# Hmmm...Just found out what the white bike chained to the street sign is about. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 22, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052 "2012-07-22T16:45:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/1 "2012-07-22T16:45:13Z")
It’s been there for quite a while. An old bicycle spray painted entirely white (tires, pedals and all) and chained to a post. I googled “white bicycle” and found this. [Ghost Bikes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_bike) ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/2 "2012-07-22T17:12:49Z")
Oh wow, that’s kind of neat. Wish I had an old motorcycle to spare to paint white and put in front of my apartment complex. ---
**Author:** ![Tracyfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@Tracyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracyfish)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/3 "2012-07-22T17:57:45Z")
Yep. There’s one at the corner of two main streets by my house where a woman was killed by someone turning right on red while she was crossing the street with her bike. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/4 "2012-07-22T18:01:33Z")
We had our first in Belfast a few months ago. Someone found it within themselves to lift it, but it was replaced again pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/5 "2012-07-22T18:05:50Z")
Before they built the interstate-style 4-lane highway from Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay, Wisconsin, the 2-lane highway had a few dozen small, white crosses with names near the roadside at scattered locations. The story I heard was some concerned citizen erected one each time near the accident site each time there was a fatality. I’ve also heard this practice isn’t unusual on a national scale. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/6 "2012-07-22T18:08:57Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Before they built the interstate-style 4-lane highway from Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay, Wisconsin, the 2-lane highway had a few dozen small, white crosses with names near the roadside at scattered locations. The story I heard was some concerned citizen erected one each time near the accident site each time there was a fatality. I’ve also heard this practice isn’t unusual on a national scale. We have a LOT of those crosses around here. A pretty high ratio, considering the entire valley has maybe 20,000 people officially living here. Whoops…need to edit. There are apparantly over 150,000 people officially living in this county. I never would have guessed, seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/7 "2012-07-22T18:09:30Z")
This is news to you? Sorry, not being snarky, but I just assumed people knew what these were for. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/8 "2012-07-22T18:11:23Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > This is news to you? Sorry, not being snarky, but I just assumed people knew what these were for. Crosses, yes. Bikes? Not so much. I’ve lived a few places in the US, including a lot of time in Oregon, a heavily bike-oriented area. Never saw one of these bikes, or never noticed them for what they were, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![nogravity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@nogravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nogravity)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/9 "2012-07-22T18:20:53Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Before they built the interstate-style 4-lane highway from Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay, Wisconsin, the 2-lane highway had a few dozen small, white crosses with names near the roadside at scattered locations. The story I heard was some concerned citizen erected one each time near the accident site each time there was a fatality. I’ve also heard this practice isn’t unusual on a national scale. We have these about every ten feet in Florida but i haven’t seen any bikes yet. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/10 "2012-07-22T18:26:49Z")
some governments are taking down these cross memorials if they aren’t on private property. drivers tend to get into accidents looking at them. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/11 "2012-07-22T18:28:16Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > This is news to you? Sorry, not being snarky, but I just assumed people knew what these were for. Yep. The bike by my house has been there for at least a couple months and I had no idea that it was a memorial. I figured it was a “statement” of some type because of the way the entire bike was painted white. It took me a while to remember to google it. The roadside crosses at the scene of fatal accidents are quite common around here, I never connected the two. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/12 "2012-07-22T18:29:12Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > Crosses, yes. Bikes? Not so much. Or both: “Christ on a Bicycle Struck Here.” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/13 "2012-07-22T18:35:14Z")
> [@nogravity](#): > > We have these about every ten feet in Florida but i haven’t seen any bikes yet. Probably for target practice. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/14 "2012-07-22T20:56:57Z")
Hmmm, something a failed campaign, then. Not that I thought they would do much. > **[Bucko 46 – Bucko – A Comical Murder-Mystery](https://www.buckocomic.com/comic/bucko46/)** ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/15 "2012-07-22T21:14:19Z")
Every May there’s a related [ride](http://rideofsilence.org/main.php). very eerie being on a ride w/ lots of other people & not saying a word, but that’s kinda the point. ---
**Author:** ![kmshrader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b782af/32.png) [@kmshrader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kmshrader)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/16 "2012-07-22T21:40:25Z")
There are crosses all along the highway near me, but yesterday I saw one of these bikes off the road with a cross. Don’t know what a bicyclist would be doing on the highway, but the combination of the cross and white bike seemed a clear statement to me. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/17 "2012-07-23T20:16:20Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Before they built the interstate-style 4-lane highway from Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay, Wisconsin, the 2-lane highway had a few dozen small, white crosses with names near the roadside at scattered locations. The story I heard was some concerned citizen erected one each time near the accident site each time there was a fatality. I’ve also heard this practice isn’t unusual on a national scale. Yep. Around here (Washington DC) it’s not unheard-of for the decedent’s family to put something like that up. When we visited Montana 25+ years ago, it was apparently a state-sponsored thing to put up a plain white cross wherever there’d been a fatality. Rather sobering to go around one curve on a US highway (2, I think, on the way to Kalispell / Glacier) and see 17 or so crosses on that one short curve. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/18 "2012-07-23T21:32:42Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > This is news to you? Sorry, not being snarky, but I just assumed people knew what these were for. Never seen one, never heard of them until this thread. Of course, I live in an region where bicycle riding is rare in part due to the danger. If many people rode them, there’d be white bicycles on every block. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/19 "2012-07-25T18:37:51Z")
Holy smokes, yes, I see one on the way home from work but had no idea what it was for. It’s about 30 feet from the road in a clearing of a field and that road is a popular route for training cyclists. It was yellow for a while, then powder blue but always _curious_. I thought someone was just being quirky and eclectic but a memorial makes much more sense. Thanks, **River Hippie** , for solving the mystery. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052/20 "2012-07-25T18:55:25Z")
The crosses always make me wonder if Jews, Muslims and atheists are better drivers than Christians. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmmm-just-found-out-what-the-white-bike-chained-to-the-street-sign-is-about/629052.md?page=2)