehouseVillage

Sun Bay

FrenchQuarter

ArlingtonSquare

ParkPlace

OakForest

The Landings

The Gardens

Reflections

Sparrow

TowerOaks

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MajesticOaks

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CampusEdge

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illis

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NW

34th

St.

NW

43r d

St.

NW

51st

St.

NW

55th

St.

NW

38th

St.

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83rd

St.

NW

98th

St.

SW

91st

St.

SW75

thSt

.

SW 8th Ave.

Fort C

larkeB

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SW 24th Ave.

SW 20th Ave.

SW 62nd Blvd.

Hull Rd.

Radio Rd.

Gal

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mer

and

Dr.

Cen

terD

r.

Museum Rd.

e.vAht61WS

SR 24/Archer Rd.

NW 23rd Ave.

NW 39th Ave.

Newberry Rd.

N.W. 53rd Avenue

Haile B

lvd.

SW Williston Rd./SR 331

SW

23rd

Terr

.

SW34

thSt

.

SE15

thSt

.

SE27

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.

N.M

ain

St.

E. University Ave.

NE

15th

St.

NE

9th

St.

SR 20 / Hawthorne Rd.

NE 8th Ave.

SW Depot Ave.

SW 2nd Ave.

NW 5th Ave.

3rd

St.

NW

13th

St.

NW 23rd Ave.

NE 39th Ave./SR 222

NE 31st Ave.

SR24

/ Wal

doRd

.

Glen Springs Rd.

S.M

ain

St.

SW 4th Ave.

NE

25St

SE 12th Ave

SE 7th AveSE 8th Ave

SE 11th Ave

40th Pl.

Rocky Point

MeridianCenter

GainesvilleAirport

NordstromDistribution

Center

UFCultural

Plaza

35

GainesvillePlace

Campus Lodge

SW 16th Ave./SR 226

RTS

LexingtonCrossing

NE

2nd

St.

36

CabanaBeach

OakHammock

GreyhoundStationHidden

Lakes

Sorrento

TownsendWalnutCreek

Oak Ridge Apts.

ARC

OakGate

Meadowcrest

PlazaVerde

CIL

17

NW 29th Rd.29

Routesdefinedbynumberandauniquecolor.Adjacentroutesfeaturecontrastingcolors.

Transferlocationsbetweenroutes

Clock-faceapproachtoprovisionofservicetiminginformation.

Headway-basedapproachtoprovisionofservicetiminginformation

Clock-face extracted from the Gainesville, FL, Summer 2005 Schedule. Not consistent with the headway-based information shown above.

�� DesigningPrintedTransitInformationMaterials

SySTem map (goleta, Isla Vista & ellwood) Full Schematic Style—Full color process

Agency: Santa Barbara MTD (Santa Barbara, CA) Designer: CHK America

ThefullschematicstylewasappliedherebecauseoftheunusualtopographyofSantaBarbara,whichisalongnarrowurbanareabetweenthemountainsandthesea.


SySTem map gIS overlay Style—Full color process

Agency: Metropolitan Atlanta RTA (Atlanta, GA) Designer: Smartmaps, Inc.

Ifthesystemmapcoversalargemetropolitanareaand/orfeaturesmanypointsofinterest,itcanbeusefultocategorizetheseandprovidetheirlocationasagridreference.InAtlanta,thefollowingsixcategoriesweredefined:

collegesanduniversitiesculturalfacilitiesmedicalfacilitiesparksandrecreationshoppingcenterstransportationfacilitieshotelsandmotels


checklist:

System map design

AsystemmapmaybebasedontheGISOverlay,Semi-Schematic,orFullSchematicStyle.TheGISOverlayStyleisthemostflexible.

Asystemmapshouldshowallthemajortransit system elements,includingthebasicalignmentofeachroute,majortransferpoints,andtransfercenters.

Asystemmapshouldalsoshowallmajortopographical elements,includingmajorstreetnamesandpointsofinterest/landmarks.

Thesystemmapshouldbeonawhite or light-colored backgroundwithcolorcodingusedtoidentifydifferentserviceroutes.Amaximumofninecolorsisrecommended:red, green, yellow, blue, orange, brown, purple, light blue, and black.

Usecontrastingcolorsonadjacentroutes.

Ifpossible,use saturated colors fortransitsystemele-ments.Avoidmostpastels.

partial color coding,whereeachcolorisusedtorepre-sentmultipleroutes,canbeusediftherearemoreroutesthanavailablecolors.

Naturallandmarks(parks,bodiesofwater)shouldbeindicatedintheirnaturalcolor(green,blue,etc).

Symbolsshouldbeusedthatareconsistentwithlocalcon-ventions.Alegendshouldbeprovidedthatidentifieseachsymbolandalsostatesthescaleofthemap(iftoscale).

Utilizationofdifferentscales and insetsallowsserviceinformationtobepresentedinamanageableway.

-

-

-

-


03

�5

rouTe map deSIgnARoute Mapillustratesthealignmentofanindividualbusrouteandistypicallydesignedtobeusedwithascheduletoallowcustomerstodeterminewheretoboardanddisembarkfromeachbus.Timepointsillustratedontheroutemapdirectlycorrespondtoservicetiminginformationprovidedontheschedule.

Aswithsystemmaps,differentoverlayandschematicstyleoptionsareavailable.Sinceroutemapsarepresentedatamuchlargerscale,ahigherlevelofdetailontheroutealignmentandthesurroundingtopographycanbeprovided,thoughthecolorsandsymbolsusedshouldbe

consistentwiththoseontheassociatedsystemmap.

Unlikethesystemmap,itisnotnecessarytousefullcoloronroutemaps.Threedifferentcoloroptionsarepresentedhere:Full (Four) Color, Two Color, and One Color.UsingfullcolormakesitpossibletousetheGISOverlaystyle,matchingthecolorschemeusedinthesystemmap,butitisalsomoreexpensive.Theotherformatsaremorelikelytobeschematicinstyle,providinglesssurroundingareadetailbutmaxi-mizinginformationclarity.Theseotherformatsarealsogenerallylessexpensive.

rouTe map/Schedule deSIgn

route map color Scheme options

Full (Four) Color Two Color One Color

Mapstyle GISOverlay GISOverlay/Schematic Schematic

Backgroundcolor Sameassystemmap White/lightshade White

Routecolor Sameassystemmap Colorusedtodefine Black(bolded) routealignment

TransferpointsandSameassystemmap Black/otherdarkcolor Black

othertransitelements

Street/roadalignment Sameassystemmap White/otherlightcolor Black

Streetnames Sameassystemmap Black/otherdarkcolor Black/otherdarkcolor

Pointsofinterest/Sameassystemmap Black/otherdarkcolor Black/otherdarkcolor

landmarks


route Title

Theroutetitleshouldbebasedontheareaitserves,usingeithertheareanameortheroute’sstartandendpoints.Oneortwomajordestinationsservedbytheroutemayalsobeaddedtothetitle.Therouteshouldalsobeidentifiedbyauniquenumberorletter.Thetitleshouldbeshowninbold,largefontonabanneratthetopofthepage.Ifpossible,thebannershouldfeaturethesamecolorusedtorepre-senttherouteonthesystemmap.

route map content

Aroutemapshouldincludethefollowing:

an illustration of the route alignment,preferablyinthesamecolorasshownonthesystemmapand,ifpossible,inthesameorientationasonthesystemmap

route variations,denotedbyabrokenline

theroute number

majorpoints of interest (landmarks)inthevicinityofrouteandcorrespondingintersecting street names

major streetsandintersecting streetsintheroute’svicinity

major topographical features(rivers,lakes,parks,etc.)shownintheirnaturalcolor,ifpossible

transfer pointswithintersectingroutesandwithothertransitmodes

time pointsspacedat5-to�0-minuteintervalsbasedonmajordestinationsandtransferpoints;intersectingstreetnamesateachtimepointshouldbedisplayed,ifpos-sible

bus stop locations,ifsufficientlylimitedinnumber

route direction,clearlyindicatedusinganarrowwhereserviceisinonedirectiononly

alegendandcompass rose

other Information

Otherinformationthatshouldbeprovidedalongwiththeroutemapandscheduleincludes:

operatordetails(name,address,andphonenumberofoperator)

websiteaddress,helplinecontactnumber

fareinformation

effectivedatesofschedule

“howtouse”instructions(seenextsectionfordetails)

Schedule deSIgnAschedule(alsoknownasatimetable)pro-videsservicetiminginformation.Thescheduleistypicallyusedinconjunctionwitharoutemaptoenableacustomertodeterminewhentoboardanddisembarkfromeachbus,andtodeterminehowlongtheirjourneywilltake.

Schedule Format

Servicetiminginformationistraditionallypro-videdinatabularscheduleformat,showingthetimesatwhichtheserviceisscheduledtobeateachtimepointalongtheroute.Studieshaveshownthatmanypeopleareunabletousethisformatcorrectly,whileothersdonotneedthelevelofaccuracythatthisformatprovides.

Othermoresimplifiedformatsareavailable,suchastheheadway-basedapproachandtheclock-faceapproach(seepage��forexamples).Theseformatsbenefitfrombeingeasiertounderstandbutstruggletoprovidethelevelofaccuracythatsomecustomersrequire,andarealsolimitedtoservicesthatarebasedoncertainheadways.Forexample,itisdifficulttousetheclock-faceapproachforheadwaysof�5,�5,40,45,or50minutes.

Forthesereasons,thisguidebookrecom-mendsatwo-tier approachtotheprovisionofservicetiminginformation.Tier 1providesdetailedtiminginformationinthetraditionaltabular formatforthosecustomersthatrequireahighlevelofaccuracy.Tier 2providesasimpleheadway-based summaryoftheservicetiminginformationforcustomerswhodonotneed,orareunabletouse,thetabularformat.

It’simportanttonotethatcustomers’differentinformationneedscanbeaccommodatedonlyifbothtiersofinformationareprovided.


6:00am 6:14 6:23 6:31 6:46 R 6:50 7:05 7:15 7:25 7:40 R6:35 6:49 6:58 7:06 7:21 7:25 7:40 7:50 8:00 8:15 R7:10 7:24 7:33 7:41 7:56 S,R 8:00 8:15 8:25 8:35 8:50 R7:45 7:59 8:08 8:16 8:31 8:35 8:50 9:00 9:10 9:25 R8:20 8:34 8:43 8:51 9:06 S 9:10 9:25 9:35 9:45 10:00 R8:55 9:09 9:18 9:26 9:41 9:45 10:00 10:10 10:20 10:35 R9:30 9:44 9:53 10:01 10:16 S,R 10:20 10:35 10:45 10:55 11:10 R

CuanTransitCenter ABalvicarSt./SanfordRd. BObanMall CWinkleyPark DWiganPier EBelvedereMarket FGulfDrive/BeachSt. G

Vertical time point alignment

Time point labeling

Timepointsshouldbelabeledusinganumberorletterthatcorrespondswiththatusedintheschedule.Thetimepointlabelshouldalsoincludeatimepointname,whichisnormallybasedonthenameofanadjacentlandmarkortheclosestintersectingstreets.

Time point label orientation

Ideally,thetimepointlabelsshouldbeorientedhorizontallysotheycanbereadinthesameplaneastheservicetiminginformationcolumnsbelowthem.Ifspaceislimited,orifthelabelsarelong,thelabelsmaybeorientedata45˚anglesothattheycanstillbereadwithouthav-ingtorotatethescheduletoreadtheassociatedtiminginformationbelow.Perpendiculartimepointlabelorientationisnotrecommended.

TaBular Schedule deSIgn (TIer 1)

layout

Theroutemapandscheduleshouldbeposi-tionedsothattheymaybeviewedwithoutthecustomerhavingtorotateor“flip”thepage.Servicedirectionshouldtakepriorityoverser-vicevariationacrossdifferentdaysoftheweek.Thus,allserviceinformationpertainingtoaspecificdirectionoftravelshouldbepresentedonthesamepage(orfold-outspread).Serviceinformationfortheotherdirectionoftravelmaybedisplayedonadifferentspreadifneces-sary.Ifthisisthecase,itshouldbeaccompaniedbyitsownroutemap.

Time point alignment

Studiesshowthataligningthetimepointshorizontally,fromlefttorightacrossthepage,iseasierforcustomerstouse,asitismorenaturalforthehumaneyetoscaninahorizontalpro-gressionfromlefttoright.Mosttransitagenciesalreadyusethehorizontalalignmentapproach,anditwouldbeusefulifthisapproachweread-optedasanindustrystandard.Verticaltimepointalignmentisnotrecommended.

S = Saturday Service R = Reduced Service

6:00am 6:14 6:23 6:31 6:46 R 6:50 7:05 7:15 7:25 7:40 R6:35 6:49 6:58 7:06 7:21 7:25 7:40 7:50 8:00 8:15 R7:10 7:24 7:33 7:41 7:56 S,R 8:00 8:15 8:25 8:35 8:50 R7:45 7:59 8:08 8:16 8:31 8:35 8:50 9:00 9:10 9:25 R8:20 8:34 8:43 8:51 9:06 S 9:10 9:25 9:35 9:45 10:00 R8:55 9:09 9:18 9:26 9:41 9:45 10:00 10:10 10:20 10:35 R9:30 9:44 9:53 10:01 10:16 S,R 10:20 10:35 10:45 10:55 11:10 R

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am/pm differentiation

Usethe��-hourclockfortiminginformation.DifferentiateAMandPMtimesusingboldtypeforthePMtimes,and/orusingclearAM/PMlabeling.Useofthe�4-hourclockisnotrecom-mended.

column/row delineation

Schedulerowsshouldbedelineatedusingalternaterowshadingorusinghorizontallineseparators.Verticalcolumnsshouldbead-equatelyspacedforclarity,butdonotrequiredelineationunlesstherearealargenumberoftimepoints(approximately�5ormore).

daily Service Variation

Ifservicecharacteristicsvaryondifferentdays(typically,weekendserviceshavelowerservicefrequencies),servicetiminginformationshouldbeseparatedintoindividualscheduletablesforeachservicefrequencygrouping.Labelthesegroupingsbythenamesofthedays(i.e.“Mon-daytoFriday”,“Saturday/Sunday”).Grouplabelslike“Weekend”,“Weekday”and“Daily”arenotrecommended,assuchtermscansometimescauseconfusion.Ifthereisnoserviceonaparticularday,thisshouldbeclearlystated.At-temptingtointegrateweekdayandweekendinformationintothesamescheduletableisnotrecommendedifthesefrequenciesaredifferent,asthiscanbeamajorsourceofconfusionforcustomers.

Perpendicular time point label orientation

Different daily service frequencies incorporated into the same schedule


Service direction labeling

Eachscheduleorschedulesetshouldbeac-companiedbyaprominentlydisplayedservicedirectionlabel.Thelabelshouldbebasedontheroute’sstartandendpoints,usingthe“To/From”labelformat.Directionlabelingbasedoncardinaldirections(“eastbound,”“westbound”,etc.)isnotrecommended,assomecustomersarenotfamiliarwiththisconcept,andbecauseroutesof-tenchangedirectionmakingthesetermsincor-rectforsomeroutesections.Useofthephrases“inbound”or“outbound”isnotrecommended,asthesecanalsocauseconfusion.

hybrid approach

Itiscommonforheadwaystovaryoverthecourseoftheday,withthehighestservicefrequenciesduringpeaktravelperiods.Stud-ieshaveshownthatifserviceheadwaysare�0minutesorless,themajorityofcustomersare“randomarrivals”thatdonotrequireaccuratetiminginformation.Therefore,thesectionsoftheschedulefeaturingheadwaysof�0minutesorlessmaybecondensedbyinsertingasimpleheadway-basedphrasesuchas“serviceoper-atesevery�0minutes”inplaceofmultiplerowsofexacttiminginformation(seeexamplefollowing).UseofthishybridapproachdoesnotnegatetheneedforaseparateTier�summaryofservicefrequencyandspan.

Ifserviceheadwaysarelessthan�0minutesthroughouttheday,itmaynotbenecessarytoprovideatabularscheduleatall.However,thisapproachshouldonlybetakenundercare-fulconsiderationforrouteswithsimplelinearalignments.

SummarIzed SerVIce TImIng InFormaTIon deSIgn (TIer 2) Itshouldbepossibleforriderstoobtainbasicservicetiminginformationwithouthavingtorefertoafulltabularschedule.Thiscanbedonebyprovidingaheadway-basedsummaryofservicespanandapproximatefrequency.Itisrecommendedthatsomeformofbasicservicetiminginformationbeprovidedevenifonlysim-plifiedapproximationsofactualservicechar-acteristicsarefeasible.Anexampleisprovidedbelow.

Thissummaryinformationshouldbepositionedinaprominentlocation,suchasthefrontcoveroftheroutemap/schedulepamphlet,orwithintheroute’stitlebanner.

route 12 service— richmond to putney via kingston Mon-Fri: Serviceevery�5to�0minutes from�:00amto�:00pmSaturday: Serviceevery�5to�0minutes from�0:00amto6:00pmSunday: Noservice

Schedule Terminolgy—do’s and don’ts

Service Direction Timing Daily Service Labeling Format Variation

Recommended “To/From”format ��-hrclock Actualdays -MondaytoFriday -Saturday,Sunday

NotRecommended Northbound/Eastbound,etc. �4-hrclock Weekdays,weekends,daily Inbound/Outbound

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checklist: route map designTheRouteMapmaybeoverlayorschematic.Unlikethesys-temmap,itisnotnecessarytouseFull(Four)color.WhiletheFull(Four)Colorapproachhascertainadvantages,TwoColorandOneColorapproachescanalsobeeffective.

Theroutetitleshouldbebasedontheareaitserves,usingeithertheareanameorusingtheroute’sstartandendpoints.

Oneortwomajordestinationsservedbytheroutemayalsobeaddedtothetitle.Therouteshouldbeidentifiedbyauniquenumberorletter.

Aroutemapshouldincludethefollowinginformation:

an illustration of the route alignment,preferablyinthesamecolorasshownonthesystemmapand,ifpos-sible,inthesameorientationasonthesystemmaproute variations,denotedbyabrokenlinetheroute numbermajorpoints of interest (landmarks)inthevicinityofroute,andcorrespondingintersecting street namesmajor streetsandintersecting streetsintheroute’svicinitymajor topographical features(rivers,lakes,parks,etc.),shownintheirnaturalcolorifpossibletransfer pointswithintersectingroutesandwithothertransitmodestime pointsspacedat5to�0minuteintervals,basedonmajordestinationsandtransferpoints;intersectingstreetnamesateachtimepointshouldbedisplayedifpossiblebus stop locations,ifsufficientlylimitedinnumberroute directionclearlyindicatedusinganarrowwhereserviceisinonedirectiononlyalegendandcompass rose

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-

--

-

checklist: Schedule design Atwo-tier approachtotheprovisionofservicetiminginformationisrecommended;

Tier 1:ProvidesaccurateservicetiminginformationusingthetabularscheduleformatTier 2:Providesasimpleheadway-basedsummaryoftheservicetiminginformationforcustomerswhodonotneed,orareunabletouse,thetabularformat.

Providetheroutemapandassociatedservicetiminginfor-mationonthesamespread.

Groupallserviceinformationfortoaparticulardirectionoftravelonthesamespread.Ifnecessary,showreversedirec-tiononitsownspread,alongwithaseparateroutemap.

Ifdifferenttimepointsareemployedinthereversedirection,aseparateroutemapforthisdirectionshouldbeprovided.

Aligntimepointshorizontally.Avoidverticaltimepointalignments.

Eachtimepointshouldbeidentifiedbyauniquenumberorletterthatcorrespondswiththatusedontheroutemap.Timepointsshouldalsobelabeledusinganadjacentpointofinterestnameand/oradjacentintersectingstreetnames.

Orienttimepointlabelshorizontallyorat45˚angle.Avoidperpendiculartimepointlabeling.

Shadealternaterowsorprovidehorizontallineseparators.

Usethe��-hourclockanddifferentiatetheAMandPMtimesbyboldingthePMtimesand/orbyprovidingAM/PMlabels.Useofthe�4-hourclockisnotrecommended.

Use“To/From”directionlabeling.Avoidcardinaldirections(“eastbound,”“northbound”).

Usenameddays(“MondaytoFriday”)ratherthangroups(“Weekday,”“Weekend”).

Ifsomeschedulesectionsfeatureheadwaysof�0minutesorless,asimpleheadway-basedsummarycanbeusedinplaceofmultiplerowsoftiminginformation.

-

-


Summarized service timing information

Route number clearly displayed and color coded to match system map

Effective date

Contact information

Routemapmatchesstyleofsystemmap—anadvantageofthefullcolorformat

4TimePointsclearlydisplayed


Days of operation

To/From route naming convention

Horizontal time point alignment & labeling

PM times shown in bold

rouTe map/Schedule gIS overlay Style—Full color process

Agency: Waukesha Metro Transit (Waukesha, WI) Designer: CHK America



Route number clearly displayed and color coded to match system map

Effective date

Contact information

rouTe map/Schedule gIS overlay Style—Full color process

Agency: Nashville MTA (Nashville, TN) Designer: CHK America

Transferpointsidentifiedalongwithintersectingrouteinformation

T


Days of operation


AM and PM service differentiated using color. Alternate row shading enhances readability.


Coloredrouteongrayscalebackgroundmaximizesnoticeability

rouTe map/Schedule gIS overlay Style—Two color process

Agency: Tar River Transit (Rocky Mount, NC) Designer: Smartmaps, Inc.

Arrowsusedtoillustrateservicedirection

AGuidebookforTransitServiceProviders �5

Days of operation



AM/PM labeling

Horizontal lines used to separate rows


75rout

e Oaks Mall to Butler Plaza

Allroutesarewheelchairaccessible

Monday to FridayEvery 35 minutes 6:00am - 10:00am 5:00pm - 8:16pmEvery 53 minutes all other times

Saturday Every 90 minutes 6:40 am - 6:39pm

Summarizedservicetiminginformationpro-videdinbanner.Servicefrequencyandspanarebothprovided.

rouTe map/Schedule Schematic Style—Two color process

Agency: RTS (Gainesville, FL) Designer: Group 5 Advertising

Routenumberclearlyidentifiedalongsideroutestartandendpoints


5,20 1 1 5,20

Oaks Mall to Butler Plaza Butler Plaza to Oaks Mall 6:15am 6:30 6:40 6:50 7:05 6:00am 6:14 6:23 6:31 6:46 6:50 7:05 7:15 7:25 7:40 6:35 6:49 6:58 7:06 7:21 7:25 7:40 7:50 8:00 8:15 7:10 7:24 7:33 7:41 7:56 8:00 8:15 8:25 8:35 8:50 7:45 7:59 8:08 8:16 8:31 8:35 8:50 9:00 9:10 9:25 8:20 8:34 8:43 8:51 9:06 9:10 9:25 9:35 9:45 10:00 8:55 9:09 9:18 9:26 9:41 9:45 10:00 10:10 10:20 10:35 9:30 9:44 9:53 10:01 10:16 10:20 10:35 10:45 10:55 11:10 10:05 10:19 10:28 10:36 10:51 10:55 11:10 11:20 11:30 11:45 10:57 11:11 11:20 11:28 11:43 11:47 12:02pm12:12 12:22 12:37 11:50 12:04pm 12:13 12:21 12:36 12:40 12:55 1:05 1:15 1:30 12:42 12:56 1:05 1:13 1:28 1:32 1:47 1:57 2:07 2:22 1:35 1:49 1:58 2:06 2:21 2:25 2:40 2:50 3:00 3:15 2:27 2:41 2:50 2:58 3:13 3:17 3:32 3:42 3:52 4:07 3:20 3:34 3:43 3:51 4:06 4:10 4:25 4:35 4:45 5:00 4:12 4:26 4:35 4:43 4:58 5:02 5:17 5:27 5:37 5:52 5:05 5:19 5:28 5:36 5:51 5:55 6:10 6:20 6:30 6:45 5:40 5:54 6:03 6:11 6:26 6:30 6:45 6:55 7:05 7:20 6:15 6:29 6:38 6:46 7:01 6:50 7:04 7:13 7:21 7:36 7:30 7:44 7:53 8:01 8:16

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Oaks Mall to Butler Plaza Butler Plaza to Oaks Mall 6:40 6:55 7:05 7:12 7:28 7:30 7:41 7:51 7:58 8:09 8:10 8:25 8:35 8:42 8:58 9:00 9:11 9:21 9:28 9:39 9:40 9:55 10:05 10:12 10:28 10:30 10:41 10:51 10:58 11:09 11:10 11:25 11:35 11:42 11:58 12:00 12:11 12:21 12:28 12:39 12:40 12:55 1:05 1:12 1:28 1:30 1:41 1:51 1:58 2:09 2:10 2:25 2:35 2:42 2:58 3:00 3:11 3:21 3:28 3:39 3:40 3:55 4:05 4:12 4:28 4:30 4:41 4:51 4:58 5:09 5:10 5:25 5:35 5:42 5:58 6:00 6:11 6:21 6:28 6:39

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Days of operation

Time point labels oriented at a 45º angle


Intersecting route information


rouTe map/Schedule Schematic Style—one color process

Agency: Metro RTA (Akron, OH) Designer: Metro RTA


Time point labels oriented at a 45º angle


Timepointlocationsareslightlydifferentineachservicedirection,sotwoseparatemapsareprovided.

5 2

Alternate row shading used to enhance readability


Locationofeachbusstopisprovidedalongwithintersectingstreetnames

rouTe map/Schedule Schematic Style—one color process

Agency: Potomac and Rappahannock TC (Woodbridge, VA) Designer: Smartmaps, Inc.

Dropshadoweffectusedtoaccentuateroutealignment

Breakpointusedtomakemoreefficientuseofspace


Days of operation



AM/PM labeling

Double-row alternate shading



04

��

Usingprintedtransitinformationmaterialscanbeadifficulttaskformanypeople,particularlyforthefirst-timeuser.Manypeoplehavedif-ficultiesreadingamap,andusingaschedulecanbeparticularlyproblematic.Providingclearin-structionsonhowthematerialsshouldbeusedcanhelppeopletousethematerialsproperly.Goodinstructionsprovidebothexplanatorytextandagraphicillustrationofcorrectsched-uleuse.Theseinstructionsshouldbeplacedincloseproximitytotheinformationaidstheyaredescribing.Dependingonspaceavailability,threedifferentinstructionlevelsarepossible:

scheduleinstruction

scheduleandmapinstruction

fulltripinstruction

InSTrucTIon deSIgn

Schedule InSTrucTIonIflimitedspaceisavailable,thisformofinstruc-tionfocusesonthemostchallengingpartofthetripplanningtask—scheduleuse.Theinstruc-tionboxusesagraphicalexampletoclearlyillustratethestepsinvolvedincorrectschedule

use.Thisinstructionboxshouldbepositionedincloseproximitytotheschedule.Thisformofinstructionisrecommendedwhentheroutein-formationispackagedinindividual pamphlets.

How Do I Read a Schedule Guide? Agency/Designer: Santa Barbara MTD (Santa Barbara, CA) Reading a Schedule: A Step-by-Step Guide Agency/Designer: Metro Transit (Minneapolis, MN) Instructions Agency: Potomac and Rappahannock TC Designer: Smartmaps, Inc. (Woodbridge, VA)


Schedule & map InstructionIfmorespaceisavailable,instruc-tionscanincluderoutemapuseand/orsystemmapuse.ThismoredetailedlevelofinstructioncanbeprovidedwhentransitinformationmaterialsarepackagedintoaRide Guideorifaseparate“How To” pamphletisprovided.

Theseheadingstellwhichdaysoftheweekthelistapplies.

Theroutenumberandnameoftheroutearefoundonthetopofthepage.

Calledtimepoints—Thesearenottheonlystopsontheroute,buttheonesthatcorrespondtothetimeslistedbeloweachone.Theletterinthecirclecanbefoundonthemapforthatroutetopinpointthelocation.

Theseheadingstellthedirectiontheroutetravelsforthetimeslisted.

Thetimescanbereadtwoways.Readingeachcolumnfromtoptobottom,youcanseeeachtimethatthebusstopsatthetime-points.Readingfromlefttoright,youcanseewheneachtripwilltravelfromonetimepointtoanother.

BoldTypeindicatespmtimes

Page 34: Reading the Schedule Agency: RTS (Gainesville, FL) Designer: Group 5 Advertising

Page 35: PASSPORT: Student Rider Guide 2007-2008 Agency/Designer: Nashville MTA (Nashville, TN)

AGuidebookforTransitServiceProviders �5


Full Trip InstructionThisprovidesinstructiononawiderangeoftripplanningactivitiesinsomedetail,suchashowtousethematerials,howtoboardthebus,howtopaythefare,howtodisembark,etc.Fulltripinstructionistypicallyprovidedwhenrouteinformationispack-agedinaRide Guideorifaseparate“How To” pamphletisprovided.

Page 36-37: Welcome Aboard: Golden Gate Transit’s New Rider’s Guide Agency/Designer: Golden Gate Transit (San Rafael, CA)

checklist: Instruction design

Goodinstructionsprovidebothex-planatorytextandagraphicillustrationofcorrectscheduleuse.

Instructionsshouldbeplacedincloseproximitytotheinformationaidstheyaredescribing.

Dependingonspaceavailability,threedifferentinstructionlevelsarepossible:

Scheduleinstruction—recommendedifrouteinformationisprovidedinindividualpamphlets.

Scheduleandmapinstruction—maybeprovidedifmaterialsarepackagedinaRideGuide,orinaseparate“howto”pamphlet.

Fulltripinstruction—maybepro-videdifmaterialsarepackagedinaRideGuide,orinaseparate“howto”pamphlet.

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Center for Urban Transportation Research University of South Florida

4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CUT100 Tampa, FL 33620-5375

www.cutr.usf.edu

Documents

Designing PrinteD transit information materials · 2008-01-11 · Project Staff William P. Morris Mark Mistretta Wendy Teague Pamella C. Clark florida Department of transportation