Re the timed traffic lights in Germany.
The German town of Viersen which is about halfway between Monchengladbach and the Dutch border at Venlo had timed lights. These lights showed the speed at which one need to travel to get the next set at green. I remember the system worked very well, and if you did get to the next set at red, once they'd turned green it was only necessary to follow the numbers for a 'no stops' drive.