Originally Posted by
GaryBy
I don't begrudge you fighting the ticket, but please learn to stop at stop signs and red lights. I used to work in Cambridge, MA where I had to cross a busy intersection. Cyclists routinely ignored the red light when the walk signal was on, making a dangerous situation for both themselves and the pedestrians. At best, it's just downright rude.
Cambridge started stepping up enforcement against cyclists last fall. I believe the city when they say they're not trying to get money, they're trying to increase safety. If you want car drivers to obey laws against dooring, then cyclists need to obey stop signs and red lights.
I can't speak for SF courts, but the conventional wisdom in MA is to show up, be polite, contrite, and humble. The magistrates are often very forgiving if you show the right attitude. I haven't had to deal with any traffic tickets, but it worked for me for a parking ticket.
PLEASE don't start this fudging of what the OP said by talking about stoplights. He was clearly talking about a stop *sign*, not a stop*light*. I agree about stopping at any sort of busy intersection, but that's not what this thread is about. I can imagine a situation where the OP should have stopped even at a stop sign (several other cars stopped at the intersection) and ones where it would be fine to go through (unmarked cop car coming up behind him, *no* other cars at the intersection).