Man who created new viral Tube map says original version is ‘horrible’

A university lecturer who created a viral London Underground map has said the original TfL map is ‘really horrible’ and in need of a shake-up.

Whether you love it or hate it, there is no denying that the London Tube map is iconic.

Now Dr Max Roberts, a map enthusiast and psychology lecturer, has delighted Londoners with his latest version of the London Underground map – an unusual circular map he says is less cluttered than the official one.

He said the original map has not kept up with how many new stations have been added since it was first created by Harry Beck in 1931.

Dr Max Roberts said the Tube map ‘is not just a piece of corporate wallpaper’ (Picture: Max Roberts)

Max told Metro.co.uk: ‘When you look at the current map, it’s even worse than in 2013, it’s really horrible now.’

While the viral reaction online to his circular map has been ‘a surprise,’ people have been ‘desperate for a good map, and it has that wow factor,’ he said.

The 57-year-old has always liked maps and collected them since his childhood in south London, which had a ‘distinct lack of Tube.’

A previous circular map he created in 2013 also hit the headlines when he made the redesign in bid to declutter the London transport network.

The re-imagined circular Tube map (Picture: Max Roberts)

He explained what drew him back to it: ‘The reason I went to back to it now, TfL has introduced walking changes now, and they are showing walking distances, and it now matters more where you put the stations in relation to each other.

‘The stations if they are close enough to walk they have to be close enough on the map.’

‘People say it’s just a diagram and you’re not to supposed to take it literally, but people can’t help that and they are drawn to read it,’ he added.

What made the original map so messy for Max is the ‘disorganised’ space and proportion and ‘space warps’ which doesn’t ‘really signify London,’ he said.

‘If your part of London is really not right, it kind of alienates you.’

He said the huge interest in his alternative map should flag to TfL that ‘this map is not just a piece of corporate wallpaper, it needs to be usable by basic accessibility standards.’

The German city of Wurzburg designed a circular map after seeing Max’s (pictured) alternative design of Paris (Picture: Max Roberts)

Max did not mince his words about the Tube pocket map either, saying it is ‘really horrible to look at.’

He explained: ‘It is exactly the same as the original, but it has more stations. We have to clear it out and start again, but for some reason they won’t do that, and they just cram it more full.’

The reason for not changing the original is because it would be ‘a step too far,’ Max said.

‘Culturally, the TfL is wedded to the Harry Beck map for more than 90 years now, and it would be to radical a step to make a divorce.’

Transport for London said there has no plans to change the look of the Tube map.

A TfL spokesperson said: ‘The Tube map is an iconic piece of world-renowned design, which was first created by Harry Beck in 1933 and has grown and evolved like the city it represents. It is widely used by millions of people every day and we have no plans to change its design.’

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