So, you want to hear about trains? no? click ----->here<---- to go back
Right, so, NYCT's subway is really funny because basically it's got the most hostile wayfinding on the planet and it's one of my favourite things in existance, but I'll get to the wayfinding in a bit, for now i'm going to make fun of hillory clinton. You'll understand why in a minute. Watch this video: (sry the audio is crackly, cbs news sucks lol)
Also, the fact that she chose the bronx, and that part specifically of the bronx is really funny to pull her little publicity stunt
right so the old fare control system was(is) called Metrocard, I like it, but it's fun to haze people who don't get the speed and acceleration of it just "perfect". Anyways, Metrocards are on their way out, to be replaced with OMNY, which sucks for unrelated reasons, but it lacks the fortuneate side effect of hazing rich people.
So next we have the map. Now the map is a fun time. it shows you which routes exist. It also shows you how they run. It used to merge all the lines together where they interlined, and it was really funny for people who didn't understand the system. If you take a 5, you might end up on a fully different side of the bronx than you intended based soley on the time-of-day and what the rolesigns displayed on the train once every 3 rotations. The map has been improved, and a I do actually like it, but the system remains incredibly hard for people to navigate if they're of the... more monitarily inclined, and less likely to use a brian cell to save a buck and some time (don't drive a car in manhatten, that's just fucking stupid.
(old, vs screenshoot of new), Right so we made the system make more sense on the map. that's cool. I like that. It's easier for people to read. I approve. But, the system still has certain *character* that makes it an inherently hostile system to the existance of rich stuck up people, and hillory clinton is one of them. I watch people get on the system and end up in the bronx, skipping their stop, or in fuckass end of brooklyn all the time. And that has nothing to do with the map. I just think it's funny. My advice, ignore the colors, pay attention to the rollsigns, make sure you know what line, and what train you're on.
So, we're finally at the part in which alex explains to you why the subway fucks with elitist people so much. Well I already did. the point is that if it's not a way of life for you it is somewhat hard to find your way aroudn it, but it's not to say that the wayfinding is bad either. I'd most compare it to how Power Users may have incredibly unfriendly looking Desktop Environments yet manage to be 10x more "productive" than someone using MacOS might be. It's a very easy way to recognize the social, economic, and political background of someone based on how they react to the nyc subway and it's quirks. Alternatively they could jsut be increidbly autistic
Is the new wayfinding and farecards good? yes yes they are. more people on public transit is always good. good for the planet. good for the ideal cosmopolitin city if you excuse my 20th century frenchism. But the legacy system has it's comedy and class commentary