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| Transport maps in big cities baffle human brain, says study | Transport maps in big cities baffle human brain, says study |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Those who get lost on the subway or stuck at the wrong bus stop in a strange city can now take comfort in new research, which argues that urban transport maps are becoming too complex for the human mind. | |
| A journey with two changes in a city network requires processing an amount of information that comes close to the brain’s cognitive limits, according to the calculations of a team of mathematicians and physicists from Oxford and Paris. | A journey with two changes in a city network requires processing an amount of information that comes close to the brain’s cognitive limits, according to the calculations of a team of mathematicians and physicists from Oxford and Paris. |
| The researchers found that 250 connecting stops on a map appeared to be the upper limit for easy comprehension. The New York subway’s connections alone reach the point where the brain would struggle to simply find the most efficient route. | The researchers found that 250 connecting stops on a map appeared to be the upper limit for easy comprehension. The New York subway’s connections alone reach the point where the brain would struggle to simply find the most efficient route. |
| Once multiple modes of transport are added in the likes of New York City, Tokyo, London and Paris, the visitor can be justifiably baffled. | Once multiple modes of transport are added in the likes of New York City, Tokyo, London and Paris, the visitor can be justifiably baffled. |
| Mason Porter, professor of nonlinear and complex systems at the University of Oxford, said: “We know that there is empirical evidence for some cognitive limit – how many digits people can memorise from phone numbers, or how many moving objects.” | |
| Now, he added: “Cities and their transportation networks have grown to the point where they have reached a level of complexity that is beyond human processing capability to navigate around them.” | Now, he added: “Cities and their transportation networks have grown to the point where they have reached a level of complexity that is beyond human processing capability to navigate around them.” |
| Related: City cycle commutes around the world – mapped | Related: City cycle commutes around the world – mapped |
| Residents may beg to differ, Porter conceded: “Londoners may know the tube – but those who are visiting may not get it, and those who do know may be inconvenienced. There are so many distractions on these transport maps that it becomes like a game of Where’s Wally?” | |
| The team hopes their findings will lead to more empirical neuroscientific experiments on stranded mapreaders. While GPS or journey planner apps may help, Porter said, their reach is limited on the underground, and they cannot convey the same information. “Ultimately, we need a different type of map.” | The team hopes their findings will lead to more empirical neuroscientific experiments on stranded mapreaders. While GPS or journey planner apps may help, Porter said, their reach is limited on the underground, and they cannot convey the same information. “Ultimately, we need a different type of map.” |