Ticketing cyclists for running red lights has nothing to do with safety -- it's about perceived public disorder, and marginalizing a minority.
An interesting take on this is from a report that the Toronto coroner did a few years ago on cycling safety:
(
http://www.toronto.ca/transportation...ion_report.pdf)
For example, while there may be a perception that many cyclists recklessly disobey stop-signs and traffic signals, our analysis shows that less than 3% of collisions involve a cyclist failing to stop at a controlled intersection. Targeted stop-sign
enforcement campaigns along busy cycling routes may result in large numbers of tickets being issued, but their effectiveness in improving traffic safety is questionable. Enforcement that focuses on driving and cycling infractions that are found to contribute most often to collisions and injuries can be expected to yield better results, in terms of improving safety, than campaigns that simply target infractions that are easy to enforce.