While traveling on Chicago’s Metra train system this past weekend, I was rather baffled by the signage at several stations. I expected to see a simple sign on each side of the tracks that said “Wait here for trains to Chicago” (or whatever the destination was). Instead, the signs were either missing entirely or identified the source of the train, rather than its destination. What good is knowing that a train is coming from a certain location if you can’t tell where it’s going?

The logic of Metra’s current approach escapes me. If they want to improve things, they just need a single sign on each side of the tracks. The sign should have big text that says “Wait here for trains to City A”. Then, in smaller print below that, it should say something like “If you’re traveling to City B, go to the other side of the tracks.” That way, customers can easily figure out where to wait for each train, and there’s a safety net for those who accidentally end up in the wrong area of the station.