Legible London map audit – 3000 signs

15 years on from its birth, TfL commissioned the first comprehensive capital-wide audit of the entire Legible London pedestrian wayfinding system. Having grown in size to nearly 3,000 signs, the Legible London audit carried with it the twin objectives of documenting the physical condition of each sign, as well as assessing directional content to reflect recent important changes in London’s transport infrastructure, such as the opening of the Elizabeth line.

T-Kartor’s Matthew Bazylewskyj walked the streets of London for over 6 months, wearing out two pairs of shoes! Matthew took 1.3 million steps or 900 km – just short of Land’s End to John O’Groats (the furthest extent of the UK, at 970 km).

2,969 signs were surveyed and documented with 8 photos of each and a description of their physical condition. TfL will now combine this data with T-Kartor’s ‘Smart Refresh’ analysis identifying the number of major changes to the basemap since each map product was printed. The final analysis will be used in liaison with boroughs to decide the priority of updates. 

With careful maintenance and regular map updates, TfL can preserve the enormous value in Legible London wayfinding, which has been helping visitors and locals explore the city on foot for over ten years.