Biking to work in downtown San Francisco, Tierney Pretzer typically tries to follow the rules. But last Wednesday she couldn’t resist breezing through a red light at Powell and Market streets.
It was the type of safety infraction that cyclists may commit when they are growing impatient at a traffic signal and see no cars or pedestrians coming. The light at Powell and Market protects a crosswalk near the cable car turnaround with no vehicle cross traffic, so many cyclists treat it as a suggestion to stop, rather than a mandate.
When Pretzer crossed against the light that morning, two other cyclists joined her. She was surprised when a police officer waved them down and handed each person a citation with an unspecified fine. (In California, the base penalty for red light violations is $100)…