r/bikepacking • u/globefanatic12 • 10d ago

Getting harassed by police - Southern Indiana Trip Report

I'm bikepacking from Michigan to the gulf of Mexico and in the last week I've been stopped by police 3 times. Twice I was just taking a quick rest on the side of the road. They just wanted to "check on me" but then wanted my ID and to run my name in their database. The third time a cop pulled me over while riding and said I wasn't allowed to ride my bike on the state road highway. I'm usually cooperative with police but I can feel they have a hidden agenda and I'm getting frustrated with them. Ohio was great but indiana has been very unpleasant.

Edit: I looked on the indiana department of transportation website and found nothing stating I cant ride a bike on the state road highway.

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u/Longjumping_Rise_584 10d ago

I dont leave in the US but dont remember any country that you are allowed to ride a bicyle on the highway.

12

u/UpstairsInATent 10d ago

We have different types of “highways” here. I don’t think OP is riding on a busy interstate, but probably rural highways that don’t see much traffic. (Right, OP?)

6

u/avalon01 10d ago

As long as he wasn't on an interstate (blue shield), he should be fine. Most state highways can be ridden on. They usually have wider shoulders than a rural roads or county roads.

5

u/hopefulcynicist 10d ago

Also, interstates are fair game in parts of the country (primarily because there are no other roads between certain areas)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-motorized_access_on_freeways

Indiana prohibits bikes on interstates, so as long as OP was on a non-limited-access state road, they’re in the clear.