Bay Area transit agencies celebrate launch of new transit maps and signs

New digital transit maps and signs were unveiled at the Santa Rosa Transit Mall and Santa Rosa Downtown Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) station in an effort to help make transit schedules easier to understand for riders. Bay area transit agency leadership came to commemorate the delivery and launch of these new test signs.  

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) says these new signs deliver information that is clear, predictable and familiar across service areas and county lines. New directional signs have also been installed to help transit riders navigate the half-mile route between the downtown SMART station and the Transit Mall.   

The launch day of these new signs kicked off the start of an evaluation period for the Santa Rosa portion of the Regional Mapping and Wayfinding Project, in which MTC and its transit partners invite Bay Area residents and visitors alike to share their thoughts about the test signs and maps. Several test prototype signs and other communication materials were installed at the El Cerrito del Norte Bay Area Rapid Transit station in December 2024.  

“Santa Rosa is proud to be chosen as a prototype location for this groundbreaking transit project,” said City of Santa Rosa Mayor Mark Stapp. “This marks a significant step forward in our commitment to creating a more seamless, accessible and user-friendly transit system for Santa Rosa and the greater Bay Area.”   

MTC notes public feedback on the new test signs and maps will help inform the next stage of the project, in which the new maps and wayfinding materials are expected to be installed at seven additional locations across the Bay Area in 2025 and 2026.    

“Starting this week, North Bay transit riders will be able to use the test maps and signs here at the Transit Mall and the downtown SMART station and share their ideas about how to make the new materials work better for them,” said Santa Rosa City Councilmember and MTC Commissioner Victoria Fleming. “We’re doing this work not only to improve the system for current riders, but to try to encourage more people to ride transit.”  

MTC says members of the public who are unable to visit one of the test locations in Santa Rosa or El Cerrito have the option of taking the survey online. New wayfinding materials for riders navigating the half-mile route between the Santa Rosa Downtown SMART station and the Santa Rosa Transit Mall also are being tested.  

“For years, we’ve heard from riders that navigating between SMART’s Santa Rosa Downtown station and the Santa Rosa Transit Mall can be challenging. By improving signage and mapping, we are breaking down barriers and making transit more intuitive,” said Sonoma County Supervisor and SMART Board member Chris Coursey.   

The Regional Mapping and Wayfinding Project is working to redesign and harmonize maps and signage across all nine Bay Area counties to help people navigate transit more easily. MTC says this project is just one piece of a broader effort, outlined by the Bay Area Transit Transformation Action Plan, focused on making Bay Area transit easier and more convenient for riders of all ages and abilities to use.