Cartledge – SEE HOW THEY RUN 1984

Description

The 1984 London Transport Passengers Committee study by John Cartledge reviews timetables, maps and publicity from UK (and some overseas) bus and underground operators to identify good and poor practices in passenger information. Using a broad sample (excluding British Rail and most London Transport material) and subjective grading, it finds common faults: illegible or cramped typography, inconsistent formats, unclear day-of-week labeling, missing validity end-dates, excessive codes/footnotes, tiny type, poor print quality, inadequate maps or scale, omission of other operators and rail/ferry links, and weak handling of service variations and amendments. Positive examples include clearer layouts (horizontal lines, column headings, arrows, route diagrams), colour-coding, durable pocket leaflets, consolidated amendment mailings, indices, accessibility symbols and useful supplementary guides. The report urges integrated, portable map-and-timetable design bearing publication dates and operator contacts, better inter-operator coordination, prioritised clarity and legibility, clear keys/diagrams, up-to-date data and focused supplementary content to improve passenger confidence and usability.