Working Families Party's MTA Service Alerts

The Working Families Party in New York City created some posters in the style of the MTA's subway service alerts in protest against the drastic cuts in public transportation. The posters were actually designed to be displayed as paid ads in NYC busses and subways, but the MTA rejected them because, according to the New York Daily News, they "imply obscene language" and look too much like real service alerts. The MTA's budget is $800 million short.

Fake MTA posters like this have become sort of a graphic design game in New York over the past few years, with posters like this one below popping up occasionally.

[photo via: flickr.]

That poster was apparently created by the people behind the spoof website newMTA.info, which looks almost identical to the real MTA.info website, except for press releases like this one, announcing a "partnership" with the homeless:

"The plan is quite brilliantly simple" states William Rorschach, the new President of the New MTA Online Beta Testing Operations. "We are providing the homeless the warmth and shelter of our subway stations to run around and do homeless things provided that they are implanted with our latest surveillance equipment and networked to our communication systems. This will turn almost every single homeless person into a walking, breathing, living surveillance camera where we can track commuters and potentially fight crime. Think of it as almost every hairy, cart pushing, popcorn shrimp and ass smelling hobo in our system converted into a new age Scruff McGruff."

Another fake press release announces a 50 cent surcharge for obese passengers.

Below: Another fake sign, creator unknown, via: flickr.