Dublin City Public Transport Map

Amtmann

London Underground’s iconic diagram has inspired an integrated map of Dublin transport routes, writes FRANK McDONALD, Environment Editor

EIGHT YEARS ago, a German-born graphic design student came for the first time to Dublin and was as confused as anyone about how to get around the city by public transport.

There was no handy map of bus and rail services, so it became a “pet project” for Aris Venetikidis (his father is Greek and his mother German) to make one as memorable as the London Underground diagram.

After being rejected initially as a project for his undergraduate degree in graphic design at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), because his tutors thought it would be “too complex”, he got another chance to do it for his master’s degree. And by then, he had years of experience of using public transport in Dublin.

“I found it frustrating and far below international standards,” he says. “I grew up in the Ruhr Valley region in western Germany, where they have great public transport maps. But when I started using graphic design to produce a map for Dublin, I came to the conclusion that the network itself is so complex that it’s almost unmappable.”

So Venetikidis, who is now 31, teamed up with Dublin Institute of Technology postgraduate and transport campaigner James Leahy, who had finished his master’s degree thesis on bus rapid transit as a sustainable – and more affordable – alternative to Luas. Together, they created a “model network”, which he then began to map.

“After spending about a year drawing maps over and over again, going back to square one and improving them, I ended up with a city centre public transport map, based on a simplified network, that has an unprecedented level of detail and clarity – and this has been acknowledged by Dublin Bus, Dublin City Council and others.

“The reaction to my map has been outstandingly, overwhelmingly positive. There’s still a lot of discourse about James Leahy’s model, but it’s clear to me that, without a fundamental simplification of the network, the system will remain confusing to new users and so will any endeavour to create intelligible public transport maps.”

Essentially, the map Venetikidis designed includes all bus services and stops, as well as existing and proposed Luas stops, existing Dart stations and the proposed Dart Underground link between Inchicore and Docklands, with intervening stations at Heuston, Christ Church, St Stephen’s Green, Pearse (Westland Row) and Spencer Dock.

Everything is colour-coded, and the 10 bus rapid transit lines proposed by Leahy are given names such as Beckett, Larkin, Stoker and Yeats.

These are shown on a large format map of the public transport network as a whole, then in detail on a separate map of the inner city area, so people can see exactly where they are going.

“Every stop is on it, because you can’t assume that every new user has a working knowledge of Dublin’s geography,” Venetikidis says. “So even Dubliners invited to a friend’s party, for example – all they would have to do is to identify the nearest stop on the map, which is not something they can do now, and then work out the route they need to take.”

As the iconic London Underground map had shown, “a successful integrated public transport map is the key to motivating people to leave the car and make the switch to a sustainable transport mode. Couple that with a modern network of rapid transit and you have the solution to congested city centre streets and an absent infrastructure.”

Venetikidis is full of admiration for Harry Beck, the London Transport employee who drew the original diagram of its tube network in 1931 that still forms the basis of the map in use today. With its use of colour coding, spatial distortion and clear lines (like his own Dublin diagram), the underground map is the way most people relate to the layout of London.

“I think we’ve reached a point at which the different players involved in planning public transport in Dublin have realised the importance of simplifying the network,” he says.

“I would hope that eventually they will also strive for true integration, including the long-awaited introduction of an integrated ticketing and fare system.”

The map of such an idealised new world order for Dublin transport, designed by Aris Venetikidis, can be downloaded at www.aris.ie

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0830/1224277854874.html

The small map is attached below. And here's the larger map: http://www.venetikidis.com/aris/start_files/DublinCityCentre-AllModes_1.jpg

Aris's website can be viewed here: http://www.venetikidis.com/aris/start.html

irishdub14

Brilliant map, extremely complex though!

marmurr1916

An amazing map - exactly the type that's needed for Dublin (and other Irish cities) and exactly like the maps you see all over Germany.

Edit: map is too big to post in the thread, but you can view it here:

http://www.venetikidis.com/aris/Dublin-Transport_MA_files/DublinRapidNetwork.jpg

The city centre map is amazing. In fact, I would go so far as to say it's a work of art and the original should be in an art gallery:

http://www.venetikidis.com/aris/City_centre_map_showing_all_public_transport_modes_files/DublinCityCentre-AllModes_1.jpg

PDF of map: http://www.irishtimes.com/focus/dublinmap.pdf

Rashers72

Agreed - we pay the RPA, Irish Rail, Dublin Bus huge money for similar, and yet this guy produces something so simple and clear. I hope someone decides to run with this, and bring it to everyone's attention.

Chuchoter

Forgive my ignorance, but how does this map work? Is this an ideal system of routes or routes that already exist?

eia340600

crayolastereo wrote: »

Forgive my ignorance, but how does this map work? Is this an ideal system of routes or routes that already exist?

It is a bit of both..The student has replaced many bus routes with high capacity high frequency routes signified by letters.(There are some that remain that shouldn't however i.e. 65) so technically it's an ideal system.

oharach

To be honest the city centre map is still too complex to be useable by the public.

Dublin Bus should really give him the information on Network Direct so he can have a simplified map ready though.

Also, he should stop pushing his strange new bus routes (including tunnel under Trinity..) and include Metro North.

BrianD

oharach wrote: »

To be honest the city centre map is still too complex to be useable by the public.

Dublin Bus should really give him the information on Network Direct so he can have a simplified map ready though.

Also, he should stop pushing his strange new bus routes (including tunnel under Trinity..) and include Metro North.

I thought that the map was pretty easy to use. However, I'd imagine that in actual usage you'd probably find that sections of the map being used in detail in conjunction with a less detailed overall map.

oharach

BrianD wrote: »

I thought that the map was pretty easy to use. However, I'd imagine that in actual usage you'd probably find that sections of the map being used in detail in conjunction with a less detailed overall map.

I agree it's a massive step in the right direction, but you would have to blow that map up to billboard size if you wanted to show the whole thing, and still show all the detail. I actually think DB has pitched the new bus stop schematic diagrams about right for the average person. You might be right about using sections though.

Of course, it gets a lot easier when we start consolidating routes rather than trying to break the world record for the number of low-frequency bus routes operated.

spacetweek

Rashers72 wrote: »

Agreed - we pay the RPA, Irish Rail, Dublin Bus huge money for similar, and yet this guy produces something so simple and clear. I hope someone decides to run with this, and bring it to everyone's attention.

But his map is rubbish, he just made the whole thing up! Where's the important stuff: Metro North, Luas BX+D?

Pity he didn't read the widely available information about Dublin's future public transport infrastructure instead of doodling a fantasy map up.

BluntGuy

spacetweek wrote: »

But his map is rubbish, he just made the whole thing up! Where's the important stuff: Metro North, Luas BX+D?

Pity he didn't read the widely available information about Dublin's future public transport infrastructure instead of doodling a fantasy map up.

But sure in the current economic circumstances those projects could be considered "fantasy" as well.

Okay, so he was inventive with it, but bloody hell, major kudos to the lad for thinking in an integrated and imaginative manner about our transport system. I wouldn't dismiss it as "rubbish" just because not all the RPA's crayon drawings have been included.

Telchak

I had a go of doing a tube style map :cool: Didn't think I'd need a legend for this thread :P

Click for larger:


edit: One with all planned & under construction lines

Aard

Great map, Telchak.

NuMarvel

Telchak wrote: »

I had a go of doing a tube style map :cool: Didn't think I'd need a legend for this thread :P

Great first post! Maybe the Irish Times will be a second full page spread on this so they can compare the theoretical to the actual (you even included the Green LUAS extensions, well done!).

(PS for clarity, that sarcasm is aimed at the IT, not Telchak. That really is a great map.)

Empire o de Sun

Here is what I did, I have to whole of the proposed network done. Give the lines numbers, cos some have more that one destination there are 4A 4B 4C etc. It also shows how unconnected some of the lines will be. Three Stops with " O'Connell " in their name close together.

Aard

The averge commuter doesn't need to know, per se, that BDX splits for a while. College Green/Westmoreland St/Trinity could easily just be renamed Trinity, and shown as a hub like St Stephen's Green. Likewise, O'Connell Bridge/O'Connell Lwr/Abbey St/Marlborough could become simply O'Connell St. That leaves Parnell St/Parnell Square/O'Connell Upr to become Parnell Sq.

It's not as complicated as they'd like us to think.

Empire o de Sun

Here is a complete pdf of all proposed luas metro dart,

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/256298/127041.pdf

hope it works

Empire o de Sun

Aard wrote: »

The averge commuter doesn't need to know, per se, that BDX splits for a while. College Green/Westmoreland St/Trinity could easily just be renamed Trinity, and shown as a hub like St Stephen's Green. Likewise, O'Connell Bridge/O'Connell Lwr/Abbey St/Marlborough could become simply O'Connell St. That leaves Parnell St/Parnell Square/O'Connell Upr to become Parnell Sq.

It's not as complicated as they'd like us to think.

The RPA really need to think about the Names they are giving stops, and maybe should use platform numbers or something where a few Luas lines cross and keep the same name for the stops.

oharach

Empire o de Sun wrote: »

Here is a complete pdf of all proposed luas metro dart,

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/256298/127041.pdf

hope it works

Very nice.

I think you've forgotten to name 'Docklands' though. Also, shouldn't Dart 2B go to Balbriggan? You could maybe make Luas BX clearer with directional arrows - maybe inset white triangles..?

Aard wrote: »

The averge commuter doesn't need to know, per se, that BDX splits for a while. College Green/Westmoreland St/Trinity could easily just be renamed Trinity, and shown as a hub like St Stephen's Green. Likewise, O'Connell Bridge/O'Connell Lwr/Abbey St/Marlborough could become simply O'Connell St. That leaves Parnell St/Parnell Square/O'Connell Upr to become Parnell Sq.

It's not as complicated as they'd like us to think.

I still think the split should be shown, since Marlborough is still a bit isolated from the other 'O'Connell St' stops, at least visually. It should be linked by one of those Luas style dashed lines with a pedestrian to 'O'Connell St' hub. The other hub ideas are spot on though. Tourists wouldn't understand necessarily that it is only a 1-3 minute walk between many of these city centre stops.

etchyed

Telchak wrote: »

I had a go of doing a tube style map :cool: Didn't think I'd need a legend for this thread :P

Excellent job, but in the latter map, with most of the major projects complete, I don't see the necessity of including the outer suburban lines to Gorey, Longford etc. on the map. It makes it a little messier and doesn't reflect the lower frequency of service on these lines compared to the Metro, DART and Luas lines. Perhaps if they are to be included they could just be as black outlines, like National Rail services are on TfL maps. Just a thought.

Empire o de Sun

I did another rev taking into account some comments. BXD line has arrows now, and I named Docklands, Spencer Dock, not sure what will happen there. Will CIÉ and the RPA have two different names? Including commuter rail beyond Maynooth, Malahide and Greystones, yep, maybe, I'll have to do one to see what it is like and if it looks ok.

Jayuu

Empire o de Sun wrote: »

I did another rev taking into account some comments. BXD line has arrows now, and I named Docklands, Spencer Dock, not sure what will happen there. Will CIÉ and the RPA have two different names? Including commuter rail beyond Maynooth, Malahide and Greystones, yep, maybe, I'll have to do one to see what it is like and if it looks ok.

Not bad at all, although I'm not sure about the letter sub-division on the line numbers. Is that necessary? To me it adds a level of complexity as it suggests starting and end points for routes some of which are not correct to the best of my knowledge. Of course I could be wrong in that in which case forget what I said!