UTA’s TRAX and FrontRunner Map as of April 2013.
While browsing through past blog posts by BusNinja, I remembered that I’ve been meaning to discuss the quality (or lack thereof) of UTA‘s maps. I find it comforting that I’m not the only one who has noticed how bad UTA’s maps are.
Back in July, Cameron Booth gave UTA’s TRAX and FrontRunner map one star (out of five). He revisited the updated map in December (when FrontRunner to Provo started service) and gave the map a half star. When TRAX service to the Airport started in April, Cameron again critiqued the updated map and gave it ZERO STARS. He describes the map as “beyond appalling” and classifies it as “now officially the most embarrassing transit maps in the U.S.” Yonah Freemark of The Transport Politic announced Cameron’s critique in the following tweet:
Salt Lake may have just opened a new light rail line to the airport, but the city’s system map is embarrassingly bad http://t.co/n7ZVOBdTNt
— Yonah Freemark (@yfreemark) April 16, 2013
It’s not as if there aren’t people offering free service as graphic designers to UTA. Cameron Booth discovered a map by Twitter user @f40phr231:
Map by @f40phr231.
BusNinja also designed a great map:
Map by BusNinja.
There is hope for improvement though:
Hint hint @RideUTA – Boston Wants You to Design a Better Transit Map http://t.co/1chJNPLtgv
— Matt Blank (@msbutah) April 11, 2013
@msbutah That’s an interesting idea. The redesigned map definitely looks better. Maybe we can discuss doing something like that here.
— UTA (@RideUTA) April 11, 2013
@RideUTA @msbutah Perhaps the UTA rail map can be updated to something like this? 🙂 http://t.co/6u7pydTr3H
— Christopher (@f40phr231) April 12, 2013
@f40phr231 @msbutah Nice work! I talked with our graphic artists and it turns out we’re in the process of developing a new system map.
— UTA (@RideUTA) April 12, 2013
