Stopped at a crossroad, completely alone. The traffic light is red. You can clearly see that there is no other car on the street. Not even a cyclist or pedestrian and yet, you wait… You wait for that little red lamp to turn off and another little lamp to turn on. “I am sure I could safely cross this road”, you think. But that’s the rule, you have to wait or you can be punished. Better not take the chance. On green, it’s another story, even if an accident happens, it would not be your fault. So, you wait for that light, thinking: what a waste of time…

That lamp alone decides who should move and who should wait. But does that little lamp really understand the crossroad that well?

Of course, clear rules are needed for a safe traffic flow, but the question remains. How much of our responsibility we give away to follow standards that might not be able to cope with every situation?

So, what to do?

Let the light decide? Follow the standard? We might not agree with it, we certainly complain about, but rules are rules… It is for our own safety.

Or

Ignore the light and take responsibility. Don’t follow the standard, do what you think is right.

Or

Change the standard. Reprogram the traffic light, make it smart or replace it with a rotary. So that no one needs to waste his time anymore.