It can be reassuring, in the era of Brexit, to know that there are still some things which Britain has in common with its European neighbours like Ireland. For example: “Really, really bad public transit maps”.

The Luas is Dublin’s tram network, which first opened in 2004. It has two lines: the Green Line, which connect the suburbs of south Dublin to St Stephen’s Green; and the red line, which connects the western suburbs to the docks.

What the red and green lines don’t connect is each other because, look:

Well, I guess we’re walking. Image: Strikous/Wikipedia.

But Dubliners need not worry much longer – because the Luas Cross City project is extending the green line across the city centre and into north Dublin. It’s due to open in December, and the city’s transport authorities have just released this outstandingly abysmal map:

Click to expand.

In fact, it comes in Irish, too:

Cliceáil a leathnú.

I’m not familiar with the geography of Dublin – sadly, I’ve never been – so unravelling this map required spending half an hour clicking back and forth between this and a street map. I might be wrong about some of the details (in which case, write in), but I’ve found four big problems with the new map.

It shows the wrong number of lines

Luas Cross City is not a third, blue line: it’s an extension of the existing, green one. You wouldn’t know it from this map, however, which strongly suggests it’s a whole new line, because:

The river is invisible

Transit maps don’t tend to go for geographical accuracy – that’s not what they’re for – but they do often include big rivers and other major features of the landscape, just to give you a sense of the shape of the city.

Whoever made this map seems to have considered doing this, then changed their mind, then decided on a compromise option. And so we get this:

This best I can tell is the River Liffey which divides the two halves of Dublin. I can see a case for including this on the map (Helps with orientation!); I can see a case for not including it (Clutters up the map!). What I can’t see a case for is replacing the river with a confusing dotted line.

The interchange is baffling

Okay: if you want to change from the red to the green (blue) line, you will get off at Abbey Street, and walk to either O’Connell-GPO (to head in one direction) or Marlborough (to head in the other). You can see that from this monstrosity of an inset:

But which stop do you want for which direction? If you keep squinting long enough you can sort of see that the left hand line is northbound. But it’s not obvious on the graphical map, and the geographical inset doesn’t bother to make it any clearer.

What the hell is an interchange anyway?

Some stops are marked as interchanges because they’re the point where two branches of the same line meet. That’s not an interchange in the same way as Abbey Street, but I sort of see what they’re up to.

But why is Sandyford an interchange?

Why is O’Connell Upper?

You can probably find out with long enough on Google (I got bored and gave up). But the point is you shouldn’t have to. It should be clear from the map. What is going on?

Really, Dublin, you’re the capital of a bloody tiger economy, the city that’s threatening to steal London’s crown. Is this the best you can do?

Anyway, I’m going for a lie down.

Update: A number of correspondents have been in contact on the last point: both Sandyford and O’Connell Upper will be where some trams terminate, so you have to change trams. Which seems a funny definition of interchange.

Also, I can’t vouch for this, but somebody tweeted to say that blue is a standard colour in Ireland for stuff under construction.

Still, though:

Jonn Elledge is the editor of CityMetric. He is on Twitter as @jonnelledge and also has a Facebook page now for some reason. 

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