New York City’s famous public transport system is known for being a lot of things, but simple isn’t one of them.
Even for longtime residents of the city, finding the quickest route from one destination to another can be challenging.
The complexity of the NYC transit system has been compounded by the fact that the city’s Metro Transit Authority (MTA) has never created a map that includes both subway lines and bus routes. Instead, riders must consult different maps to see all the different components that comprise the city’s massive public transit system.
Soon, however, thanks to New York City native and professional designer Anthony Denary, transit riders may finally be able to see all their available bus routes and subway lines in one simple map.
- Denary calls it the “Bullet Map,” and he’s recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund both an app and a printed version of the map. So far, he’s generated more than half of his $8,000 fundraising goal.
- He was inspired to design the map based on his experiences growing up in Queens. Although he had spent years transferring from the Q5 bus line to the E train in Jamaica, he had never seen a complete picture of the city’s bus map.
- After drafting his own map, he realized that there were more efficient transit routes around the city that he’d never been aware of.
Now, he’s hoping that his map will help to alleviate transit “tunnel vision” so that other people can find new, faster routes around the city as well. Ultimately, he hopes the map might even be adopted by the MTA.
Next time you’re visiting The City That Never Sleeps, be sure to keep an eye out for the Bullet Map app to make your travels a little easier.
