10.2190/JD6U-YAW5-8QQR-DTTV JD6UYAW58QQRDTTV 6 Improving Transit Information Systems 365 376 20020509 20020509 20020509 20020509 JD6UYAW58QQRDTTV.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=JD6UYAW58QQRDTTV 4 Arline L. Bronzaft Stephen B. Dobrow Herbert H. Lehman College Fairleigh Dickinson University This article discusses the needs of mass transit users for information on how to make efficient use of bus and subway systems. While informational aids play a significant role in determining the rider's satisfaction with a system, they are generally given a low priority by planners. Even the two most common system aids, maps and route timetables, have been the subject of surprisingly little users needs research. Studies of orientation problems in transit systems are reviewed; including research on wayfinding difficulties for riders of the New York City subways. The research and development process which led to the design of a new New York Subway map is described, along with suggestions for further work in this area. I. Asimov, <i>In Joy Still Felt: An Autobiography, 1954-1978</i>, Doubleday, New York, 1980. B. Morris, <i>Marketing the New Mass Transit</i>, Advocate Publishing Group, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, 1980. L. Coffman, Information Services, Advertising and Other Communication Programs, in <i>Marketing Public Transportation</i>, R. K. Robinson and C. H. Lovelock (eds.), American Marketing Association, Chicago, 1981. M. J. Rothenberg, <i>Public Transportation: An Element of the Urban Transportation System</i>, Technology Sharing Report, FHWA-75-80-211, U. S. DOT, Washington, D. C., 1980. A. L. Bronzaft, S. B. Dobrow, and T. J. O'Hanlon, Spatial Orientation in a Subway System, <i>Environment and Behavior, 8</i>, pp. 575-594, 1976. <i>Transit Marketing Management Handbook</i>, U. S. DOT, UMTA, Washington, D. C., 1975. <i>Transit Information Aids, Mass Transportation Demonstration Project</i>, INT-MTD-10, U. S. DOT, UMTA, Washington, D. C., 1969. User Information Aids, in <i>Transit Marketing Management Handbook</i>, U. S. DOT, UMTA, Washington, D. C., 1975. P. B. Everett, V. B. Anderson, and U. Makranczy, Transit Route Pamphlets: Do They Work?, <i>Transit Journal</i>, pp. 59-70, Summer 1977. R. K. Robinson, Systematic Evaluation of Bus Stop Sign Design, <i>Traffic Quarterly, 34</i>, pp. 587-604, 1980. H. C. Garland, J. J. Haynes, and G. C. Grubb, Transit Map Color Coding and Street Detail-Effects on Trip Planning Performance, <i>Environment and Behavior, 34</i>, pp. 587-604, 1980.