Exiting Oxford Circus tube station yesterday I attempted to locate the most appropriate way out in order to emerge in the correct location at street level.

Upon consulting one of those [supposedly] handy station maps that explains these things, I discovered the crucial area had been defaced, no doubt through thousands of tourists jabbing their grubby fingers at it.

Someone had kindly inserted a piece of chewing gum in the resultant hole. Ick, ick and thrice ick.

Out of bloody-mindedness I went and found another map (this is a very busy station with a lot of exits): same problem.

Come on TFL, sort it out! It's only six weeks until the Olympics start, and one might reasonably imagine that the number of tourists looking to lighten their wallets on Oxford Street will be even greater than usual.

And with the predicted challenge to the public transport systems in the capital, TFL surely needs to be on the ball with this stuff. Vital signage that will help smooth the flow of people in and out of stations needs to be in tip-top order.

I can say with some confidence that printing technology exists to produce this sort of sign in a more robust, non-defaceable way. 

I recall that St Ives won a contract with the organisation for Wayfinder signage last year, so hereby request that someone from Service Graphics gets on the case pronto.