subway, bloody subway

new york

get your subway system sorted out

if there was ever a public transport service that needs a communications overhaul it’s the mta. it’s taken me 2 years to work out where i am and where i’m going - and that’s when i’m on the train!

yes, you’ve got a nice map. yes, you’ve got all these brightly colored circles - but down in the murky depths of what must be the filthiest, most rat-infested stations since medieval london cleared the plague, there’s little or no legible visible signage that explains anything. at all.

i’m not saying wolff olins has to do it. but it has to be done. a clear, helpful wayfinding and signage system that explains to people where trains go, what station you’re at (when you are on a train, it’s sometimes impossible to see a sign on the platform).

and a general tidy up wouldn’t go amiss either. our ticket prices can surely pay for some fresh tiling and a lick of paint.

one other thing. are you the new york subway or the mta? give us one name and stick to it please.

come on new york. you’re supposed to be one of the world’s great cities. let your visitors, and residents, travel in style.

(mike benson)