Kickstarter

It's been a busy couple of months!
First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who made the second printing of the map possible!
Thanks to their support, I was able to print 20,000 new copies of the updated frequency map and I'm well on my way to distributing them all around the city. Let me know if you want some for your community and I'll be happy to deliver them.

I'm also proud to announce the creation of two new transit maps! The first is a map of transit lines that run past 10pm every single night, even sundays and holidays:

The second new map is of TANK's services through Downtown, Cincinnati, Newport, and Covington.

Both maps are only available online at this point.

And last but certainly not least, I've started a blog! I'll be writing about local transit issues with the hope of elucidating how transit does and can work in greater Cincinnati. Transit planning is a lot more complex than many people think, and we can look at the way the system is set up to see many layers of decisions and values that are embodied in it's structure. Do we agree with those decisions and values? Let's find out!

It's been more than a year now since the first Cincinnati Frequent Transit Maps were printed with your help. They've ALL been distributed. 30,000 maps have gone out to universities, coffee shops, social service agencies, libraries, municipal offices, non-profits, bars, grocery stores, both major transit agencies and more. They've been placed everywhere from every corner of Downtown and OTR to Highland Heights, Anderson Township, Northside, the airport, Covington, the West Side, the East SIde... everywhere.

And they've been used. I've heard from so many people that the map has helped them to understand the transit system, from so many organizations that the map is a valuable tool in their work. City employees have used the map in presentations about transit for the new comprehensive plan, social service agencies have used them to teach independent living skills to the people they serve, and individuals have found new autonomy in a city they used to think could only be effectively traveled by car.

I don't want to let the impact the map has had fade quietly away. With your help, I'd like to print 20,000 updated maps, restocking places that have run out and sending them off to new venues and organizations, reaching an ever larger audience, showing people that public transit doesn't have to be complicated, and can serve many of their transportation needs.

With just $1,200, thanks to a generous sponsorship from Seemless, we can do it. And guess what--we've already raised more than half of that. Please help me raise just $500 more so that we can continue to bring a greater understanding of how transit works to Greater Cincinnati.

Thanks to sponsors so far:
Seemless Printing
Reser Bicycle Outfitters
Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky

And thanks to YOU for making the Cincinnati Frequent Transit Map the success it has already been. I hope you'll consider making another donation to ensure it continues.

Six months have gone by now and I've only got 1,000 maps left! That means that tens of thousands of people have already had an opportunity to see Greater Cincinnati's transit system in a new light. I've heard a lot of stories from people that the map has encouraged them and their friends to try the bus, allowed them to give better directions or to see Cincinnati in a new way. I'm told someone even got a date after someone asked him for directions and he whipped out the map. Transit maps as conversation starters!

Anyway, a few months ago, I entered the Frequent Transit Map in the US DOT's "Data Visualization Challenge", a contest looking for effective visualizations of publicly available transportation data. Voting is now open until November 18th, and I hope you'll all vote for my project and check out the other contestants' submissions. The top two entries will win a $2,000 scholarship and a trip to DC to accept the award!! 

http://dataviz.challenge.gov/submissions/4223-cincinnati-frequent-transit-map

It's been nearly four months since I we launched the Cincinnati Frequent Transit Map and I feel like it's time for a retrospective:

-I've spent those last four months giving maps to anyone who will take them. I've left maps with universities, social service agencies, hairdressers, the chamber of commerce, what feels like a million coffee shops, the transit agencies themselves, the library, and every local business and liberal organisation that I could think of. I've moved about 20,000 maps across the city  by bicycle

-UC printed 6,000 maps of their own, at their own cost and distributed them to freshmen living in the dorms this year. I'm eager to hear feedback on how they were received.

-I've had a number of job interviews because people were impressed with the map. (Altruistic design work pays, apparently)

-The website, www.CincyMap.org , has been redesigned and launched and gets a couple hundred downloads of the map each month. The Facebook page is fairly active too. You can follow us at: http://www.facebook.com/cincytransit

After all of that, somehow I still have 10,000 maps left, and I need your help distributing them. With the exception of a few, I'm having trouble getting large organisations to pay me any attention. I need specific contacts(you) at corporations or non-profits that might be able/willing to distribute maps to their employees or constituents. There are a lot of good reasons to tell your employees/students/clients about transit and we are providing that service for free. We just need to get in the door!

Here's how you can help: Give me a name and contact info for someone who could help distribute maps, or even better, pitch the maps to that person yourself and I will follow up. You can also help get word out by linking to the website (www.CincyMap.org) or hosting the pdf map on your own site.

You got this project off the ground, now let's make sure it reaches as many people as possible!

My bike is packed with envelopes, and I'm about to ride down to the post office with your Cincinnati Transit Maps! Once again, thank you all for your support. This project couldn't have happened without you!

And thanks to everyone who came out to the discussion at the CAC last night. I had a great time talking with y'all and meeting you in person!

Please remember, that this project doesn't have to stop here. You are free to do almost anything you want with this map. If you want to print your own version, distribute it digitally or physically, I will give you drawing files, transit data, and any help that I can. If you want to put your restaurant or whatever on the map, and hand it to customers, please don't hesitate!
Also, as you can see in the picture, there are *ahem* a few maps left. If you want some for your business, organisation, or neighborhood, get in touch with me and I'll get some to you.

Thank you for making this possible!!! -Nate