A series of transit ads criticizing MTA service cuts has New Yorkers snickering, but the agency, for one, is not about to LOL.
WTF? OMFG? Those are some of the acronyms printed on posters that bear a striking resemblance to planned service announcements posted by the MTA. They’re part of an ad campaign created by the Working Families Party to blast City Hall and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whom the party claims has been MIA amid the budget crisis that left straphangers vulnerable to extensive cuts in subway and bus service.
The agency has refused to put up the signs, which bear the headline "Service Nightmare," in its buses and subways, however.
The MTA says the acronyms, which are formed using the agency's circular subway-line logos, suggest inappropriate words that could offend riders. Also, the posters themselves could be mistaken for actual transit agency announcements and the MTA doesn't want to imply that it condones their message by displaying them, an agency spokesman told the Daily News.
Working Families is considering taking the matter to court, claiming the MTA's rejection of its ad campaign is a violation of the party's right to free speech. The group had been willing to shell out up to $50,000 for a four-week campaign on city buses and subways.
"We were really hoping to put some pressure on the mayor," party spokesman Bryan Collinsworth told the News. "We think he controls a central piece of the puzzle."
The ads specifically target Bloomberg, claiming that he failed to make good on a campaign promise to revive the struggling agency.
The mayor's office says Working Families is pointing fingers at the wrong people.
"Their anger on this issue is misdirected," spokesman Marc LaVorgna told the News, adding that Bloomberg has been a vocal supporter of increased transit funding. "They should be directing their anger to the state, which has yet to come up with a successful funding source for the MTA. They should be talking to the entity that controls the MTA, which is the state and the state Legislature."
Earlier this month, the MTA board approved a list of sweeping cuts and service changes to help close an $800 million budget gap. The cuts, which eliminate the W and V subway lines and some bus routes, take effect in June.
