Perkembangan kota dan kemajuan teknologi telah mengembangkan penggunaan alat angkut yang bersifat kolektif. Sebuah kota metropolitan mensyaratkan ketersediaan sistem transportasi umum yang baik. Sistem ini harus pula didukung infrastruktur yang terencana baik moda transportasi maupun sarana pendukungnya, termasuk terminal dan halte. Terminal harus dapat menjalankan fungsinya dengan efektif dan memudahkan semua kalangan pengguna secara umum. Dalam hal ini, Tanda Informasi sebagai kebutuhan elementer di terminal terkadang terlupakan fungsinya. Bagaimana sebuah bahasa visual dan atau gambar tertulis yang sistematis dapat menavigasi, memandu, memudahkan, mengamankan dan melindungi manusia yang berlalu lalang dengan berbagai tujuan yang berbeda daiarn sebuah ruang publik.
Terminal bus Blok M sebagai terminal yang paling representatif di DKI, saat ini memang masih berfungsi sebagai terminal, pertemuan bus dengan penumpang naik-turun penumpang. Tetapi aspek pelayanan terhadap kemudahan informasi, kenyamanan, dan keselamatan para penumpangnya sudah terkubur bersama mati fungsinya sistem tanda informasi yang ada. Kesemrawutan pun terjadi dan masih terus berlangsung.
Penelitian ini bermaksud mengurai permasalahan dan hubungan kesemrawutan dengan keberfungsian tanda informasi yang ada. Dilakukan secara kualitatif melalui observasi dan survei lapangan, kajian teori hingga pengamatan ke beberapa kota di negara lain dengan harapan akan ditemukan titik-titik permasalahan yang dapat diuraikan dan dibenahi nantinya.
Dari hasil pengamatan dan hasil penelitian yang dilakukan, dapat disimpulkan bahwa terminal BIokM sebagai terminal transit masih dapat berfungsi semata sebagai alat distribusi penumpang. Tetapi sistem tanda Informasi yang mendukungnya, walaupun masih cukup disadari keberadaanya, sudah tidak berfungsi sesuai tujuannya. Ribuan pengguna terminal yang berinteraksi tanpa panduan dan kejelasan informasi merupakan pangkal kesemrawutan yang terjadi.
Penulis berasumsi bahwa pembenahan tanda informasi akan berperan penting .dalam memperbaiki kualitas terminal, tetapi dengan menyadari sepenuhnya terhadap sayap persoalan secara makro. DiperIukan penelitian lanjutan yang menyoroti masalah besar lain yang saling berkaitan di terminal BlokM, diantaranya : masalah efisiensi arsitektural ruang publik, masalah manajemen dan swastanisasi terminal, masalah kualitas alat transportasi yang melalui terminal, masalah sosial (kaki lima) di terminal, masalah prilaku dan disiplin masyarakat dan masalah aturan dan hukum yang dapat diberlakukan dalam mendukung kelancaran transportasi perkotaan.
The progression of the city and the advancement of technology has created the need and use for collective transportation. A metropolitan city's regulation neccesities are for a good system of transportation. This system has to be able to support the well planned infrastructure of transportation and all the supporting aids that go along with it; this includes its terminals and stations. A terminal's usage is targeted to be accessible and easy for all persons in the general public. In correlation to this point, the sign guide's function as the elementary need of a terminal is often forgotten. Focusing on this point however, a visual language and or picture written systematically is able to navigate, guide, facillitate easily, protect and safe-guard an individual that is busy going about their daily lives with different purposes within a public space.The bus terminal, BlokM Terminal, as the most represented terminal in DKI at the present moment still functions as a terminal, a bus station with commuters entering and departing. But the service aspect towards the accessibility of information, comfort, and the safety of its commuters have become buried along with the dead dysfunctions of the information signs system that is existing today. Much chaos still occurs and still continues to continue.This research is focused towards tackling the problems and relationships of the chaos that occurs within the functioning of information signs that exists today. This is done qualitatively through observation and field surveys, theoretical reviews until exchange studies; with the hope that the main points of the problems are able to arise to the surface and be explained and fixed at a latter time.From observation results and research that was completed, it is possible to conclude that the Blok M terminal as a transit terminal is still able to function as a transport distribution tool for the commuters. But the information signage that is supposed to support the terminal although still in the awareness of the public, is not currently functioning as it is purposed to be. Thousands of commuters interact without any clear guide or information clarity which is the center or reason behind the chaos that occurs in public transit terminals.The writer assumes that with fixing the information signs, its role is significant to improving the quality of the terminal. Realizing the macro affects of the problem at hand, further research is needed to assess the other major problems which accompany and interrelate with the Blok M terminal. Such problems are : architectural efficiency of a public space, management problems (terminal privatization), quality aspects of the transport that enters and departs from the terminal, social problems (side-road) at the terminal, problems of social behavior and conduct, public discipline, and the regulations and laws that are applicable in supporting the ease of metropolitan transportation.