The pranksters at the L.A. Eastside blog attempted to do a little Onion-esque satire for their readers and created some fake Gold Line safety signs using “local lingo”.

The mock-ups, which prominently display the official Metro logo, feature potentially offensive phrases like “heads up, fool!” and “whacha for el tren, ese”. Get it?

While the signs are obviously fake, not everyone is in on the joke, including many of the people leaving comments on the L.A. Eastside blog and other Metro riders who stumbled upon the blog during their internet searches. Metro has received calls and emails from customers who are understandably insulted by the signs.

Here’s the thing, Metro actually does takes safety very seriously and safety signage is there to inform and educate people about the risks around train tracks. You’ll find safety signage everywhere on the system, from the street running Gold Line to the underground Red Line.

The bloggers over at L.A. Eastside would do right by their readers and community by informing them that the signs are indeed a hoax. No one at Metro thinks we’re above criticism — but we would like to be criticized for things we’ve actually done.

After the jump, an image of what REAL Gold Line safety signage looks like.

The REAL Metro Gold Line safety signage.