What does the No Bicycles sign mean?
The No Bicycles sign (MUTCD R5-6) is a regulatory sign under the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the national standard the states build from. Riding a bicycle past this point is prohibited, typically because the road carries speeds or a shoulder profile that leaves no room for one.
Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Table 2B-1, checked 2026-09-09.
What shape and color is the No Bicycles sign?
| MUTCD code | R5-6 |
|---|---|
| Group | Regulatory signs |
| Shape | Square |
| Color | White background, red circle and slash over a black bicycle symbol |
What white means. Regulatory. A black legend on a white background is a law, not advice.
What red means. Stop, yield, or a prohibition. Red never advises, it always forbids or commands.
Regulatory signs. Every sign in this group has a statute behind it, so disobeying one is a citable offense on its own. Permit tests tend to word them as a duty you owe rather than show you the face.
What is the No Bicycles sign often mistaken for?
The Bicycle warning sign (W11-1), a yellow diamond warning of bicycle traffic. The red circle and slash is the difference between a ban and a warning.
|  |
|---|---|
| GroupRegulatory signs | GroupWarning signs |
| ShapeSquare | ShapeDiamond |
| ColorWhite background, red circle and slash over a black bicycle symbol | ColorYellow or fluorescent yellow-green background, black symbol and border |
| What it meansRiding a bicycle past this point is prohibited, typically because the road carries speeds or a shoulder profile that leaves no room for one. | What it meansWatch for bicycles entering or crossing the roadway ahead. |
What are the other regulatory signs?
All 39 regulatory signs on one page, or every US road sign by shape and color.
Test yourself on this sign and the rest of the set with a road signs practice test for Florida, Texas or California.
The artwork is the federal design itself, which the manual dedicates to the public domain in MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, Section 1D.06, checked 2026-09-09. The Interstate Shield, the 511 pictograph and the National Scenic Byway graphic are named exceptions and are not reproduced anywhere on this site.
Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 11th Edition. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Highway Administration or any state agency.