Tram / Streetcar

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Trolley, Tramline, Tramway

Category

Transportation, Transport Facilities, Transport Modes, Travel, Public Facilities, Tourism

Message / Function

To indicate the location of trams / streetcars

	Source	Description
	DB	Side view of electric tram with two sweepers
1)	ÖNORM A 3011	Side view of electric tram showing sweeper
	DMU	Side view of electric tram on rails with three doors
	Wiener Linien	Side view of front of electric tram on rails with door
	ÖBB 2007	Side view of front of electric tram on rails with door
	UIC 413	Side view of electric tram on rails showing wheels
	Tern	Side view of electric tram showing wheels
	CNIS	Side view of electric tram showing wheels
	ISO 7001:1990	Side view of electric tram showing wheels
2)	ISO 7001:1990	Side view of electric tram showing wheels
	DMU	Side view of electric tram showing wheels and three doors
	UIC 413 b	Side view of electric tram on rails showing wheels and several doors
	Transport for London	Side view of electric tram showing wheels plus several details
	UN 1968	Side view of electric tram on rails showing wheels plus several details
	Galicia	Side view of electric tram on rails showing wheels plus several details
3)	WVB	Side view of electric tram on rails showing wheels plus several details
	NS 1980	Side view of electric tram showing wheels plus several details
	Bureau Mijksenaar	Side view of electric tram showing wheels plus several details
	SVI	Side view of electric tram showing wheels plus several details
	France IISR	Side view of electric tram showing wheels plus several details including catenary wire
	ISO 7001	Side view of electric tram showing wheels and door
	IIID In-Safety	Side view of electric tram showing wheels and three doors
	Fuenfwerken	Side view of electric tram
	Fuenfwerken	Side view of articulated electric tram
	ASTRA	Side view of front of electric tram on rails showing two wheels
	Museu Blau	Side view of front of electric tram showing two wheels, all in outline
	Swiss Post	Side view of front of electric tram showing two wheels and several details
	Handbuch wien.gv.at	Side view of front of electric tram on rails
	Erco	Front view of electric tram
	O'72	Detailed front view of electric tram
	Bureau Mijksenaar	Front view of electric tram
	WL 2024	Detailed front view of electric tram
	EJP	Front view of electric tram on rails
	Handbuch wien.gv.at	Front view of electric tram on rails

Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

Discussion

The examples shown above are a selection from the range of pictograms and symbols for the referent Tram or Streetcar that can be found in publications and guiding systems worldwide. Besides a considerable number of visualizations of side views of electric trams, some pictograms found display just the front of a tram in side view, and other renderings present a front view of an electric tram. The number of details varies to a large extent: while some images display sweepers, others include wheels, and/or rails. Besides differing numbers of windows some renderings present one or several doors. Front views also include details like lights, sometimes a destination display, or even the coupler. Furthermore many show local characteristics or signs of their times. Even if there is no consistent concept, some aspects might be essential and therefore ensure comprehensibility.

A number of studies examined several aspects regarding this referent:

Kristina Skone from the University of Vienna (1977) tested tram symbols with varying level of detail. The minimalist tram of ÖNORM 3011 in the table above performed best in this study.

Studying a set of 29 symbols from the Dutch Railways (NS 1980) in a Matching Test (Zwaga & Boersema, 1983) the pictogram for Tram was correctly selected by 71 % of the participants. While 84 % of the young respondents answered correcly, only 57.5 % of the senior respondents selected this variant. Confusions with Bus were quite frequent.

In a project concerning the comprehensibility of graphical symbols used on highways using a Comprehensibility Judgment Test (identical with the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure), twelve pictograms were examined in four countries regarding their suitability to convey the message Tram (Brugger, 2006). Pictograms displaying a long car body like the side view of a tram by Bureau Mijksenaar, but also a variant similar to the pictogram labeled as Wiener Linien above performed best.

Results from a Comprehension Test for three variants with differing degree of details (marked 1) to 3) above), showed that increasing the number of details does not improve symbol comprehension (Brugger, 1990). Pictogram No 27 from ÖNORM 3011 reached more than 90 % correct responses. It does not seem to be important to show the wheels of a tram, which usually are almost invisible in most modern models anyway, or to add doors and other details. Front views of electric trams should not be used either, as such pictogram variants (e.g. the Japanese version labeled EJP) cannot be clearly differentiated from front views of electric trains.

Recommendations

ÖNORM A 3011 Symbol No. 27: Tram Tram UIC mod.

Based on the test results known we recommend the use of a simple version of a side view of an electric tram similar to pictogram No 27 from ÖNORM A 3011 part 2, or a simplified version of Wiener Linien (without door).

Tests of pictograms of referent Tram / Streetcar

Brugger, Ch. (1990): Abschlußbericht über den Verständnistest. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute (ON) dated 10/90, Vienna.

Brugger Ch. (2006): Comprehensibility Judgment Test. Report In-Safety, Contract No 506716.

Skone, K. (1977): Erkennbarkeit von Symbolvarianten. Dissertation, Psychology Department, University of Vienna.

Zwaga, H.J. & Boersema, T. (1983): Evaluation of a set of graphic symbols. Applied Ergonomics, 14, 1, 43-54.