Yesterday I was riding my bike through Middleburg and passed by a park police car with his radar gun out. I was not going above the speed limit.

Not long afterward he pulled out and passed me in the town of Middleburg. When he was slowed or stopped by other cars I slowly passed him and another car on the right where there was plenty of room between him and the parked cars. Right after this he stopped to let a pedestrian go through the cross walk while someone turning onto the same road in the opposite direction nearly hit the pedestrian before stopping in the cross walk.

Although the police officer didn't say a thing to the driver of the car in the cross walk he scolded me while we were both stopped at the next traffic light for having passed him on the right. Feeling like he was not a fan of cyclists and not wanting things to escalate I apologized while telling him I didn't know it was illegal. Things ended there.

But my question is this: Is it illegal to pass slow moving or stopped cars on the right when there is ample room? Maybe I have to follow traffic as he suggested but I thought that since they pass us on the left it is OK to pass them on the right especially when they are stopped or slow-moving.