New Multi-Modal London Tube Map Shows Walking Times Between Stations

In so many cities, there are drivers and transit users and pedestrians and cyclists, and they are all at each others' throats. In other cities, people are multi-modal, using cars when it makes sense (like getting away for the weekend) and using transit, bikes, or walking.

Pedestrian Inclusive Transit Maps

Now Transport for London has recognized that their riders sometimes might walk, and has produced a map showing the walking times between stations. This map is extremely clever since transit maps like London's or New York's are wonders of graphic design but bear no relation to reality. Transport for London is already into being multi-modal since, unlike most cities in North America, there are not separate jurisdictions covering each mode of transportation. They tell the Evening Standard:

What we have seen is that people are desperate for this sort of thing, so we have created it. It's often quite a difficult message for us because people think we just do the Tube and buses, but we're also responsible for roads, walking, and cycling. We're investing heavily in improving walking and cycling routes across London, with all the health benefits they bring.

© Ary & Joe Creative

Note that they are not the first to create this kind of map; a London ad agency, Ary & Joe, did this in 2014, and it was advantageous earlier this year during the tube strike. But now it is official.

© ITDP

Transit-Oriented Development

Keep in mind how important a metric the distance between high capacity transit stations is for getting proper transit-oriented development. As the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy has noted,

The maximum recommended distance to the nearest high-capacity transit station for transit-oriented development is defined as 1 kilometer, a 15- to 20- minute walk. Moreover, by building at higher densities closer to the transit station, a development can maximize the number of people and services that can easily be reached by a short walking distance.

Looking at this map of London and it's hard to find anywhere on it that doesn't meet that criterion, although this is only zone one and two. It would be interesting to see this done in other cities like New York or Toronto, but then you would have to get the transit people to talk to the road people, and they don't do that.