An Ann Arbor bicyclist fought a traffic ticket and won after a Michigan State trooper cited him for obstructing the road during a ride in Livingston County.

In June 2015, Ford Motor Co. engineer Tim Panagis was riding with a group through Green Oak Township when an officer pulled them over.

The four cyclists were riding two abreast when a trooper used his PA system to instruct them to ride single file. The cyclists complied, and Panagis looked back to see the trooper following closely in his patrol car.

Panagis then waved the officer by, and the trooper pulled the cyclists over, the dash-cam video shows.

To Panagis, it was a sign he'd used hundreds of times to signal to drivers the riders felt safe with the vehicle passing.

"I've done that for hundreds of cars. It's taken as a nice gesture," Panagis said. "I was simply trying to say, 'I feel safe with you passing me now.'"

The trooper, however, appeared to disagree.

"Now, that to me, gives me the impression that you want to be a smart aleck," he said in the dash-cam video from the patrol car.

The trooper continued to say riders must ride on the right edge of the road, not the white line, and ticketed Panagis for impeding traffic. The citation includes a $200 fine.

Panagis said he was surprised at the officer's reaction and didn't understand why the trooper pulled the group over.

"I thought we did everything correctly. We were riding two abreast, but did ride single-file when he asked us," he said.

Panagis and Lansing attorney Bryan Waldman of Sinas Dramis Law Firm challenged the ticket.

Waldman said he saw the suit as an opportunity to educate the public about what rights cyclists have, especially since there are more bikers on the road than ever before.

"I think there has to be a mutual respect," he said. "Everybody needs to take the time to know the laws."

Although a Livingston County District Court judge initially ruled against Panagis, they appealed in Livingston County Circuit Court. Judge David Reader dismissed the ticket, saying Panagis complied with the law, cyclists are permitted to ride two abreast and the roadway does not include the shoulder.

Michigan State Police did not return multiple requests for comment.

Panagis said he has no hard feelings toward the trooper and described the incident as a "bad circumstance."

The officer has a tough job to do, Waldman said, and like everyone else, makes mistakes.

"An officer has a lot of law they need to know, and he misunderstood the law," he said.

Since bikelaw.com wrote about the incident and lawsuit, Panagis has received emails from people across the U.S. and in Spain and Italy.

Panagis said he understands drivers might be stressed and see cyclists as obstructions, but he asks they remember the person on the side of the road is human.

"They deserve respect for being there," he said.

Lindsay Knake is a cops and courts reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Follow her on twitter or contact her at 989-372-2498 or lknake@mlive.com.