please empty your brain below
I hope that the station with the new maps is St. James's Park. That would make me very happy.

Kirk | 07.06.16 - 7:54 a.m. | #

I guess if the very dog-eared copy from December 2012 I carry around in my bag falls apart, I'll hunt down an updated version, but I won't make an effort to look out for them.

Besides, I only look at it in moments of unexpected change of plans mid-journey, and then only if it's a line or area I'm not familiar with, which are few.

Cornish Cockney | 07.06.16 - 9:33 a.m. | #

I think the long term solution will be to scrap the paper map and concentrate on an on-line or app based version that can add or remove lines, features or stations at will. I no longer look at the map as it has so many problems. Now I use CityMapper and have discovered routes I would never have found using paper maps.

JohnG | 07.06.16 - 9:44 a.m. | #

The fact that TfL still print 24 million tube maps a year suggests they won't be going away any time soon. Thankfully.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 07.06.16 - 10:01 a.m. | #

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, I travelled to school (by steam train) from Seven Sisters to White Hart Lane (now part of the Overground).
During the electrification of the Enfield and Chingford lines during that period there were of course no line closures, so why is the Gospel Oak to Barking line closing for eight months?

| 07.06.16 - 10:13 a.m. | #

I would wager this bit of their press release is the reason for the full closure:
"Four sections of track have to be lowered and four bridges rebuilt, with less extensive work required to a further six bridges."

Chz | 07.06.16 - 10:37 a.m. | #

Bring back coloured zones!

Uncle Audrey | 07.06.16 - 10:47 a.m. | #

Regarding point 3) (Overground), in addition there will be no Sunday morning trains until after 10.30am between Gospel Oak and Stratford in either direction. This will continue for the duration of the timetable (until 10 December 2016) and there will be no replacement buses offered. The timetable recommends "using local buses" instead...
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/richmond-and-clapham-junction-to-stratford-timetable-june-2016.pdf

langdon | 07.06.16 - 12:12 p.m. | #

I agree with one of the comments above, they may as well ditch the paper versions and go digital. And whilst they are at it, replace the Tube map on display at all stations with the London Rail Map. It is the logical thing to do.
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.pdf

Doug Robinson | 07.06.16 - 1:02 p.m. | #

How many names has London Trams had? I'm sure it's been Tramlink, Croydon Tramlink, London Trams, London Tramlink. Or maybe it just seems that way.

And unless my mind's playing tricks didn't London Buses become London's Buses and the London Transport Museum become London's Transport Museum shortly before or shortly after Ken was elected before reverting? I seem to remember the title used on bus timetables. I don't think London Underground became London's Underground because it wasn't part of the TfL family then.

| 07.06.16 - 2:27 p.m. | #

I find it hard to believe that TfL prints 2 million maps a month. Even if true, how many of those are discarded at the end of each month?

JQ | 07.06.16 - 3:11 p.m. | #

...and then there be the whole 'issue' of the 'night-tube' ...does it get its own map, do they overlay it or do they do a 'on the other-side' job? ...and goodness forbid they make a 'little' mistake otherwise DG will surely point-it out and we may never hear the end of it.

Grumpy Anon | 07.06.16 - 6:51 p.m. | #

Wouldn't it have been simpler to show Morden as being the other side of the tram line? Less "accurate" but clearer. See Mornington Crescent or South Tottenham for existing precedents.

Timbo | 07.06.16 - 7:45 p.m. | #

Good job it's no longer called a Journey Planner.

(and sadly Kirk, SJP still has the previous version)

AS | 07.06.16 - 9:10 p.m. | #

Two things:

1) Is the error with Morden really worth a reprint (if that is what is happening). Having lived at four houses at a two/three mile radius of this station for the last 30 years, I can state with a reasonable degree of certainty that Morden is not a destination that attracts tourists...

N.B. Apart from the Morden Hall Park Town and Country Show - three days over the May bank holiday weekend - when posters could be put up to alert travellers to the mistake.

Any compensation or complaints could be dealt with for a minute fraction of the cost of the reprint. I hope that TfL come clean and explain exactly what happened and why they have chosen to waste £100,000 (madness).

2) The use of the word "Special" in the index. Firstly, the last column is not aligned as all the others are (messy), and, secondly, if just the letter "S" had been used instead, just think of the amount of lateral space that would have been freed up!


Oh, and some 10 yeas ago, I had an interview for a project management / efficiency position within TfL. It is the lack of attention to detail (bus stop M, et al) that shows me that there are now some fundamental disconnects within this organisation (as it gets bigger and bigger): it seems that no-one is paid to care (or make practical and pragmatic decisions) - I would never have let something like this happen.

Ken | 07.06.16 - 9:25 p.m. | #

@ Ken

"no-one is paid to care" perhaps it not in the contract, but they are paid and most likely paid quite well. if i was to do a 'c*ck-up' of equal measure at any of the places i have worked at i'd most likely be 'let-go'.

Working Class Hero | 07.06.16 - 10:30 p.m. | #

On the "corrected version on the TfL website" I can't find my local tram stop "Merton Park" in the "index to stations" on the second page.
Clearly the checking process (and reconciling the number of stations on the map and in the index) isn't rigorous enough!

Andrew-R | 07.06.16 - 11:17 p.m. | #

I can confirm that Merton Park is in the index on the back of the paper map.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 07.06.16 - 11:22 p.m. | #

Overall, I do feel the criticism of TFL is over the top. £100k (if that is the correct amount) is a lot of money, but equally it needs to be seen in the oontext of the overall business. Presumably they spend far more than this updating the tube map overall and looking at it as an X% overrun for an error identified late in the day is maybe a more appropriate measure.

Messiah | 08.06.16 - 12:22 a.m. | #

Ken - how do you know that in a project management/efficiency position would you be responsible for ensuring the tube map update was correct?

Messiah | 08.06.16 - 12:22 a.m. | #

@Messiah

Space precluded an earlier dissertation but since you ask:

In this case there was a change (addition of London Trams) that affected a number of existing elements including Morden.

It is a basic process step to ensure that existing elements retain their integrity, for any periodic changing output. There should be robust checking procedures in place for a significant spend, at least two people separately and independently charged with this task, and then managerial sign off.

Over and above implementing effective procedures (structured but flexible) to manage change, then I also "manage" by walking around. I don't leave anything to chance. I would be observing the effectivenes of any process that I implemented, or otherwise.

Even if I personally did not have any responsibility for this task then I would still be very interested in how the new design would look, as surely anybody working at TfL would be - the 'Tube' map is THE iconic interface between company and customer.

And, personally, I am extremely analytical with a very fast mind, and could quickly check a draft version to see if it was correct visually. I would also, for example, count all the stations in the index to check that the new total was correct, then I would look at spelling, etc.

Additionally, I would also look, for ecample, to influence dagger use, etc. I do come up with my own ideas (which I check with others), but also I am a voracious reader and would naturally scour blogs, forums and magazine articles to spot other peoples' ideas, then champion them, then implement them (if someone says no, then I find out who and why, and if the reason is not a show stopper, I will then get it done - simples).

Sorry. DG for the length of this, and hopefully not too off topic.

Ken | 08.06.16 - 2:38 a.m. | #

Having the tram "zone" (or more accurately lack-of-zone) the same colour as Z4 is asking for disaster, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's why what happened to Morden happened. I don't know why they couldn't do what they've always done on the TfL National Rail map and colour it pale green. It'd certainly make it clear that this is a distinct area that cuts through the other zones. Even using the same darker grey as the Z2/3 blob would probably work.

And the zone should be listed as "Tram" in the index. All the other "Special"s represent effectively premium fares.

Greg | 08.06.16 - 1:09 p.m. | #

We all know that the tube map isn't on point geographically (eg. Morington Cresent is actually east of the Bank branch) but it seems wrong that Beckenham Jun. is closer to woolwich then to Lewisham (it really is). The reason for this is probably because of the zones. To save money on a batch of reprints if their is a zone mistake, TFL should really just get rid of zones as the modern tourist isn't really going to care that much on zones (they probably don't even know what the heck it means).

YOU WOT? | 08.06.16 - 6:47 p.m. | #

I picked up a "Correct at time of going to print, May 2016" June 2016 map with Morden in the right zone last night.

Paul Q | 18.06.16 - 1:43 a.m. | #











TridentScan v2.10.0 | Privacy Policy