Transit advocacy group TTCriders. Photos courtesy TTCriders (ttcriders.ca/kingmakeover)
Transit advocacy group TTCriders installed unofficial signage at King Subway Station in downtown Toronto on April 11 to highlight what they describe as serious gaps in the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC’s) wayfinding system.
According to CBC News, the group placed signs and stickers around the Line 1 station, including on walls, maps, and existing signage. The temporary additions included clearer information about streetcar routes, large signs indicating different types of transit, and alphanumeric labels to help riders find exits more easily. The move was part of a broader campaign to urge the city to fund the TTC’s proposed wayfinding strategy, which remains in development and is currently unfunded.
The TTC has not released a complete cost estimate, but the TTC board plans to consider the strategy later this year, according to the report.
Joe Craib, a volunteer with TTCriders, said the current signage system is inconsistent and difficult to follow. “One of the problems with the TTC is that we have this hodgepodge of signage from multiple different eras with contradicting information,” Craib told CBC News. “Part of the emphasis for this design was to unify everything together and give a good clean look that gives people all of the information they need to navigate their way through the system.”
The signs reflected four key goals, the group said: clear information at key decision points, improved signage for streetcar routes, exit labels for easier navigation, and accessibility for riders regardless of language or ability.
What followed
In a release quoted by CBC News, Craib added: “You shouldn’t get lost while taking the TTC, but it can feel like a maze because of the confusing or outdated signs in subway stations.”
The TTC removed the signs within a few hours. Spokesperson Stuart Green confirmed the group installed the signs without permission and said the TTC pulled staff from other duties to take them down.
“The posters were up illegally. The signs were up illegally, so we did have to go in and remove it,” Green told CBC News. “There will be a cost associated with that.” Green, however, acknowledged the group’s intent. “We understand the point they are trying to make,” he added.
As reported by CBC News, the TTC is still preparing a detailed business case for its proposed wayfinding overhaul. Green said staff will present the plan to the TTC board and city council later in the year.
The TTC removed the signs within a few hours.
