Adventures in cycling laws

Tennessee Code has some pretty high expectations of bike cops:

55-8-173 (a): A person propelling a bicycle shall not ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached thereto, except for a certified police cyclist who is performing duties that require riding in a side dismounting position.

There's something I'd like to see, a bike cop tackling someone at speed! I think I saw that on TV once. But I guess it's too much to ask of police today, since tasing is so much more convenient. Of course, such optimism by our legislature is counterbalanced by the complete lack of confidence in regular cyclists:

55-8-176 (a): No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle or article which prevents the driver from keeping at least one (1) hand upon the handlebars.

What?! Not even if I let the car in front of me do the driving?

55-8-174 (a): No person riding upon any bicycle, roller skates, sled or toy vehicle shall attach such bicycle, roller skates, sled or toy vehicle, or such person's own body, to any streetcar or vehicle upon a roadway.

Those fascists!

It actually looks like we have fairly reasonable bike laws in Tennessee, at least compared to some places. In the UK cyclists have been fighting new traffic code updates that would basically classify them as second class citizens on the road.