ORIENTATION IN THE TRANSIT ENVIRONMENT

A large portion of public transportation funds should be devoted exclusively to the quality of the travel experience. This experience of movement, of interaction with diverse people, activities, and places, is what defines urban life. Making the transit environment reinforce rather than frustrate the process of interaction can help make urban life a pleasure rather than a chore. Transit systems and transit vehicles can be made to focus on the environmental needs of people so effectively that riding a train or bus can be made preferable to driving a car. Trains and other transit vehicles and transit stations can be made clean, bright, confortable, quiet, cheerful; they can also be made informative, telling travelers where they are going and where they are. Such changes convey a sense of orientation and sense of place that are basic to enjoyment of life in high-density urban areas. The application of this idea to the existing transit system in Boston, Massachusetts, is reviewed. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority authorized the study of vehicles and stations, including spaces, public circulation, materials, lighting, miscellaneous equipment, and graphics--all elements of the transit environment. Coding by color and letter clarified routes of the rapid transit system, and maps were developed to identify and make legible the entire system, including connecting buses and bus routes, states, highways, bridges, etc. The symbol "T" was used to identify the system and its components. A color scheme and turnstile changes helped facilitate travel and inform passengers. Maps and photomurals are used to help system users get an idea of where they will find themselves once they exit the system: sky-lighted kiosks and skylignts also augment passengers' sense of place.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Published in Urban Transportation Perspectives and Prospects.
• Corporate Authors:

  Newcastle University, Australia

  Department of Community Programmes
  Newcastle, New South Wales 2308,   Australia 

  Eno Transportation Foundation

  P.O. Box 2055, Saugatuck Station
  Westport, CT  United States  06880-0055
• Authors:
  • Chermayeff, P
• Publication Date: 1982

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 258-264
• Serial:
  • Publication of: Newcastle University, Australia
  • Publisher: Newcastle University, Australia

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Comfort; Environmental engineering; Isotopes; Maps; Public transit; Quality of life; Rail transit facilities; Subways; Urban areas
• Uncontrolled Terms: Orientation
• Geographic Terms: Boston (Massachusetts)
• Old TRIS Terms: Enrichment
• Subject Areas: Public Transportation; Railroads; Society; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00399715
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-037 987
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 31 1985 12:00AM