Fun game, eh?
Yeah, I think Wayne called that one "rabbit timing" (letting someone else trip sensor at the light). And early braking is sometimes a help. With the few
ecodriving sessions I gave this fall, I can tell you that it definitely takes some experience for a driver (new to ecodriving) to gauge when to get off the gas, and how far his/her particular car will coast. Most people over-do it at first (letting go too soon -- sometimes it even backfires and they
miss green lights).
One way I can tell winter is going away is when I start to find myself coming in "hot" -- coasting up to transitions faster than usual -- as rolling resistance starts going down with the ambient temps coming back up.
But it was definitely nice to see another eco-minded driver in the wild. I would have liked to talk to the guy if we'd be going the same way.