Boston Wants You to Design a Better Transit Map

You don't have to be a professional designer to point out some of the flaws in Boston's transit map. The five-legged Green line is too cramped to fit all the station names. The Silver line looks like a subway line even though it's a bus rapid transit system. The key local bus lines are great to have, but one suspects they aren't terribly useful to anyone who doesn't already use them.

And the MBTA agrees the map can be improved, because this week it announced a public competition to do just that. From now through the end of April, Boston's transit authority is accepting design submissions on individual aspects of the map as well as complete renderings. Winners will be selected for their creativity, aesthetic presentation, and informative quality, and announced in mid-May as part of National Transportation Week.