Visible Transit

 I think it's a critical element of transit infrastructure that it be visible. That doesn't mean it has to be big, hulking, and permanent; not all rail is visible, not all buses are invisible. But it does mean that someone who is on the street (whether a pedestrian, a bicyclist, a driver, or someone not moving at all) should be able to see that there is transit there.

Why? 

1. Visible Transit Is A Visible Option

If there is no transit visible, the most natural conclusion in the world is that there is no transit there. 

Where's the transit, St. Matthews?

Now obviously that example is particularly bad for its lack of even a sidewalk--but it's also a space where you would assume that there is no way to get places but walking (without sidewalks) or driving.

Underground transit may not be visible itself, but can be made visible through things like the above T sign. 

And of course a giant rail pit like this in Chicago is visible for a lot of people--though note that it matters whether you can see somewhere to actually get on!

2. Visible Transit Can Give A Sense Of Destinations

Good visible transit can make it easier not just to see that there is transit, but to think about where that transit might go. Just like a road itself gives a direction of travel (or two), a rail line, a bus stop, or any other visible form of transit gives you a sense of where you can go.

A rail line can give two directions too--and directions the roads may not go.

A posted bus schedule can give a sense of where buses go, too, even beyond the road you're on.

Ditto a subway map.

And of course the same is true of a list of train departures (though similarly, once you're in a train station, you probably knew that already).

3. Visible Transit Is A Commitment

The more visible the transit, the more it seems like the city is actually investing in your ability to get places via transit. That train station in Paris above (Gare du Nord, of course) is not just a place to get transit from; it's a sign that transit is a significant part of how you are supposed to get across the city and to other places.

A national edifice, indeed.

The Chicago Loop is likewise iconic, and speaks not only to where trains go, but to the fact that trains are valued here.

And if you combine more than one (like this Metro entrance directly across from Amsterdam Centraal station, with trams in the middle), you're really promising something.

And in case you thought all my examples were trains:

Here is the one major bus depot in Davenport, which does indeed make it look like buses matter here.

And this bus station in Boston is also pretty clear.

Overall, the point is that the more visible (and more frequently visible--see "one major bus depot" above) the transit infrastructure is, even for a mode like buses that is not itself always visible, the more clear it is that the place values its transit and you can expect that transit to help you move around.

What about your city? Does it have good, visible infrastructure, or are you hoping to find a few nods to transit along the way?