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| Re: Uninteresting Fact: A train (1452239) | |||
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Re: Uninteresting Fact: A train |
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Posted by Michael549 on Mon Oct 16 23:59:40 2017, in response to Re: Uninteresting Fact: A train, posted by B1bus on Mon Oct 16 18:46:07 2017. There is a serious discussion about how to label trains, station signage, way-making signage, and the giving of directions.For example - "downtown" is often generally referred to the section of Manhattan from about 59th Street to South Ferry, from the Hudson River to the East River. While some would or might call the the area - say between 14th Street and 59th Street - "midtown", while calling the area south of 14th Street "downtown". And similarly many would generally call the area of Manhattan from say 96th Street to Marble Hill, "uptown." Thus plenty could easily say that they are heading to "downtown", "midtown" or "uptown". If Manhattan is thought to the central destination of plenty of people, as well as the peak destination of many of the subway trains. There are plenty of folks who do not work in the core of Manhattan who would need attentive transit service. However - there's a problem. "Downtown" Brooklyn is generally in the northern western section of Brooklyn. Queens has a number of commercial districts, besides "downtown Queens" the area about Queens Plaza and Long Island City. Downtown Staten Island is generally considered to be in the northern eastern section of the island nearest the Staten Island Ferry. So to say that a train is "traveling downtown" or "uptown" really very much depends upon the direction of travel that one believes to be "normal." Growing up in the Bronx, the idea that the trains are traveling "downtown" meant that the trains were traveling in a southern direction - that was normal. However living in Brooklyn - using the A-train, taking the train "downtown" would mean traveling in a southern direction as well as traveling in a northern direction to get to "downtown!" So there's the usual issues of "north", "south", "east" and "west". Now if you're a transit or railroad fan there's also the issues of "railroad north", "railroad south", "railroad east" and "railroad west" -- all to make matters confusing. On top of all of this there is the issue of labels on subway maps and other printed materials, and the giving out of directions. The "how of providing meaningful information" to folks who live in an area, and folks who are not familiar with an area. Just think about the various approaches there are to making a "simple subway map" for a huge city of 8.5 million people. There is a "want" to make simple easy to follow "rules" and there is the real world that refuses to make things "easy". Mike |
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