Maybe it's just a Philly thing
 

I think most of this is regional or local.

First off though, I think any cop wouldn't like the task of saying in court that the ticket was for a bicycle. It just doesn't sound like it's a good use of municipal money.

I run every stop sign I can. Sometimes circling the intersection so I can run all four of them. I do this with cops in the intersection. It seems that Philly cops just don't give a damn about bikes. Like mentioned above, bike cops are all over the sidewalk and here, like most cities, it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk (in Philly you have to be younger than 9 to ride on the sidewalk). Same goes for cruising through in the crosswalk; you're technically not a pedestrian so you are just driving the wrong way.

The reality is that if it wasn't for cars we wouldn't need stop signs. How hard is it to miss a bike going the other direction and how awful is the accident if you do happen to crash into someone else. It's because 3000lb cars make big dents in people that there are stop signs. Especially in neighborhoods where the stop sign is to keep cars from driving too fast down the blocks by making them stop every 300ft. I hit top speed in about 30ft and it's 15mph, not 45 (which does happen here on neighborhood streets).

I don't like the "follow the rules because they are rules" idea of morality. If I run a sign and get hit, sure it's my fault (maybe) but all I'm going to do is scratch up your grill with my brain pan. Shouldn't that be my choice?

if i'm not broke i would jsut pay them, cheaper than going to courts because time is money or fun and court is not fun

i'm not sure... i think you would need to go get behind the wheel and run someone down to see if it bothers you before you let that be just the "victims" decision