MTA creating 1,300 signs for the (W)'s return

[Gotham Bus Co.]

Where is the 96th Street sign? I didn't see it.

 

It shows up at 0:56 in the video.

[P3F]

So far, every train I've ridden still announces the at Queensborough, and every I've ridden still omits the at 14th.

 

Why is it so important for the A Division automated announcements to exclude this major B Division service change? Is there some obscure clause in the TWU contract governing how/when/whether each division's announcements can be updated?

I sincerely doubt it. Most likely, the maintenance staff still have not had a chance to update them.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

Most likely, the maintenance staff still have not had a chance to update them.

 

What could they possibly be waiting for?

[Around the Horn]

What could they possibly be waiting for?

the 2nd Avenue subway

[Gotham Bus Co.]

the 2nd Avenue subway

 

That doesn't help passengers who are riding now and need current information.

[R42N]

Aren’t the signs at 28th, 23rd, 8th and Prince wrong? The should be posted on the maps and signs with the and like they were prior to 2010, that’s how all of the other stations that aren’t served on weekdays but are on weekends and late nights were placed. 

 

Strange....

[Porter]

That doesn't help passengers who are riding now and need current information.

 

They'll live. It's not worth spending all that time and money just to accommodate uninformed riders within such a narrow window of time between the return of the and the extension of the .

 

Aren’t the signs at 28th, 23rd, 8th and Prince wrong? The should be posted on the maps and signs with the and like they were prior to 2010, that’s how all of the other stations that aren’t served on weekdays but are on weekends and late nights were placed. 

 

Strange....

 

That's not a mistake. The decided not to mimic the pre-2010 signage for stations not served by express trains. I personally think it's better that way, since many New Yorkers (and tourists) are allergic to reading fine print, and it's better not to mislead them. They shouldn't be out past their bedtime or on the weekends, anyway.

[Around the Horn]

I personally think it's better that way, since many New Yorkers (and tourists) are allergic to reading fine print, and it's better not to mislead them. They shouldn't be out past their bedtime or on the weekends, anyway.

Umm, whaat?

 

The signage system is specifically designed so people from out of town can understand it. Also, most tourism occurs during the evening hours and weekends so those service patterns should most definitely be included. (By that logic, there shouldn't be an listed at 75 Av or Briarwood, but there most definitely is)

 

For ten years, the and were all listed at local stations and no one batted an eyelid. The should definitely be included, if you're following the official graphic standards manual.

[Porter]

I guess the sarcasm font failed to load...

[Around the Horn]

I'm on my phone

[Lance]

They'll live. It's not worth spending all that time and money just to accommodate uninformed riders within such a narrow window of time between the return of the and the extension of the .

 

 

That's not a mistake. The decided not to mimic the pre-2010 signage for stations not served by express trains. I personally think it's better that way, since many New Yorkers (and tourists) are allergic to reading fine print, and it's better not to mislead them. They shouldn't be out past their bedtime or on the weekends, anyway.

I disagree with this sentiment. In my opinion, the signs and announcements should all have been updated to show December 2016 services with references to the 2nd Avenue line either covered or clearly noted to be currently unavailable. On the subject of the automated announcements, the only announcement that would've been wrong would be at Lexington Av/59-63 Sts. Right now, every line that intersects with Broadway is wrong because they're calling and trains that no longer serve these stations and ignore trains as if they don't exist.

 

Umm, whaat?

 

The signage system is specifically designed so people from out of town can understand it. Also, most tourism occurs during the evening hours and weekends so those service patterns should most definitely be included. (By that logic, there shouldn't be an listed at 75 Av or Briarwood, but there most definitely is)

 

For ten years, the and were all listed at local stations and no one batted an eyelid. The should definitely be included, if you're following the official graphic standards manual.

Exactly. In my opinion, Transit should look into introducing the hollow bullets on their station signs to indicate part-time service like they do on the timetables. I took a stab at showing what a typical sign should look like (excuse the crudity of the Photoshop; it was done in fifteen minutes):

Original Image Information

Location: 23 Street (BMT Broadway Line)

Date: 14 July 2011

Taken By: Richard Panse

 

I guess the sarcasm font failed to load...

Sarcasm does not work in text format.

[Porter]

I disagree with this sentiment. In my opinion, the signs and announcements should all have been updated to show December 2016 services with references to the 2nd Avenue line either covered or clearly noted to be currently unavailable.

 

Yes, that would have been the smartest thing to do, but perhaps the wasn't super confident in their New Year's deadline after all. It would have been the most cost-effective and saved the most time and effort if the had just installed all of the SAS-compatible signage throughout the entire system and simply blacked out all of the yet-unavailable services with tape or stickers. In fact, why didn't they do that?!

 

In my opinion, Transit should look into introducing the hollow bullets on their station signs to indicate part-time service like they do on the timetables.

 

...But then the and would always be hollow...

[Around the Horn]

What about something like the stops on the subway map?

 

Have it list then "(W) weekdays, late nights and weekends"

[Porter]

Just put them both in the same bullet like the used to do with complementary skip-stop services.

 

 

[Porter]

...Or perhaps this style would be better:

 

 

It looks like a rising or setting sun (daytime service) casting a shadow (late night service). This could also apply to weekday versus weekend service, respectively.

[P3F]

...Or perhaps this style would be better:

 

 

It looks like a rising or setting sun (daytime service) casting a shadow (late night service). This could also apply to weekday versus weekend service, respectively.

The diagonal one is significantly better.

[bobtehpanda]

To keep design consistent, it would be easiest to just stamp in reduced size lettering "Evening", "Night", "Weekdays", "Weekends" above bullets. Anything involving a combination of routes in bullets would be absolutely horrid and confusing.

[MHV9218]

Worth complaining at the ridiculous waste of money at express stations like 14th St. where nearly all of the directional and entrance/exit signs said N-Q-R-W with a sticker over the W, yet the MTA fabricated hundreds of entirely new identical signs instead of just removing the black stickers...

[Porter]

Worth complaining at the ridiculous waste of money at express stations like 14th St. where nearly all of the directional and entrance/exit signs said N-Q-R-W with a sticker over the W, yet the MTA fabricated hundreds of entirely new identical signs instead of just removing the black stickers...

 

I don't remember seeing signs with blacked-out bullets at 14th Street for many years (not since some Harry Potter pranksters put red (9¾) stickers over the soon after it was discontinued). Did they really not replace the signs after 2010 until now?

[Around the Horn]

I don't remember seeing signs with blacked-out bullets at 14th Street for many years (not since some Harry Potter pranksters put red (9¾) stickers over the soon after it was discontinued). Did they really not replace the signs after 2010 until now?

 

In some cases, yes. In most articles about the Bergen Street sign shop, they often quote the life of a sign at around 10 years. Most of the signage at 42nd Street and 14th Street, was installed around 2008-2009 and wouldn't be due for replacement until around 2018.

 

Some signage is even older. Until it was replaced this October, the train directory signage at Bay Ridge Avenue was around since at least 2003.

[bobtehpanda]

Worth complaining at the ridiculous waste of money at express stations like 14th St. where nearly all of the directional and entrance/exit signs said N-Q-R-W with a sticker over the W, yet the MTA fabricated hundreds of entirely new identical signs instead of just removing the black stickers...

 

If the signs were reaching the end of their useful life anyways it may have just been more cost effective to replace them now.

[B46 via Utica]

If the signs were reaching the end of their useful life anyways it may have just been more cost effective to replace them now.

Na he's right, The MTA wasted money that way. If they keep on making moves like that the fare is going to be raised to $4.00 in no time.

[MHV9218]

I don't remember seeing signs with blacked-out bullets at 14th Street for many years (not since some Harry Potter pranksters put red (9¾) stickers over the soon after it was discontinued). Did they really not replace the signs after 2010 until now?

 

There were more than you'd think. The 15th Street entrance, a majority of the transfer signs in the station, and some of the main directional ("Uptown and Queens" etc.) signs all had that. The 42nd St. complex probably had the largest number of stickered-over signs, but I think many of those just had the sticker removed. Those would have been more difficult to change, as most are long enamel signs that are part of the platform structures.

 

If the signs were reaching the end of their useful life anyways it may have just been more cost effective to replace them now.

 

The vast majority of these signs were in excellent condition, in part cause many were still enamel and predated the Bergen St. Shop's foolish switch to sheet metal signs (which wear out immediately). It's those relatively modern new sheet metal signs that are becoming unreadable, while many of the late-70s/80s enamel signs (in Standard) are still in mint condition thanks to their sturdier construction. 

[Porter]

Is there a way to tell which bullets were pre-2010 and which were made this year just by looking at the signs? Are there any photographs of bullets that have had their stickers removed?

[MHV9218]

Is there a way to tell which bullets were pre-2010 and which were made this year just by looking at the signs? Are there any photographs of bullets that have had their stickers removed?

 

42nd Street has some of those. In general, the new signs are in a slightly thicker Helvetica and are more of a matte color thanks to the anti-graffiti covering on the tin signs. The "e" and "s" letters are now more even on horizontal points, too.