TriMet, Portland’s regional transit agency, selected Mayer/Reed for the comprehensive redesign of station signage standards for the new MAX Green Line, which included renovation of the downtown bus mall, the first project in the U.S. to weave alternating bus and train platforms along the same curb line. Mayer/Reed created a wayfinding plan to address customer behavioral changes affected by the project. In turn the signage program became a key component of the streetscape’s furnishings zone design.
The signature component is the 18-foot tall information pylon, which identifies both bus and train platforms and incorporates four information hierarchy zones that include service type icons, station information, transit information/map and tactile information. Mock-ups were field tested with transit operators and the Citizens for Accessible Transit group, after which prototypes were tested for field maintenance and information change outs.
Mayer/Reed also advised on the placement, information content and display legibility for the real-time “Transit Tracker” LCD electronic information monitors. Our integration of CCTV camera brackets and station area light fixtures into the design of the information pylons minimized site furnishings clutter.
Landscape components along the Mall designed by Mayer/Reed included the preservation of 540 existing mature trees and the design of sidewalk infiltration planters and street storm water planters. Our design team included: Jon Bentz Design and Scott AG.
Owner: TriMet
Photographer: Bruce Forster
