The Washington DC-area Metro system is getting a major wayfinding makeover, but some riders are already questioning whether the new signs are actually making it easier to find your way around.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority says its redesigned signs are intended to make navigating the Metro “clearer and more consistent,” with less visual clutter and information presented at the point where riders need it. The new system is beginning to roll out at L’Enfant Plaza and is expected to reach the entire system over the next five years.
But reactions from Metro riders have been decidedly mixed.
Here's a look at what riders are saying about the changes.
Are Metro's new signs making things more difficult for riders?
On Reddit and X, riders have complained that some of the new signs appear to provide less information than the signs they are replacing, particularly when it comes to train destinations and directions.
One Reddit user summed up the frustration this way: “This is so much less information than you currently get. Just why.” Another said the old signs were essentially “peak” Metro because they put everything a rider needed to know in one place.
WMATA is moving some service information from large trackside signs onto platforms, saying the new modular signs will be easier and cheaper to update.
But riders say terminal destinations are one of the quickest ways to determine which side of a platform to use, particularly at unfamiliar stations.
Others questioned the new emphasis on lettered exits, arguing that street names and intersections can be more useful for tourists and occasional riders.
“This is just not good design,” one Reddit commenter wrote. “Especially for a city with so many tourists.”
WMATA says the redesign was created with unfamiliar riders in mind, including new “directional helpers” pointing riders toward destinations such as airports, the National Mall and Union Station.
Not everyone dislikes the changes. Some riders said lettered exits are helpful at stations with multiple entrances, while others praised the new diagrams.
WMATA says it conducted customer surveys, in-station testing and other research before beginning the rollout.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why not everyone is happy with DC Metro's new signs in stations
