Wednesday, April 2, 2008

this week's bad map award

a new project is about to get underway where south dakota avenue and riggs road come together, just north of the fort totten metro station. uninspiringly, it's called fort totten square. it's a pretty flash-intensive website, so you have to do some clicking to get to this terrible map (click on "the area" at the top, then choose the middle square on the left to see it in context). here it is:



let me just point out some of the big issues here:

1) hey look! the red line ends at takoma and there are four stations just floating there in space north of there.

2) north capitol street apparently drifts off to the northwest and ends in a field somewhere near the old walter reed annex.

3) the green line is a MESS! the anacostia, congress heights, and southern avenue stations are WEST of the anacostia river, and the green line crosses the river at benning road.

4) all of the yellow line stations from the pentagon to eisenhower avenue are in the district. guess we've attacked nova and taken back the part of the district that was once ours... :)

5) all the other places where they just have major roads ending in the middle of nowhere is just bad cartography.

this map is a giant mess. here's a hint to the developers: hire a cartographer to make your map, not someone who just learned how to use flash and illustrator last week.

7 comments:

Chris Loos said...

Wow, that's pretty terrible. To the web developer: leave the GIS to the big boys next time, eh?

samkay64 said...

This map is outrageous.

Anonymous said...

I think you're ignoring all the great recreation opportunities this presents. Now I can take the Metro to golf at Hains Point/Huntington, and both Van Ness/UDC & Cleveland Park are perfect for hikers in Rock Creek. Plus, the total absence of Metrorail in Virginia encourages bike commuting.

Anonymous said...

Actually, North Capitol Street ends at New Hampshire. It becomes Blair Road after that. I mean, if we're nit-picking.

Anonymous said...

Woodley Park metro has shifted just east of Rock Creek Park.

monkeyrotica said...

It's about time the Corps of Engineers got rid of that damned Potomac River. How many people have drowned in that thing over the years? It's a deathtrap!

Sean Hennessey said...

"drew in adams morgan said...

Actually, North Capitol Street ends at New Hampshire. It becomes Blair Road after that. I mean, if we're nit-picking."
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it doesnt end there, its just missing for a block and continues on the other side of the tracks.