One day last week, two new STOP signs were installed permanently at the East Bay Bike Path crossing on Poppasquash Road — at least it seems they were. When EastBayRI contacted the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (DOT) for comment, a spokesman shared this statement: “RIDOT received a call from the Bristol Department of Public Works that the stops signs were bent over and needed to be straightened. A RIDOT maintenance worker responded; found the signs damaged and twisted and anchored in buckets. The maintenance worker decided to replace the signs with ground-mounted signs at the same location.”

The previous signs that were reported as falling down were actually installed as an act of civil disobedience last summer, when private citizens bought and installed the signs in buckets several days after a young boy was killed while riding his bike through that intersection. The tragedy touched off a motorist-vs.-biker debate about who has — or who should have — the right of way along the bike path. The only other place where cars are required to stop at an East Bay Bike Path crossing is in Barrington, where the path crosses near the Bayside YMCA.

EastBayRI followed up with DOT to ask whether these new stop signs should be considered permanent or whether they are officially endorsed by DOT, but a spokesman said they would make no further comment.