Actual hitchhiking laws seldom coincide to anything. How often have I been lied to about the laws by LEO in an attempt to incite a response. its usually not worth arguing semantics with cops about legal versus not legal. Some times when I recite specifics laws, I get my pack ransacked & my ID run. Often by hearing them & silently acknowledging that this is just a volley in the long running cat & mouse game of life. Figuring out when to use defense, offense or to switch tactics is the skill of great players & coaches. Most times it is all about the interaction & body language. I can say "I am sorry, i didnt know" while projecting Fuck You with my eyes. I flip the switch sometimes & ask if it would be possible to get a ride to an area/jurisdiction to where hitching is either legal or more tolerated. I usually love the fact that cops cannot restrict my movement & or 1st amendment rights. Sure local soliciting laws , loitering, vagrancy ordinances try to dissuade us but they cannot inhibit us. Having money or a ride should never prevent a citizen from walking somewhere. For me, who embraces a life of voluntary poverty I state that fact. The cadence, vibe & script are all unique but enough of these routine interactions are predictable. We few are free & not restricted by their trivial laws; they are scared. Knowing that i can often just chose to walk, helps me greatly as it has been my exit strategy that avoided a ticket/arrest.
Even when actually soliciting rides while walking on interstate highways & got caught; by simply playing dumb or acknowledging my desperation that led me to this action; cops are usually cool. The whole no hitching near prisons & or Intl border crossings sucks but very few place have enforced laws even when signs state how illegal the practice is. I have been encouraged by cops to hitch where I normally wouldn't just to keep moving out of their jurisdiction. Most all cops want hitchhikers to just keep momentum as to not be there problem. I have had bad luck in VA along around the 23 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel network, toll roads & areas approaching border checkpoints. then again I have been randomly harassed & threatened when & where I felt I was legally within my rights. It all comes down to do I want to be Happy or do I want to be Right> I might be right & end up with a citation or I may be happy & need to do a bit of walking out of a certain cops purview. I love the sign tho. Legality & Morality rarely exist the same way everywhere with everyone. I guess we all must pick our battles & or switch up what tools we use to achieve our goals.