There have been one or two centuries in this area where the local police have ticketed cyclists for running stop signs or red lights. Afterwards emails fly around the local cycling listservs with people complaining about it. If you strip away the whining, the emails always essentially boil down to, "I broke the law on purpose and got caught and I don't think that's fair, oh poor me." I have no sympathy for these people.

I will say there are also rides in this area where we do not have these problems.

Then there was the charity ride last April where I was riding on a narrow low-traffic road when a state trooper drove up behind me and told me to move to the shoulder. So I asked him what I was supposed to do when there was no shoulder, as was the case with this road. We had a long talk in which I thanked him for his concern for our safety and then reminded him that Maryland law specifies that when the lane is substandard width (not wide enough for a motorist to pass a cyclist with the legally required three feet of clearance) then the cyclist is not required to ride as far to the right as practicable. Good times.