The Bus Bench: LA Bus & Rail Map

The Bus Bench, one of L.A.’s most outspoken transit blogs, has launched a new Google Maps mash-up with the ambitious goal of mapping and reviewing every single bus stop and rail station in L.A. by August 30 of this year. To put the challenge in perspective, Metro has 15,967 bus stops and 74 rails stations. The Bus Bench map currently has 41 stops and stations reviewed.

Although initially a closed project, The Bus Bench recently opened up the project to the public for collaboration – probably a good idea considering the scope of the idea. So if you’re a transit rider in L.A. you can add your own contributions and help The Bus Bench reach the August deadline.

The map makes clever use of Google’s tools with icons used to identify certain stops and stations that are special cases: a red triangle signifies a stop that is not woman friendly; a sun indicates a stand-out stop that has friendly streets for all; and the martini glass icon indicates stops near good nightlife and bars.

So far the reviews are – true to form for The Bus Bench – brutally honest and a wee bit humorous.