How To Survive - Taipei Five

Answer : Maps - Perhaps

When correspondent David sent fbb some snippets about the public transport experience in Taipei (capital city of Taiwan), he reported that there was no official map of the network (booo!) but there was an excellent unofficial full map drawn by, presumably, local public transport enthusiasts (hooray!).

It is, David continued, entirely in Mandarin (Chinese) so may not be too easy to follow. 

Piffle, thought fbb - a map is a map, numbers are numbers even in Mandarin; and any old fool can read a map.

Really? Before going a step further, please note that much of the graphics in this blog can be enlarged somewhat with a click of the mouse.

So here is a detail showing the immediate environs of Tamsui station ...

... the northern terminus of the RED metro line.'

A few bus routes do call at the large and impressive bus station!

So how can fbb explain the style of the map. 

Many blog readers will be familiar with Mike Harris' London bus map ...

... which he started to produce when London Transport decided it just couldn't be bothered.

Imagine something similar but with all stops shown and showing each route as s separate line coloured according to the operating company. And make it more diagrammatic rather than close to geographical accuracy.

And make it BIG - which it would need to be to get all the detail in!

According to David, the "real" full size Taipei map is 196 inches by 196 inches - or over 16 feet square - possibly impracticable for print-out purposes?

So let's begin with the heading.

Thanks to the efficiency of Google Translate, we know that this is:-

Overview Map Of

Taipei Public Road Network

Hmm - there could be trouble ahead!

Next, we can explore the map "code"- (remember , graphics will enlarge)

Again, Google Translate comes to the rescue.

Before looking at a section of the map, there is more information to be gleaned from the "code".

We have the current metro lines, the LRT, the airport express service ...

... which runs limited stop alongside the (DARK) BLUE metro.

The map also shows the new SKY BLUE metro ...

... more MID BLUE on the map.

The above mini-extract shows how the colours and "in-line" route numbers work. The effect and the clarity are not too bad when there are clearly differentiated colours but when both operators share various shades of blue, things become less easy.

And some sections are a wonder to behold!

fbb reckons this is the most complex public transport map he has ever experienced (unless you know better) and his heart goes out to those who have lovingly researched and created it.

Well done all of you!

Is it of any practical use? probably not.

But fbb nearly forgot.

All the timetables are there as well - that is, of course, Taipei "timetables", each one a departure list from one of the termini only - nothing else.

In case you have forgotten, here is service 2000 in legible form.

But there's more.

David draws fbb's attention to a blog which explains how the map's creators designed this marvel of cartographic immensity. Sadly, yet again, it is Mandarin throughout, but, as ever, we have the glorious Google Translate to guide us through the comprehension process. Here is the first paragraph in the blog ...

... and Google's noble effort.

Here, for example, is the blog's introduction.

At the beginning of the article

Let’s adapt the preface to the general history of Taiwan

As for the link to the overview picture

Because it's too tired to draw this picture

So I decided to let everyone spend 10 minutes watching our experience

Actually, there was originally a plan to present it in the form of Tibetan poems (false)

The current link is at the end of the article

If you don’t want to watch our fart,

You can also directly pull the screen to the bottom to download the file directly

No, fbb has no desire to watch their fart.

Just picking up on one little paragraph shows us how big a challenge this has been, and will continue to be as the network changes.

fbb assumes that the frequency of changes to route will be much less in Taipei than in London but a work like this map must really and truly be "painful" and a "big torment".

Maybe keeping GoTimetable Sheffield up to date is not too bad by comparison.

And for your edification, the full map is (here) - but beware, it takes an age to download.

Rail Journalistic Debate?
What has interested the agile minds of Nigel Harris, bug cheese of Rail Magazine ...

... and Roger Ford, technical editor of Modern Railways.

What piece of esoteric engineering has brought these two rail industry giants into deep debate via Twitter?

From Nigel.:-

From Roger:-

Obviously, they have both been consulting the same technical manuals.

And the matter which has excited these noble gentlemen's brain cells?

It is good to see that expert writers are still "getting their hands dirty" on the shop floor!

After the exotic oriental excursions of late, this blog will now turn to a community equally replete with eastern promise, mystery and transport pulchritude.

 Next Middlesbrough blog : Tuesday 21st  July