So this morning I was on my normal commute, and I hear a vehicle coming up next to me...the pitch of the noise is changing...OK, they are slowing down...pacing me...oh crap, here comes the ignorant invective or a thrown missile of some kind...I glance left, anticipating it...what the hell?

A local constable is pacing me. I take a closer look. Two officers, one older, one very young. The driver (older one) motions to me. I give him a "How ya doin'?" nod, and continue on my way, since he has no reason to stop me and is still just driving the left lane alongside me.

Then the officer in the passenger's seat lights me up with the door spot. (Those damn things are bright.) I give them a very irritated look, and after a few seconds he lowers it, pointing it at my bike. I am now wondering what in the world is going on.

The driver calls out to me, and I thought he said something about my "tail light." OK, I think, maybe it is out. I check. Nope, still lit up. I call back, "I'm sorry officer, I couldn't hear you."

Officer: "There is a bike trail right there. You shouldn't be on the road."
Me: "Officer, in Texas bicycles have the same rights to the road as cars."
Officer: "You're not supposed to be on the road. There is a dedicated bike path right there."
Me: "Officer, unless explicitly posted along the right-of-way I have the right to ride in the road."
Officer: "I understand that, I'm just trying to help you out."
Me (continuing to pedal along at my normal pace): "No problem, sir, I understand and I appreciate that."

He drives off.

(The aforementioned "bike path" is an unlit 5' wide asphalt MUP that in the morning is filled with unlit joggers/walkers moving three abreast with Ipods going full blast, bike ninjas without a single reflective band or light, and the occasional commuter.)

So, this was a little odd. Overall, not really a good encounter, but not necessarily bad either. It seemed to me that he was not expecting me to tell him what the law said, instead expecting a "of course I will do what you tell me to officer, how foolish of me!" response. After the second time I rebuffed him, he gave his partner a look, and then it ended.

I am glad that he either knew the law and/or didn't try to press the issue. I do wonder if the department instructs officers to try and steer bicycles to the MUPs rather than the streets. In this case the MUP essentially restricts you to walking speed and is a good deal more dangerous than the road at any decent pace.

Anyways, just thought I would relay this particular encounter, as I rarely interact with police officers and there are so many horror stories out there.

I think he was just looking after you.

Nice and peaceable.

Long ago, commuting in DC area, I had such fun encounters with the police that I reacted by becoming a scofflaw, and found myself drawn into several police pursuits. Thank goodness they're showing some restraint now, rather than yelling "I'll decide what laws to enforce." Of course, one cannot catch a cyclist in a city.

I see far greater understanding now, but read these reports with interest.

good job on keeping cool. You're probably right, the cop thought you would just blindly abide his word. Most cops are pretty cool, you just have to watch out for the few that aren't.

How is that saying goes? "Road to hell is paved with good intentions"?

Maybe, but if so it was worded poorly. If a LEO tells me that I shouldn't be doing something, I take that to mean it's illegal.

He may have just spent the shift watching drunks weave their way home and was only concerned for you. That sure doesn't explain the spotlight treatment though.

Perhaps he's seen too many bikes scraped off that side of the road.

This almost exact thing happened to me this evening. A cop pulls up beside me at 7:00 on Main Street. There is moderate traffic, the speed limit is 35 and I am traveling 20mph. He paces beside me and tells me the 'bike lane on main street is the sidewalk.' I am positive that he is wrong but since I haven't ever looked at the laws I just hop quickly on the sidewalk, stop, and get back on the road when he is passed. How do I know if I haven't looked? Main street is a posted 'bike route' (we were right in front of a sign) which, by definition in my town, is a road shared by cars and bikes (with wider lanes and a through route).

Or perhaps he's acting on his beliefs as a cager that bikes don't belong on the street even though he knows better, and decided to try to bluff the OP on the (also false) belief that the OP would be easily influenced since he's stupid enough to ride one of them contraptions on the road that should only be used by motorized vehicles.

OP, well done for standing up to the ignorant cagers - especially the ones with badges.

Cops don't get much extra training in traffic law except the essentials of what they can write a ticket for and try to make it stick.

Constables get far less than that, in fact many here in the South have no formal law enforcement training at all.

Your main problem here was that you said officer when you should have said Copper in a Jimmy Cagney type voice. Copper I gots every right in the world to be on this particular stretch uh Tarmac, seeeeeee.

It's the thought that counts, right?

Had the same thing happen a couple of months ago, but the cop was alone and a little more beligerant in telling me to go 1/4 mile out of the way while using the sidewalk/crosswalk instead of taking the lane. He ended up rolling up his window and speeding off when he realized he didn't know state statute as well as I did (at least regarding bikes).

Most people are not english mayors.

Evidently.

tbf Boris likes his cycling

Ello, ello are you the Mayor of this fine town.

i forgot

NP, Mr. Mayor

dunno why but this made me lol

A dude with a philly accent doing an english accent is funny...
but not as funny as Robin Williams doing Elmer Fudd singing Bruce Springsteen.

widing in my caaaawwrr
I turn on da wadio
I hold you cwose
you just say whoa
you say you don't wike it
but I know you're a wiar
but when we kiss....

FIWRE

Surveyor, was that in one of the Memorial "villages"? When Briar Forest was one of my of my regular routes in the wee hours of the morning I used to attract some attention from the constables, but they never really talked to me. Maybe they were trying to decide how likely it was that a middle-aged dude riding at 6:00 a.m. might be a bike thief. Have to admit it may have been my fault. I'd do that 10 miles riding like I stole it.

By the way Harris County Constables aren't like your typical red neck southern cops for the most part. There is no way for them to survive in the forth largest city in the U.S. if that was the case.

they'll get used to seeing bikes on the road, i hope

Most likely, He was concerned for your safety, and thought the bike path might work out better for you. If he doesn't use the path himself, he probably doesn't know about the joggers in the dark and such. I see a distinct difference between making a suggestion and giving an order. Most contacts that police have with people are just social contacts like you mentioned. No big deal.