psych0naut (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} psych0naut) wrote,@ 2008-03-17 14:14:00 |
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Below is a map of a proposed underground public transit system for Regina, modelled after the famous Tube map for the London Underground. I created it because Regina, like most cities in North America, lacks a good public transit system, and as a former resident I would have found such a subway system extremely useful (particularly in the bitterly cold winters).
There are five lines:
- The Albert Line is named for the city's main north–south street, which it follows for the street's entire length. At the northern end of Albert Street, the line turns west. Amenities and attractions served include (from north to south) the Northgate Mall, Regina's Market Square, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, the Golden Mile Shopping Centre, and the Southland Mall.
- The Victoria Line is named for the city's main east–west avenue, which it roughly follows from the eastern border of city westward. In the west, the line splits into two short branches, one veering north to the Dieppe neighbourhood and the other heading towards the airport. Other amenities served include the Victoria Square Mall and Regina Market Square.
- The Arcola Line runs northwest–southeast and follows much of Arcola Avenue. The line has stops at the Sherwood Village Mall, the Normanview Mall, Regina Exhibition Park, Taylor Field, Regina Market Square, and Union Station.
- The University Line links the neighbourhoods in the north and northwest to the university and technical college campuses in the centre and southeast. Inbetween the line follows Broad Street, a major north–south road, with stops at Regina Market Square and Union Station.
- The Circle Line forms a ring linking several southern neighbourhoods, Southland Mall, the main university campus, the eastern neighbourhoods, Victoria Square Mall, the industrial zone in the northeast, and Pasqua Hospital and Regina Exhibition Park in the west.
Most of the stations are at major amenities, or in the centre or at boundaries of major neighbourhoods. There are a couple of exceptions, such as the 25th Avenue stop, which are on major roads but not particularly near any businesses or residential areas; these were positioned on the assumption that the presence of a subway station would spur commercial growth.
Another stop which deserves special explanation is Union Station, which is listed on the map as a long-distance rail and bus station. Though the Saskatchewan Transportation Company is opening a new bus depot at this location, Regina's VIA Rail station was closed in the 1990s as a result of cutbacks to rail services. The building was repurposed as a casino in 1996. My subway design assumes that Union Station will reopen as a dedicated long-distance rail station.
I made the map by first plotting the stops and lines with Google Maps, as follows:
I then did a screen capture, loaded it into Inkscape, traced the lines, and shuffled them around to make them as straight as possible. (The London Tube map has all turns in multiples of 45 degrees.) I then added nubs and labels for the stations, and fiddled with the alignments so that they were spaced evenly, or at least aesthetically. The entire process took me about a week, working a few hours a day.
