Traffic Lights

Traffic lights- like it or not they are a feature on our roads which are unlikely to go away. There are many locations where traffic lights are essential to the smooth flow of traffic, many busy junctions, narrow tunnels and busy pedestrian crossings. Are there too many traffic lights though? Or are they just unintelligent? Speaking both as a motorist and a pedestrian, some of the most annoying traffic lights are the 'ineffective' crossings. As a pedestrian you press the button... wait... and wait... but before the lights have stopped the traffic you manage to cross anyway, resulting in the motorist then having to stop... for nobody to cross the road. These crossings can work... when they stop the traffic quickly, but too many are ineffective.
There are too many traffic light controlled junctions as well- it always pleases me to see, as a motorist, that on the occasions where the lights stop working at junctions- life usually continues- people remember rules of courtesy, and the traffic flows. So are the lights really necessary?
The final nightmare with lights is driving at unsociable hours of the night or early morning... you are the only car on the road, yet you have to stop at string of red lights. Surely we should have more 'part time' traffic signals... or introduce a 'flashing amber' signal advising motorists to 'proceed at caution' at times when the road is quiet. Such a signal is used in other locations around the world.
It needs to be remembered that drivers can exercise common sense at junctions- we really don't need all the traffic lights we have. Removing or altering lights to aid the free flowing of traffic could cut carbon as well!