A good percentage of city traffic problems could be fixed if we ignored red lights and do as they do in Asia: expressing courtesy to other drivers as everyone moves through an intersection without stopping, regardless of what the traffic light signal is showing.
This concept was best explained to me by someone when over there (before i started riding on their road network) and he made a perfectly sensible statement: do you need traffic lights to make your way through a crowded shopping centre/mall? I said "no", upon which he then said, "so why do you need traffic lights to make your way through an intersection? Naturally i had no answer to such sensible logic, other than to agree with his point.
Even in heavy traffic, i was constantly amazed at how well traffic moved (even though looking like chaos to the western observer) through intersections; with virtually no change in your speed, which (when you are in the action) is faster than you would think possible.
Although (to the westerner) it's a bit unnerving at first, you soon get into the swing of things following locals travelling straight through red lights without stopping, whilst at the same time those who have the green light don't stop; making their way calmly to the other side of the intersection, without any of the death and carnage that western motor vehicle authorities constantly keep hammering down the public's throat, should they not follow the road rules.
Having said that, it works only because people in general are courteous and respectful to everyone else, not just on the road but also in their daily lives.
If Clive Palmer just supported moves to reform road rules, it would make life a heck of a lot more efficient for those dealing with the nightmare of city traffic.