[Christ]

I just watch the traffic pattern in the intersection. If people are turning left from the perpendicular lanes, chances are, it's OK to shut 'er down. If they're going straight, it's a bit harder to tell, but you can always tell if they just started moving, or if they've been moving for a few mins by how tight the cars are packed going through the intersection. If they're spaced a bit, the light's going to turn soon.

Also, if you're at a 4 way with left turns, you've still got time, because lefty's go first.

It's really not that difficult a thing to master, once you realize that all intersections have the same basic light pattern.

I actually disagree with the use of lights at intersections being as widespread as it is...

In my town, there is one red light. There are less than 2,000 people in this town, and we could all suffice with a stop sign there, but they put up the red light as a "traffic improver".

You can't make a right on red from any part of the intersection, either. It's ridiculous. It's a waste of power, honestly. Imagine how many times you've seen a light in the middle of nowhere that could have been replaced with a stop sign? Now think about how much power the lights use... then the switch boxes, then the computer systems to run them... etc. It's a constant draw that isn't usually necessary.