“Red Light - Fail To Stop, Ottawa”

Got in a stupid accident last night at a complicated intersection.

Police officer wrote up the ticket, but told me that he knows this intersection is complicated and that he will not be showing up in court if I decide to challenge the ticket. (He even recommended I challenge)

My question is, obviously I ran a red light, that's already sort of been established at the scene of the Car accident during the report. But is there any way if I challenge the ticket that they would actually reduce the fine or the demerit points based on the intersection being confusing?

I would not be challenging the fact that I ran the red light, but just the fact that the intersection should be re-designed, etc.

Anybody have any experience with this type of challenge? I've never had a traffic ticket violation, this is my first ticket and my first collision too.

My point is that I wasn't voluntarily speeding through trying to beat out a yellow light, etc. I was just genuinely confused and my first instinct should have been to slam the brakes rather than ask out loud to my friends "am I green or am I red?"

Actually, if the police officer does indeed not show up, is my ticket thrown out by default?

A friend of mine went to court for a ticket a few years ago, he said it was a joke. A lady before him had been ticketed for running a red light, the cop didn't show up, and the judge gave her 3 tries to just say 'not guilty', then asked if anybody else in the court could help her with her plea, they told her to say 'innocent/not guilty', so she did. And the judge reversed the ticket right away.

Is this normal?