noktulo
Columbus
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I designed a light rail system for Columbus that runs entirely along existing railroad tracks. I'd like to hear any comments people have about it. The next step will be to flesh out the system with streetcar lines.
Here's a pdf of the whole system: http://www.tyznik.com/misc/map.pdf
sixby9is42
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This would be absolutely stupendous.
UncommonSense
Hilliard
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What would be even better is if you told us you work for ODOT, MORPC, COTA, Franklin County or City of Columbus, or some such with the ability to make this happen. Please?
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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I like the design of the map, and obviously it's not to scale or dimension for design's sake... which leaves me wondering... how did you base the distance of the stops? Are they just spread out and located near landmarks?
The reason I ask is because the stops labelled "Nationwide" "Arena District" and "Convention Center" sound like they could be all consolidated into one. Otherwise won't these three stops all be within a mile or so of each other?
But yeah, otherwise, very cool map. I like your style. ;)
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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This is a nice map and i definitely like the design, but I can't help but have a couple of thoughts....
Firstly, a light rail system like this would probably take 30-50 years to build out. I'm thinking many phases.
What would you build first?
also, I see some pretty big holes in this. for example, I could see Easton being a pretty big destination (I could see going there by light rail).
So the second question is, what changes to your map could you see being made if you went outside existing rail?
For my part I would go with a limited two line Phase I that would include a Red line north along 71 and Yellow line east to Gahanna both terminating downtown for starters.
I would also add a circle line going around 270 on the north side at some point as people do live and work in suburbs.
catnfiddle
Giant Corncob District
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Is there hope for one of those lines to go to the airport?
jamesm
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I like the simplistic style, but I find the map, alas, quite disorienting. No matter what, I feel like North really isn't North even though it is. (This effect may be worsened by the fact that there's a lot bunch of trunk lines in the center of the map which are running diagonally, which made me feel like I should be looking at the map with my head tilted slightly.)
Now on the other hand, South is kind of South? But West certainly isn't West (Hilltop isn't South of Downtown and German Village isn't that sharply Southeast of Nationwide Arena.)
The disorientation is probably similar to what New Yorkers felt on the Vignelli subway maps, circa early 1970s. Again, a beautiful map in its elegance, but by simplifying things down it made Central Park only 10 block on the map, when that's just not the reality.
noktulo
Columbus
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Yeah, it's a simplified map. The idea is that the system could be simplified into five spokes that cut through the city going one general direction. I am actually a fan of Massimo Vignelli's NYC Subway map and less of a fan of more geographically accurate but more complicated maps. The idea of this map is that it's about how to get from station to station, rather than being about where exactly stations are located. Which probably isn't the most appropriate thing for a system that doesn't exist. I'll probably make a purely geographic map soon just to show the layout of the system. I actually really dislike the current NYC Subway map because it's so complicated and jumbled and confusing since it is for the most part geographically accurate (although it is distorted to make it work better as a map). I also have a problem with the current DC Metro map because although it's very simplified it still shows geographic landmarks and because it is simplified it gives the wrong impression of what stops are closest to those landmarks. I actually have a blog post about it here: http://www.insomniapocalypse.com/graphic-design/bad-metro-information-design
noktulo
Columbus
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catnfiddle wrote Is there hope for one of those lines to go to the airport?
I set up a constraint for myself that the entire system had to run along existing rail lines. Because of this, the closest I could get to the airport was the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Yearling. So at the Yearling stop on the yellow line, there would be an underground shuttle train to the airport.
jamesm
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I see the point; this type of map-making is difficult because you're trying to balance the needs and experiences of those who know the city and its geography well and those who are visitors. I think the NYC MTA map doesn't do that bad a job, and while the Kick Start maps or the Vignelli map might be better for a subway visitor, it was disorienting for New Yorkers and those wanting to use it geographically.
Your map is simply way too much of a change for a person (me) who knows Columbus well.
Incidentally, I had put together my own transportation system for an AIA competition here in Columbus (but the architectural student I was working with didn't have the time to put everything together. It was quite disappointing really.)
Anyway, one of the innovations I put in was to use animals to denote the lines. Since my favorite animal is the bunny, the north/south High street line was the bunny line. If there were express trains on that line, the bunny would have wings.
On the map the bunny was also a blue line, just for the ease of things, but I came to the conclusion that I hated the setup of lines being denoted only by colors.
arenn
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The problem with using existing rail lines is that they often run through industrial areas, not the types of land uses favored by rail systems.
I like the map. I like the 360 degree coverage. That is what is needed in order to be able to do things like say that you'll no longer provide downtown parking.
One thing I'd change is the hub and spoke model. This forces anyone who wants to get anywhere on a different line to travel downtown to transfer. At a minimum, there should be good crosstown bus service to link these stations.
noktulo
Columbus
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arenn wrote The problem with using existing rail lines is that they often run through industrial areas, not the types of land uses favored by rail systems.I like the map. I like the 360 degree coverage. That is what is needed in order to be able to do things like say that you'll no longer provide downtown parking.
One thing I'd change is the hub and spoke model. This forces anyone who wants to get anywhere on a different line to travel downtown to transfer. At a minimum, there should be good crosstown bus service to link these stations.
The hub and spoke model would be supplemented by crosstown streetcar services. I started working on showing streetcar connections last night. For example, there'd be a streetcar linking the Powell and Polaris stations, the Bethel and two Morse stations and the two Fifth Ave stations.
noktulo
Columbus
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jamesm wrote I see the point; this type of map-making is difficult because you're trying to balance the needs and experiences of those who know the city and its geography well and those who are visitors. I think the NYC MTA map doesn't do that bad a job, and while the Kick Start maps or the Vignelli map might be better for a subway visitor, it was disorienting for New Yorkers and those wanting to use it geographically.Your map is simply way too much of a change for a person (me) who knows Columbus well.
Incidentally, I had put together my own transportation system for an AIA competition here in Columbus (but the architectural student I was working with didn't have the time to put everything together. It was quite disappointing really.)
Anyway, one of the innovations I put in was to use animals to denote the lines. Since my favorite animal is the bunny, the north/south High street line was the bunny line. If there were express trains on that line, the bunny would have wings.
On the map the bunny was also a blue line, just for the ease of things, but I came to the conclusion that I hated the setup of lines being denoted only by colors.
Most non-American systems seem to denote their lines with numbers. Which could very well be appropriate for this system. Or there's the possibility of doing what London does and giving each line a name, though I have no idea of the origins of the names of their lines. The only system I've seen that uses logos is Mexico City's, and they give each station its own logo. While I find the idea interesting in terms of station decoration and signage, it just seems that it would be confusing in terms of a map.
columbusguy20
5XNW
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What about reviving the old streetcar lines that they decommissioned in the late 1940s?
noktulo
Columbus
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That's an interesting idea. Here's a PDF of the streetcars as of 1927:
http://www.columbusrailroads.com/images/columbus-streetcars-1927.pdf
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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noktulo wrotearenn wrote The problem with using existing rail lines is that they often run through industrial areas, not the types of land uses favored by rail systems.I like the map. I like the 360 degree coverage. That is what is needed in order to be able to do things like say that you'll no longer provide downtown parking.
One thing I'd change is the hub and spoke model. This forces anyone who wants to get anywhere on a different line to travel downtown to transfer. At a minimum, there should be good crosstown bus service to link these stations.
The hub and spoke model would be supplemented by crosstown streetcar services. I started working on showing streetcar connections last night. For example, there'd be a streetcar linking the Powell and Polaris stations, the Bethel and two Morse stations and the two Fifth Ave stations.
Seems to me you would be under-serving people who, say.. live in Westerville or Gahanna and work in Dublin.
This is why I asked what routes outside of existing right-of-way would you persue. I think a north crosstown or north 270 ring line would be a good/necessary addition.
I'm also of the mind that streetcars wouldn't cut it for those distances. If I need to get from, say near Morse and 270 to my job at say.. Sterling Commerce Near Tuttle, a streetcar line would take forever and have too many stops.. whereas a light rail would be competitive with the time it takes to drive.
This is just an example, I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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michaelcoyote wroteSeems to me you would be under-serving people who, say.. live in Westerville or Gahanna and work in Dublin.
This is why I asked what routes outside of existing right-of-way would you persue. I think a north crosstown or north 270 ring line would be a good/necessary addition.
I'm also of the mind that streetcars wouldn't cut it for those distances. If I need to get from, say near Morse and 270 to my job at say.. Sterling Commerce Near Tuttle, a streetcar line would take forever and have too many stops.. whereas a light rail would be competitive with the time it takes to drive.
Yeah. Streetcars or "local service" buses are not good for cross town.
However, these existing rail lines do have junctions beyond what is shown here. If you look on google maps you will see, for one example, that there is an exising rail pathway between the airport (at hamilton road) and worthington.
Part of the problem here is that there are significant topographic constraints on running a line from, say, gahanna directly to dublin, so the freight rails all run north/south to downtown where the river valleys converge and a freight rail line can go back uphill to dublin from there following the river valley where the grade is reasonable.
Passenger trains can handle hills better, but none of our existing rail lines are built for that purpose. A pair of rails running along 270 east and west on both ends of the city would be a lovely idea to build later, but they would be purpose built for light passenger service. A freight train would have a hell of a time going uphill along 270 for example eastwards from sr-315 to sr-23.
noktulo
Columbus
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Interesting. I'm not sure where the major employment centers are outside of downtown, so can you maybe make a list of places you think would need light rail service?
Also, I think one benefit of the spoke model is that it would create more incentive for businesses to be located downtown. That way it's an easy commute from all directions.
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