What order do cars go at a stop light ? ( Timing a light )
 

I hesitate to shut my engine off at a stop light because I haven't figured out the order that the traffic goes.
Is there a 'stickee' on how to do this ?

Are lights set up like a four way stop ?
To me it seems that the traffic going left to right goes first.
Those on your right go next.
Those that are that are turning from your right then go, and then the light changes to allow you to go straight.

I'm sure it's something simple that i just haven't grasped yet.

It depends on the light. Some around here have sensors, some are timer only. Once you've been through the same intersection a few times, it shouldn't be hard to figure out the rotation. Watch the pedestrian signals, if present, and pay attention to any cars in left turn lanes to see if and when they get an arrow (this will tell you if the light cycles through left-turn signals with no cars present or if it has to be triggered).

I don't usually shut the engine off unless I've been through a particular intersection atleast a few times. I feel like enough lights have enough different patterns, that I leave it to learning/confirming how each individual intersection works.
Having an auxiliary starter button helps a lot getting caught flat-footed(engine off at the front of the line when the light turns green), and I can get restarted and take off as fast as many drivers loosely paying attention to the light

On my route in eastern NC, the pattern at most 4-way intersection is right side goes first, then left side, then then turn lanes next to you and opposite of you, then it will be your turn. This is only the case if there is traffic waiting at ALL of the mentioned areas and you are on the main road.

It can get quite confusing at times :P

It's hard to predict. In my neighborhood, at major intersections, the order of the lights depend on the density of traffic. At smaller intersections, the order of the lights is always the same.

Watch the lights to learn their sequence for timed lights. Watch the traffic at the intersection for trip lights.

Problem down here is that they change the lights about every 3 months. Even though they all have the ability for trip, the ones closest to the house are now on timed. Result, only two cars can get through on a green light, causing much frustration for everyone. Being cynical, I suspect they are changed periodically to ticket more people who get so frustrated that they run the light.

A neat thing they did here is to make the left turn signals green then flashing yellow when the through lanes are moving.

Brilliant, many forced stops are now coasts that actually end at the business' parking lot.

Worst one here, I just start coasting a half mile away, everyone blasting by to get nailed by that light, I stopped trying, it can't be predicted without a video feed of the I64 exit ramp traffic that trips the light. When you see them it's too late.

regards
mech

Drivers don't call STOP LIGHTS "dumb" for nothing!

Here, the city officials responsible for the lights call them "inteligent traffic managing". This is hard for drivers to believe, as when one of the lights fail and start to just blink, then suddenly the traffic jams disappear.

Roundabout