Roadside shrines & "ghost bikes"

I've considered writing about roadside shrines lots of times but I always seemed to forget until I noticed it's the subject for an article titled, Time to rethink roadside shrines, written by Alex Manson-Smith (a freelance journalist) in The Guardian today. I have to say that I completely agree with her views. I think all the shrines by the roadside are very morbid, distasteful and also very distracting for motorists. Indeed, it would be a very sad irony if a shrine that was in place to mark a death, actually caused another one. I'm not sure why this sad trend continues because when I've remarked to friends about it, they all seem to feel the same way. And yet, not only does this tradition seem to be here to stay but recently I read about another kind of shrine that is appearing at danger-spots. White 'ghost bikes' pay tribute to dead riders in danger spots across Britain. (link via mailonline.co.uk) The bikes just seem very ghoulish to me. I'm very surprised to learn that the spooky Ghost Bikes aren't just being seen in Britain but they are appearing in many other countries too. What are your thoughts about roadside shrines and ghost bikes?