London's most famous map gets a new design

The London Underground blueprint seems irreplaceable. In 2006, it was voted one of the most popular designs of the last century in Britain, alongside the Spitfire and Concorde. It is instantly recognizable and can be used as a lucrative trademark.

So what? It's also almost useless. In its current form, Transport for London's (TfL) version of the tube map is so detailed that it's no longer easy to figure out how to get from A to B – that's a death sentence for a map.

The low lights include:

• a tangle of lines, stations and connections around Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Bank and Monument;
• Paddington, whose nameplate is so far from the Bakerloo line that it is not clear whether the station is on it at all, and;
• the lines themselves, which vary from block colours to double lines, triple lines and dashed lines. Only a local would know why.

Some are now wondering whether it is time for a radical redesign.

Derailed. This month, the latest version of an alternative map designed by Maxwell Roberts, a lecturer at the University of Essex, went viral on the internet, garnering over a million views on X. The circular diagram places Oxford Circus in the middle of the network and is intended to better reflect the city's geography. Many agree.

Roberts sees his work as a kind of “exploration” – to find out what is possible 90 years after the classic subway map first appeared.

Simply Beck. Harry Beck's 1931 schematic map established a guiding principle that made it the gold standard: utility over accuracy. Methods to achieve this included:

• Inventive distances: Leicester Square and Covent Garden (300m apart) seem as far apart as Highgate and Tufnell Park (2.4km apart) because when you're travelling by train, a stop is just a stop.
• Strict angles: Lines changed direction only at 45 and 90 degree angles. More precise planning of their routes would result in them becoming confusing and difficult to follow (see: the 1921 edition).
• Functional fonts: sans serif and clear, with only station names; clear for the reader and without superfluous information.

Roberts' latest design has a lot in common with Beck's, offering more breathing room and clearer pathways while retaining the established colors and fonts. (Playfully, he also hides the iconic London Underground cyclorama inside the Circle Line.) Simply put, it's a better Map.

Information station. However, Beck only had eight tube lines (and one river) to represent. And although Roberts' design includes all modern services, it ignores the sheer wealth of information offered by the modern London Underground plan.

Beyond lines and stations, the current version of TfL shows:

• Tariff zones
• Less than 10-minute walks between two stations
• National rail connections
• Non-rail transport hubs (including Victoria bus station, riverboat piers, airports and the Thames Gondola)
• Train stations with barrier-free access
• Train routes with air conditioning
• Stations with temporary service changes

Too much? Probably. But every map is undoubtedly useful to someone. To reduce the map again to simple lines and stations would be out of place. Leaving out elements can also cause annoyance; TfL removed the fare zones and the Thames in 2009, but both were back in 2010. The map's priority is no longer on journey planning, which is easier to do with a phone. It's more like TfL's shop window.

Ticket for cash. Last year, IKEA logos appeared on the map next to the names of the stations closest to their stores. Why? Money. Since Theresa May's government cut TfL's £700 million annual operating subsidy, the company has been strapped for cash. That has led to unpopular advertising that can confuse passengers, and lucrative licenses for the map itself.

When Roberts' new design went viral, TfL officials were asked if they would consider changing it. They said no, adding that the current map was “an iconic piece of world-renowned design.”

Perhaps the real reason TfL will probably never redesign the core of Beck's map is simple: it's popular and promising. It's the logo of London.

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