Braidwood – BIRTH OF THE INTELLIGIBLE BUS MAP 1981

Description

London Transport sought a clearer bus map after conventional designs—street-based layouts crowded with route numbers—proved confusing for unfamiliar travellers or multi-leg journeys. A committee led to Andrew Holmes’ innovative nodal map, first issued for central London. Instead of emphasising roads, it names and marks junctions with circles that list buses passing through; routes are referenced by their intersections. About 100 routes are grouped into four colour-coded directional families (red, blue, green, black), shown as fine coloured lines along broad yellow-orange bands that lift the bus network off a pale background of streets, parks, the Thames and landmarks. A fixed colour order improves legibility even in poor lighting. The design simplifies transfers, makes route changes easier to amend, and supports diagrammatic stop information. Its precise, intersection-based logic also allows computer lookups (e.g., common routes or crossing points), opening possibilities for electronic route-finders and bus-route calculators. LT may replace old maps if public response is positive.