Comments on: DC Mythbusting: Metro Map to Scale

By: discojing » Blog Archive » Show ‘n Tell Issue 11

discojing » Blog Archive » Show ‘n Tell Issue 11 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:13:01 +0000

[...] DC Mythbusting: Metro Map to Scale (WeLoveDC) [...]

By: Woodside Park Bob

Woodside Park Bob — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:38:06 +0000

Another problem with the Metro map is that it has no box explaining that some Red Line trains don’t go beyond Silver Spring. It has boxes explaining similar situations at Grosvenor and Fort Totten, but not Silver Spring. Why are they not warning travelers to Forest Glen, Wheaton, and Glenmont that their service may be poor?

By: Kik

Kik — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:31:24 +0000

ADC’s scaled version has been around for a long time.

By: Duane

Duane — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:55:42 +0000

The distortion of transport route maps was quite common in the latter part of the 19th Century as the railroads attempted to attract settlers to their land grants.
See: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/rrintro.html
under “Land Grants”.

By: wabash

wabash — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:51:49 +0000

Here it is on Google Maps:

http://www.google.com/gadgets/directory?synd=mpl&hl=en&gl=en&url=http://www.cedorman.com-a.googlepages.com/dcmetrorail.xml

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:12:19 +0000

The debate about whether to have a geographical correct subway map, is not only limited to DC. In 1972 the famed graphic designer Vignelli, designed a map of the NY subway system, that, like the DC metro map, was non-geographical. Vignelli argued that such maps make it easier to navigate from point A to point B. New Yorkers, however, disagreed and Vignelli’s map was scrapped for the current, geographically correct version. In 2008, Vignelli updated the NY subway map using his original design. The NY Times has a good article on the controversy here http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/03/nyregion/thecity/03maps.html

By: twoeightnine

twoeightnine — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:50:09 +0000

Yeah but I prefer the idea of a secret, goes nowhere subway like we have in Rochester. http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=rochester%20subway&w=99693955%40N00

At least I now know why I get a good nap in on the way back to my sister’s place near Shady Grove.

By: shannon

shannon — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:32:54 +0000

@twoeightnine It’s hidden underneath the blue and green line features on the DC GIS file (which are sorted alphabetically), but there are those two little stops at the end of the line– Huntington and Eisenhower Ave– that are almost on top of each other. So I guess it exists, but just barely.

By: twoeightnine

twoeightnine — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:28:00 +0000

According to the real map the Yellow line doesn’t even have any stops so maybe it really doesn’t exist.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:17:04 +0000

Awesome! When on the train yesterday, I was thinking about the map. Now I know!

By: iButterfield

iButterfield — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:02:28 +0000

without even really knowing it, i’ve been wanting to see something like this for a long, long time!

By: shannon

shannon — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:00:59 +0000

@Kate I definitely didn’t mean that I thought the official map was intentionally misleading, and as I mentioned in the second paragraph I totally understand that Metro has to show it that way for clarity and formatting reasons.

I was just surprised at how far apart some of the stations are, and how the north/west suburbs really get the bulk of the suburban service.

By: Convince Me DC

Convince Me DC — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:55:54 +0000

Fascinating! Akin to drawing the human heart as <3 .

By: Kate

Kate — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:50:49 +0000

Looking at the map to scale is really interesting. When I read this post, though, it felt like you were characterizing the map as being either intentionally misleading just negligent. I don’t believe that to be true at all. Starting with Henry Beck’s 1933 map of the London Underground, we’ve realized that for navigating within a system, what matters most is where you are in relation to where you want to go. The map is schematic. I just wanted to point out that this is most likely completely intentional. Although I did really enjoy seeing the scaled versions. Shady Grove is so far away.