You are probably familiar with the London Underground “tube map”. Even people who have never been to London have probably seen it in a magazine or on the internet somewhere.

The iconic map designed by Harry Beck in 1931 sacrificed geographical accuracy in favour of clarity and ease of use, and it has become the standard for rapid transit maps world-wide ever since.

There have been attempts to improve upon the time-tested Beck design, including this interesting circle and spoke design by Dr. Max Roberts that neatly resembles the Underground logo itself:

More recently a new standard called INAT has been developed. Like the Beck design, it is based on horizontal, vertical, and 45° lines, but also allows circular routes and features rounded corners and a uniform shape:

All of these refined and creatives maps have given me a severe case of rapid transit map jealousy, as Winnipeggers continue to make do with an outdated BRT map based on regular transit standards.

I was going to wait until the Winnipeg RT network was expanded before doing this, but with all the bickering at city hall about BRT or LRT, where the route should go, if we can move CN rail lines to accommodate it, or if we should spend the money on fixing pot holes instead, it has become clear that Winnipeg’s rapid transit system is never going to grow beyond what we already have in place.

However, our current BRT system represents over 40 years of planning, and I believe it is finally time to produce a proper network map, based on the design standards documented above. I have therefore taken the liberty of producing the new definitive RT map for Winnipeg. Like the Beck design, I employ only horizontal, vertical and 45° lines, and I forgo geographical accuracy for simplicity.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Winnipeg BRT map:

I trust you’ll find that this map greatly simplifies the task of navigating Winnipeg’s rapid transit network. I know it can get confusing sometimes, but if Winnipeg Transit adopts my map I believe locals and tourists alike will use the system more effectively and with less frustration.

Finally, Winnipeg joins the rapid transit big-leagues.