Tunnel Vision

Transport for London ⇒ is an agency that administers the transportation systems of the London, United Kingdom area under the auspices of the Greater London Authority ⇒ (London city government). The agency is responsible for running the rapid transit system, regulating the buses and taxis, maintaining and collecting tolls on the the roads, along promoting safety.

The subject of this donation concerns the oldest of all rapid transit systems. A red circle with a blue horizontal line through the center and beyond the diameter with white lettering is the branding for the underground trains. The official name for the rapid transit system is London Underground ⇒ though it is also unofficially called the Tube. The Tube Map ⇒ originally designed by Harry Beck ⇒ is an influential piece of information design for pioneering the use of diagrams, schematic iconography, and topology in transit maps.

The Phrase

There is no stop called “mind the gap” within the London Underground. Instead, the phrase is a safety warning that asks the rider or soon to be rider to be aware of the space between the door of a subway car and the station platform. The message is delivered through signs and voice announcements both within and outside of the cars. Such is good advice as following the directive allows a rider to avoid injury. Through brevity and repeated use in an official capacity within a global city, the phrase has become iconic.

In my memory, other rapid systems of which I have been a passenger have provided similar warnings. Large cities which are high enough above sea level for a underground trains to make sense that I have visited without a vehicle include Chicago ⇒, New York City ⇒, and Toronto ⇒. I enjoyed the rides as a way to get from place to place, but would not go back just to ride.

“Authentic”

Honestly, I initially thought this was a bootleg Tube shirt. The paint in the print is of the variety that does not stand up to many washings, and the fabric of the shirt is a little thinner than normal. Considering the fame of the subject there would be some size of a market for fakes. Donor, Receiver, & Proofreader Brian*, however, stated that he was told by the person that gave him the shirt that the item was purchased within the Tube itself. Until and unless I can find some other reason for doubt, I’ll take my donor friend’s word as he has shown himself to be a trustworthy individual over a period of years.

On one level, I would prefer a real shirt. At another level, however, some bootlegs can be more interesting than the real thing. I will appraise either. If this shirt is real, I wonder why Transport for London did not insist on higher quality materials to represent their brand. If this shirt is a fake, it is not interesting in how it is fake because it looks too real.