Transport for London (TfL) has announced three pilot locations for the pedestrian wayfinding system Legible London and has named the designers who are to implement them:
– Applied Information Group (AIG) will be responsible for a Clear Zone Partnership pilot in Bloomsbury, Covent Garden and Holborn, which are located within the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden.
– Atkins are developing the South Bank and Bankside pilot, in the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark.
– City ID and partners Faber Maunsell are responsible for a Richmond and Twickenham pilot in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
– AIG has been confirmed as overall System Designer to oversee design development of Legible London.

Legible London is a wayfinding system of signs and maps that will make London a world-class walking city. By coordinating information across the boroughs, the different transport modes, and the media people use to find their way around (signage, maps, fingerposts, etc), Legible London will give Londoners and visitors alike more confidence to travel around the capital on foot and will facilitate the removal of existing street clutter, including redundant street furniture and signage.

The three pilot areas have been chosen to test the system design and methodology of Legible London in a number of different environments and scenarios:
– Richmond and Twickenham are included as Outer London locations with a unique character, often historic in nature.
– The South Bank and Bankside area has a large number of attractions within walking distances along the river Thames, visited by approximately 20 million people every year. The pilot will also look at how the system design should function around a major transport hub, Waterloo Station, and how to install the signs with the cooperation of private landowners who make up much of the riverside.
– In the Clear Zone Area (Bloomsbury, Covent Garden and Holborn), Legible London will be tested to link a number of walking attractions and ‘villages’. It will encourage people to walk between the busy tube stations in the area and promote walking routes which link the British Museum to Covent Garden.

If successful, Legible London will be rolled out across parts of Central London and the Olympic area before 2012.

The idea for Legible London was developed by AIG as part of a Central London Partnership project funded by TfL. The original study identified the considerable benefits of walking in the Capital: healthier individuals (walking reduces heart disease), greater footfall for retail and leisure, environmental benefits, safety for the community and the alleviation of pressure on other transport systems. It also found that the present multitude of pedestrian sign systems in central London was ineffective and often confusing and that there was an over-reliance on the Tube map to help people navigate above ground. 109 journeys between neighbouring central London Underground stations are actually quicker on foot than the Tube.

Talking about the overall project, Tim Fendley of AIG and lead designer for Legible London said, “Wayfinding in London is a complex problem of human habit, contradictory information design, varied stakeholder agendas and a constantly evolving map – physical, economic and social. Responding to this challenge has pushed the boundaries of information design and resulted in innovative solutions and groundbreaking ideas.

The pilot phase is an exciting next step and we welcome the opportunity to work with strong partners City ID, Faber Maunsell and Atkins to develop our original concepts in different environments around London while maintaining the overall visual coherence of the project”.

Talking of the Richmond and Twickenham pilot, Mike Talbot, Regional Director of Faber Maunsell, says, “Faber Maunsell is looking forward working with City ID on the challenge of developing the Legible London concept in the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames, where the potential destinations for pedestrians will be varied and spread out. Establishing the most appropriate network for pedestrians, and integrating that and the associate signs with other modes of transport, will be key to encouraging more people to walk in the Borough in support of the Mayor's and Richmond's objectives”.

Mike Rawlinson, Director of City ID, adds, “The Richmond and Twickenham pilot presents a different set of issues to Central London and we’re looking forward to getting under the skin of the place, understanding user needs and distilling its DNA whilst maintaining and evolving the design integrity of the system. It’s a fantastic challenge”.

On the Southbank and Bankside pilot, Elspeth Duxbury, Director of Atkins, said, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to develop Legible London in the Southbank and Bankside area. At Atkins we have a wealth of experience to draw on, from both our public realm team and Intelligent Space. Building on this existing knowledge will ensure the development of a wayfinding scheme that meets the needs of all those that use the area. Pedestrians are such a key user group in this area, with a major transport hub at Waterloo, a route along the Thames, as well as a mix of cultural and other attractions, that it is exciting to be able to support better journeys and use of the area”.