As others have pointed out, solutions that work in Amsterdam, may not generalise to other parts of the world. Over the last 15 years, a combination of power cu

As others have pointed out, solutions that work in Amsterdam, may not generalise to other parts of the world. Over the last 15 years, a combination of power cuts, shoddy maintenance and cable theft have made traffic lights a lot less reliable in South Africa. In some cities, like Johannesburg, drivers tend to follow the rules regarding broken lights, and treat them as four-way stops. In others, such as Durban, I’ve seen drivers barrelling through at high speed, hoping for the best. Given the apparent wide geographic variation in dealing with this sort of thing, perhaps a more appropriate title for the article should be “What happens if you turn off the traffic lights in Amsterdam?”