Giving the PATH its Due: Hoboken Commuter Embarks on Campaign to Change NYC Subway Maps

There is a secret subway system in New York City, and it’s called the PATH.

That’s the motivation behind a Hoboken resident’s campaign to change the New York City subway maps to prominently include New Jersey PATH stops.

As part of his effort, Stewart Mader - a frequent Subway and PATH rider and editor of the urban transit publication “Gotham & Hudson” – said that there are several problems with the current NYC subway map.

Among his charges:

• The PATH is classified as a “commuter rail service” but also functions as a “rapid transit service” and should be represented better visually on the map
• The Hudson Waterfront and stations across the river from Manhattan are missing from the current Subway Map, so subway riders who want to connect to PATH to reach destinations in New Jersey currently see no information about where the train can take them

Mader is suggesting that “geographical representation” on future maps should be given to the Hudson Waterfront, as well as Hoboken, Jersey City, Journal Square, Harrison, Exchange Place, Grove Street and Newark stations.

“Transit maps like the New York City Subway Map are more than just way-finding tools… They become cultural assets that frame how people see the city,” argues Mader on his website.

“Over 5 million people ride the subway on weekdays, and New York City received over 58 million visitors in 2012, which means the Subway Map is one of the most widely recognized public transit maps in the world.

“Including PATH on the Subway Map in a manner that better reflects its role as New York’s “second subway” improves knowledge of cross-Hudson rapid transit among the largest audience of transit riders in the New York area, supports greater transit use and economic activity on both sides of the Hudson, and acknowledges the economic, cultural, and geographic ties between Manhattan and the area of Hudson County that has been described as New York City’s ‘sixth borough.’”

See Mader’s online campaign here.

Photo of the current NYC subway map comes courtesy of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Should the Hoboken PATH station and other New Jersey connections be included on the New York City subway map? Share your opinion with the Patch community below!