ACT Bus Forum

Enthusiast => Route Designs => Topic started by: 743 on June 08, 2010, 07:14:09 PM

Title: Destination board ideas
Post by: 743 on June 08, 2010, 07:14:09 PM
Since I had nothing better to do this evening (sad isn't it) I thought I'd play around with the idea of State Transitifying ACTION's destination boards. These are based off a Mobitec display (so, the Irisbuses) but could probably be easily transferred to the Scanias, MANs and later Renaults. The earlier Renaults wouldn't be able to show anything quite like this but could have a variant.

Basically the idea behind these destos is to retain the actual terminating destination as a static display with the vias scrolling underneath. I thought about this after a friend from NSW was visiting and thought "Gungahlin City Interchange" was a destination in itself on a 958, instead of the actual City Interchange VIA Gungahlin. I also think that the use of "Interchange" and "Bus Stations" on the destinations isn't necessary, since if a bus is going to the City, Woden, Belconnen or Tuggeranong has to go through the interchange anyway. but that's just my opinion  :P

(https://www.actbus.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi820.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fzz129%2Frte743%2F7.gif&hash=ab285f8260e1a5bd4038a5ad51b869319b555d66)

(https://www.actbus.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi820.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fzz129%2Frte743%2F39.gif&hash=9a6bcea0d43ca04eada3640469876a80615e31c2)

(https://www.actbus.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi820.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fzz129%2Frte743%2F265.gif&hash=3ce8fd274155200d2138b000b9d7eea8421a3408)

(https://www.actbus.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi820.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fzz129%2Frte743%2F313.gif&hash=e4e871abc7174cd13887cf79b08bae25ee107752)

(https://www.actbus.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi820.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fzz129%2Frte743%2F938.gif&hash=5794e9fae7ebaa1680720d05d5cc179f8adb41ac)

See what you think  :)
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Buzz Killington on June 08, 2010, 07:20:08 PM
Exactly what ACTION needs. Never ceases to amaze me how lacking the destos here are.

A member of our forum actually wrote a whole set of Desto's for the most recent (I think) Network but unfortunately ACTION didn't receive them for some reason and were not used as a result. From my recollection, the basic format was similar to yours.

Another thing - CAPS should be used on all destos. Ensures consistency and all letters are at the same level.
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Snorzac on June 08, 2010, 07:26:51 PM
they would all make sense, hence ACTION would never use them...
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Irisbus Rider on June 08, 2010, 07:27:53 PM
Ooooooh, very nice, I'm obsessed :P

Great job with those, they look great. And, yes, some of our destos are in dire need of emergency surgery! These are a great start!
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: The Love Guru on June 08, 2010, 07:29:48 PM
You can also place the final destination in bold text on the bottom line, and scroll the top line. Wont need the via then which frees up space to put things like city & woden on 1 scroll with Tuggeranong on the bottom line.
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Sir Pompously on June 08, 2010, 07:33:15 PM
Not a fan of the Bottom line static destination. I always feel it should be on top, as that is the destination. The Via's I am a fan of. The one that was created in full had various information, starting off with the destination:

e.g

ERINDALE
CENTRE

the

ERINDALE
VIA WANNIASSA

etc.
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Buzz Killington on June 08, 2010, 07:34:17 PM
Don't ACTION have some rule about the max number of scrolls a desto should have?
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Sir Pompously on June 08, 2010, 07:36:20 PM
Don't know if they do (Sounds like ACTION though). The system limits the amount of scrolls, but aslong as it is not overdone it should be ok.
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: 743 on June 08, 2010, 08:21:28 PM
STA seem to limit themselves to three, except for a few Northern Beaches runs which need about five just to convey enough information for them to make sense! I don't know about ACTION but since I once saw a 936 that did CITY, INTERCHANGE, LYNEHAM, DICKSON, HACKETT, AINSLIE...so at least six.
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Buzz Killington on June 08, 2010, 08:22:34 PM
Weekend Routes seem to have a much higher number of scrolls.
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: smitho on June 09, 2010, 09:45:37 PM
Quote from: Buzz Killington on June 08, 2010, 07:20:08 PM


Another thing - CAPS should be used on all destos. Ensures consistency and all letters are at the same level.

Don't agree with you there.

It is a well known fact that the human eye can interpret lower caps signage far more easily than All Caps - hence the widespread use of lower caps in road signs and in public transport destos in most cities around the world.  That's because the eye can interpret lower case signs far more easily (as the outline shape of lower case destos are so much more distinctive). 

Use of lower case in destos is almost universal in European cities - has been so for most of the post-war era. Sydney is decades out of date in persisting with all caps on its bus destos.   
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: King of Buses on June 10, 2010, 05:17:45 PM
How are you able to get the desto boards and change them
because I was planning to do some of my own for some routes 743?
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Buzz Killington on June 10, 2010, 06:36:17 PM
There is software for writing destination signs. Not sure if its free to download though.
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Snorzac on June 10, 2010, 06:37:43 PM
download is free, I will try to find a link later
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: lukeo25 on June 10, 2010, 07:40:14 PM
zEdit is easy to use
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Sir Pompously on June 10, 2010, 07:42:26 PM
Zedit can be found on the Brazillian Mobitec Website
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Buzz Killington on June 10, 2010, 07:55:12 PM
Mmm, I have Zedit too actually.
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: 743 on June 10, 2010, 08:02:06 PM
Yeah, it's Zedit. Can't even remember where I got it from now.

Quote from: Chris_Guru on June 08, 2010, 07:29:48 PM
You can also place the final destination in bold text on the bottom line, and scroll the top line. Wont need the via then which frees up space to put things like city & woden on 1 scroll with Tuggeranong on the bottom line.

I know what you mean about the via and saving space, but putting the destination on the bottom line as is done on some ACTION destos is what got me thinking about the above to begin with...I was with someone from NSW and they saw a 958 showing GUNGAHLIN on the top line and CITY INTERCHANGE on the bottom line, but they read it as one destination from top to bottom, so in their mind the bus was going to an Interchange in "Gungahlin City". So that's why I think the destination belongs on the top, it eliminates any of the potential confusion that way. Using the word "via" also helps with that distinction.
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: smitho on June 10, 2010, 08:46:20 PM
I sometimes get punters wanting to get on my City interchange-bound No 7 at The Canberra Centre stop, hoping to go to Dickson; the Scania desto alternates between  "City Interchange" and "Dickson", so it's not surprising this confusion occurs.

If it was worded "via Dickson" this might get over the problem.
Title: Re: Destination board ideas
Post by: Barry Drive on June 11, 2010, 01:23:39 PM
I doubt it. What is needed is a half-way destination change option. So once you've passed through your "VIA" suburbs, your sign reads just your final destination. (Not that this will help either. A set-down only desto might be better for that stop.) Some of the Belconnen weekend loop services have this as option '2'. (And even then driving through Kippax with "Fraser West" on display you still get nuff-nuffs who want to go to Belconnen.)