Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Fake 'Lord Of The Rings' Subway Service Advisory Fails To Amuse MTA
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 28, 2013
Modified Oct 28, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 28, 2013
Modified Oct 28, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Last week some clever but fake subway service advisory signs inspired by the Lord of the Rings popped up in select subway stations. Created by the folks behind this website, the signs warn riders that there will be reduced Ent service while the Middle Earth Transit Authority works to repair damage from the war of the One ring. The ents, as you'll recall, were the giant tree creatures and shepherds of the forest in J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy. The "Plant & Protect" sign reads:
Much of Ent Fangorn forest was destroyed by the wizard Saruman during the war of the One ring.
The cutting and burning by Saruman's orcs have destroyed thousands of saplings, devastating root systems and destroyed Ent communication with the most of the forest. While temporary repairs were made after the war, all of these vital systems need permanent repairs.
Plant & Protect work will restore and rebuild components of Fangorn forest to reliable service, and, where feasible, add resilient features to make the Ent forest less vulnerable to future severe events. Work commences with this 12-weekend effort in 2013 with a second phase of work to follow in 2014.
Well, we thought it was amusing, but NYC Transit spokesman Adam Lisberg has had it with these sorts of shenanigans.
"This sign, like others we’ve seen, clearly has the potential to confuse our customers and has no place in the subway system," Lisberg tells us. "I don’t care if it’s cute or funny to devotees of any particular genre—we serve more than 5 million customers a day on the subways, and plenty of them have very limited English skills. We work hard to make a complex system simpler to navigate, and these posters make it harder. If one person misses a train because they’re trying to decipher a joke, it’s one too many. Enough already."
[Via Brokelyn]
Tagged
lord of the rings
MTA
subway
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
Gothamist went behind the scenes to learn how the NYC landmark keeps its majestic waters flowing.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 23, 2026
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .