New test transit maps and signs debut at El Cerrito del Norte Station

Today, Dec. 12, at El Cerrito del Norte Station, BART, Bay Area transit agencies, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) unveiled new test transit maps and signs designed to help make transit journeys easier to understand for both existing and new riders by delivering information that is clear, predictable, and familiar across service areas and county lines. A new comprehensive transit map, which will enable riders to discover key destinations they can reach on the Bay Area's extensive rail, bus, and ferry network, also was released. 

Today’s event kicked off the start of an evaluation period for the Regional Mapping & Wayfinding project, in which BART,  MTC, and transit partners invite Bay Area residents and visitors to share their thoughts about the test signs and maps now installed at El Cerrito del Norte Station. Several “test” prototype signs and other communication materials also will be installed at the Santa Rosa Transit Mall/Downtown Santa Rosa SMART station later this month. Members of the public, including those who are unable to visit one of the test locations in El Cerrito or Santa Rosa, are invited to take this online survey to share their feedback and ideas.

“Transit in the Bay Area and elsewhere is still suffering the effects of the pandemic,” said Sue Noack, vice chair of MTC’s Regional Network Management Committee and Pleasant Hill City Councilmember. “But these maps and signs are tangible examples of the work MTC and the transit agencies are doing together to make the Bay Area’s system simpler, easier to use, and more affordable.”

Said BART General Manager Bob Powers: "This is not just a BART project, but a collaborative effort across regional transit agencies to experiment and innovate together. This project will move away from the disjointed look of the region's current transit signage and maps and make it easier for riders to know how to get from point A to point B, especially those who are new to riding Bay Area transit. I am thrilled that all of our agencies and the MTC have worked together to make this important project happen." 

Transit riders will be able to engage with the test materials during their journeys and share their ideas about how to make new signs and maps work better for them. This public feedback will help inform the next stage of the project in which the new maps and wayfinding materials are expected to be installed at seven additional locations across the Bay Area in 2025 and 2026.

The new maps and signs are part of the larger Regional Mapping and Wayfinding initiative aimed at making it easier to ride transit in the Bay Area. Whether a rider is traveling by bus, rail, ferry, or a combination, the signs, maps, screens and other communication systems will be consistent and easy to identify across all nine Bay Area counties.

The Regional Mapping and Wayfinding Project — led by MTC in partnership with BART and over two dozen Bay Area transit agencies as well as transit riders and Bay Area cities and counties — is the result of a first-of-its-kind effort to redesign and harmonize maps and signage across all nine Bay Area counties to help people navigate transit more easily. This project is just one piece of a broader effort outlined in the Bay Area Transit Transformation Action Plan, which is focused on making Bay Area transit easier and more convenient for riders of all ages and abilities to use.

The Regional Network Management Council includes top executives from BART, MTC, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, AC Transit, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Caltrain, SamTrans and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, as well as three general managers representing all other transit agencies serving Bay Area communities, including BART General Manager Bob Powers. 

MTC is the regional transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.