This is my proposed design for a mass-transit tram and monorail system for the UK city of Bristol.
Following work on redesigning the London Tube Map and creating various alternative designs, I set out to create a unique map for a proposed Mass-transport system for Bristol. The city has lacked an inter-connected public transport system since the Second World War, and depends on a privately-run bus service prone to cuts. Instead, this network would reach all corners of the city and run independent to the road network, avoiding congestion and providing a cheap, reliable service.
For the map design itself, I based my work upon a rarely-used isometric grid, like the one used for the Stuttgart U- & S-Bahn system from around 2000. This system creates a simple and bold design that is very easy to trace for the user, and works particularly well with Bristol’s natural geography and shape of the city. It’s even possible to use quite complicated individual line layouts that are still easy to follow for an inexperienced user with no interest in transit maps at all, as research suggest people will only look at a transit map in the real-world environment for eight seconds.
CITY CENTRE
The centre of the design was a diamond-shaped central ring line, running around Bristol City Centre, stopping at the city’s shopping quarter, iconic Harbourside and Temple Meads station. A cross-city route fits within this central ring, serving major areas inside this ring, such as the Old City.
Whilst this is not a truly geographical map, less so than even the Tube map, I have simplified many of the lines for ease-of-use, with more importance placed on how the lines interact than their true routes. Because of the isometric design, and the 30pt weight of the lines, its possible to weave the lines in between each other, whilst maintaining a simplified layout, and still make the map usable with lines that are easy to follow.
Radial routes then run at 30º angles, creating clear gaps between angles and a simple-to-use grid system. One of the largest interchanges lies to the north of the City Centre at Hambrook Junction, with the main route corridor running along the M32, with a proposal to downgrade it to an A-Road, allowing stations to be built along its length. A large diamond interchange symbol fits across four lines here.
In terms of typographics, I used an Adobe Font called Neusa Next Std, in a variety of weights across the design. For ordinary stations I used the ‘light’ weight, whilst I used ‘medium’ for interchange stations as these are often the busiest, and most important for users. Finally, I used an even heavier ‘bold’ font for line termini, which are very important for users when boarding services as the station names will be displayed on the front of trains.
Thank you for reading, and feel free to comment below.
