Manhattan Bus 2006 & 1976

[Harry]

The areas covered are the general Harlem and East Harlem areas. There's been some interesting changes between then and now.

 

2006 MTA Manhattan Bus Map

 

 

1976 NYCTA Manhattan Bus Map

 

[B35 via Church]

I love these snippets of these vintage maps you share w/ us....

 

The first thing that jumps at me is the route patterns for each route having a different color in the opposing direction of travel... any reason as to why it was shown on the map like that?

[East New York]

Wow!!!! Thanks for posting that Harry!! I never knew the M20 ran down 116 St!

[PATCOman]

The M20 became the M116.

[BJC]

I see the BX 29 became the BX 15....anybody know why they change the route number?

[Pablo M 201]

Damn, I noticed a whole bunch of differences right off the bat.

[via White Plains Road]

The Bx34 doesn't run via Macombs Dam Bridge anymore it goes to Woodlawn-Katonah Avenue and now the Bx6 goes to Riverside Drive. The Bx30 doesn't run via 145th Street Bridge it goes to Co-op City-Earhart Line or Norwoord-205th Street subway station and now the Bx19 goes to Riverbank Park. The M4 used run up and down Riverside Drive and now it runs up and down Broadway. The M11, M18, M60, M98, M103 and M116 didn't exist yet. Man times have changes within a 30 year span!

[PATCOman]

I see the BX 29 became the BX 15....anybody know why they change the route number?

 

Back in the mid 80s, most of the Bronx routes changed their numbers. This old Bustalk post is a list of the old and new Bronx bus route numbers.

[Eric B]

I love these snippets of these vintage maps you share w/ us....

 

The first thing that jumps at me is the route patterns for each route having a different color in the opposing direction of travel... any reason as to why it was shown on the map like that?

That was because in midtown, the streets are one way, so all of the routes running one way on one street had one color, and the other direction on the other street was the other color. You can see this taking shape on the lower right. (and red/blue was uptown/downtown, and green/orange was crosstown).