RBOT Hi Quality Bus Network Route Maps- Can YOU Help!?

[#Metro]

Hello,

----
Don't forget our survey ---> http://tiny.cc/busreform
----

Any RAILBOT Members capable of making nice images/maps of the following (reformed) bus services?:

* Hi 400 CentenaryGlider
* 911 UQ CityConnector
* 230 BulimbaGlider

And possibly other Hi Services? Would have to be voluntary, unpaid, but you get the nice feeling of having contributed to a new bus network!

Ideally maps would look like rail ones, single route, similar to a simplified TTC style (remove unnecessary things)
Examples:
https://www.ttc.ca/Routes/25/RouteDescription.jsp?tabName=map

[aldonius]

Here's an initial draft for route 911.

Incidentally, you can't get into the bus interchange at Enoggera coming from Pickering St. The GCL stops are on the top of the overpass for a reason.

[#Metro]

Holy cr%p, that's amazing! 
Thanks!

Is it possible to make the lines a bit thicker and the bus route red (as it is Hi) and in .png format as well?

But otherwise, fantastic!

[#Metro]

Can I ask which software you are using? It looks fantastic and so fast too! 

[SurfRail]

What does it say about TransLink when we can produce this stuff for free and they produced those god-awful MS Paint monstrosities in 2013?

[#Metro]

Just for disambiguation purposes:

Hi Quality Bus Network = Frequent Network (Hi Services) + Standard Routes (i.e. peak, 30 min, 60 min, 60 min + cycle buses)

Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) style is excellent and shows where one can go very easily through a connection.

[aldonius]

I don't even know why they bothered with the Paint maps; the RTI docs imply they had better stuff for internal/operator discussion.

[aldonius]

Polished up the route-911 map some more.

Attached: PNG, PDF and Inkscape SVG.

[Stillwater]

thanks.  looks better with san serif typefaces.

[aldonius]

The only typeface used is Source Sans Pro, which both free/open-source and by Adobe.

If you're seeing a serif typeface, something's gone wrong somewhere - most likely your system doesn't have Source Sans Pro.

[cartoonbirdhaus]

If you're seeing a serif typeface, something's gone wrong somewhere - most likely your system doesn't have Source Sans Pro.

One solution is to convert text to paths.
Inkscape: Select the text, then select Path > Object to Path.
Adobe Illustrator: Select the text, then select Type > Create Outlines.
Then it's best to save the result as a different file, in case text needs to be edited in future; convert the new file to whichever format's necessary for the final product.

[#Metro]

Incidentally, you can't get into the bus interchange at Enoggera coming from Pickering St. The GCL stops are on the top of the overpass for a reason.

It is possible to divert by turning off the overpass and then driving a bit further and through the QR car park. The interchange is mainly for bus-bus connections (i.e. 350), not bus-train connections as passengers who want to change from the FG line could already have done so at Mitchelton.

On the other hand, as buses already also stop on the overpass, people could change there as well. It would be a single stop, no-walking connection.

TL can sort it out.

[#Metro]

Any takers for the other routes?

[cartoonbirdhaus]

Any takers for the other routes?

I'll fire up the 'Strator and work on something for the 230 and 400 tonight/tomorrow.

[#Metro]

Thanks! Appreciated. Aldonius has a good style, so consider using that as a standard. Thanks again!

[aldonius]

It is possible to divert by turning off the overpass and then driving a bit further and through the QR car park. The interchange is mainly for bus-bus connections (i.e. 350), not bus-train connections as passengers who want to change from the FG line could already have done so at Mitchelton.

Ah, so you can.

@ Whistling Nixie: I've beaten you to the 400, but it ain't exactly pretty. Take the 230 and make it look nice - I'm not trying that one until the weekend, and your maps are always prettier than mine, so I'll probably converge my two thus far to your style anyway.


PNG, PDF and Inkscape SVG attached for the 400.

[dancingmongoose]

I might have a go at a couple, I'm not good with streets though so they'll probably not turn out great.

[#Metro]

This is great, pity I'm no great artist. My best paintings would be stick figures

Perhaps 453 could get an extra label for the top left quadrant; one might mistake it for a 910...

GREAT WORK!!  These maps are so hot they could go on FB page I reckon!

[#Metro]

Small detail - perhaps change 444 at GoMA to 400 as 444 is terminated at I'Pilly shopping centre

Thanks again!

[cartoonbirdhaus]

I've beaten you to the 400, but it ain't exactly pretty. Take the 230 and make it look nice - I'm not trying that one until the weekend, and your maps are always prettier than mine, so I'll probably converge my two thus far to your style anyway.

Hmmm. Some effects I've used were done with Illustrator, so it's quite likely they wouldn't be compatible with Inkscape. Plus Museo Sans Condensed is a paid font. Hence I'd have to finalise the result at my end, if that's OK. The maps you've done are quite clean and legible; what would go a long way aesthetically is making the corners rounder (I like to make the inside radius at least twice the thickness of the line).

[aldonius]

Fixed and added the two issues LDT raised - see attachments.

WN, if you'd rather take mine and prettify, that's quite OK. It is indeed a fault of mine that I tend to leave corners unrounded.

To everyone: I've spent the last little while combining all my instinctive responses for the geometry of labelling and corner rounding (which you should do, really) into an example document.

[cartoonbirdhaus]

Actually, you already have an adequate template. As well as a clear hierarchy of information, your lines do have rounded joins, which helps them flow better whilst keeping more detail. After all, on-street bus routes, in an area with such higgledy-piggledy street geometry, require more "granularity" than a rail map, for instance. Tonight I've found the previously-mentioned rule-of-thumb needs some modification for this particular context!

[aldonius]

*smirks* Yes, I remember thinking that.

Incidentally, I'm ridiculously envious of Illustrator's new dynamic rounded corner feature. Stupid tedious not-actually-circular Bezier curves...

[cartoonbirdhaus]

I'm ridiculously envious of Illustrator's new dynamic rounded corner feature.

That, and the Join tool, are game changers. 2014 is the year Illustrator has actually become non-threatening to transit-mappers! 

[#Metro]

The first media release with the new RBOT-TTC simplified style was made public today. Congrats.   

Any takers for the Hi 380 The Gap - it runs through Ashgrove, so high value...

[ozbob]

[BrizCommuter]

The 390 runs through Ashgrove electorate as well. How about a map for that? 

[#Metro]

Gazza has made some excellent 'Network Waste' Diagram in the presentation.

Does someone want to have a crack at the Old Cleveland Road Corridor? You'd get good Karma in the end

[aldonius]

Route 230 BulimbaGlider is now done!

[#Metro]

Great work! Just swap the labels for Thynne and Riding Rd and it will be ready  

[aldonius]

It's always the little things eh...

Also, gave Morningside its missing 220-terminus-label.

If there are any more bugs they can wait until the afternoon, time to sleep lol.

[#Metro]

You know there are jobs doing just this ---> http://www.transitgraphics.com.au/

[aldonius]

Nah, this is just a side hustle. Engineering4lyfe.

[cartoonbirdhaus]

Working on a map for OCR etc right now. Obviously incomplete: needs symbols for Roma St and KGS, for instance.



(See progress/regress here)

[#Metro]

Looks good! Simplified TTC style works well!

A humble suggestion (feel free to ignore): Adding fewer secondary routes will focus attention on the main route.

This map would be good for explaining changes to the South/East/OCR side in the model!

[cartoonbirdhaus]

OK, here 'tis: 

[Earlier iteration since removed, to spare precious screen-space]

[aldonius]

Bewdy. 

PDF? I have a few things to adopt (that north-pointer and route marker in particular).
Something Ozbob may or may not care about - 'rail' in RBoT should be all-caps.

[ozbob]

Thanks, great!      We normally write RAIL but Rail is also fine.

Just for interest when mucking around with a name in 2005 or so the name came from a suggestion from a QUT library staff member - the ' Back On Track ' we then thought that an acronym for RAIL would be part of the name which stood for loosely  Railways Australia Industry Logistics
so that was why it is RAIL Back On Track - sort of a double play.  That is why it is RAIL Back On Track  .. although the RAIL is a bit obscure ..  lol

[cartoonbirdhaus]

PDF? I have a few things to adopt (that north-pointer and route marker in particular).

I had to shrink it a little, but here's the PDF as an attachment.

[Edited:] On second thoughts, the image quality of that attachment was horrendous! Here's a link to a decent copy of the PDF:

http://fav.me/d87clwx

[ozbob]

Thanks, super!