My city has the scrambles and the insanely long light cycles, they were installed about 4 years ago. It has really helped to scare drivers out of city centre. Cyclists and pedestrians have also learned to avoid downtown because waiting 4 minutes for the light to change is excruciating no matter what mode of transport you're using.

I don't drive, but now I skirt around the outside of downtown when cycling because avoiding those intersections saves me ~10 minutes.

In Vancouver the light cycles are super fast, and it keeps things moving for everyone. They have the right idea, and there isn't much room for slack, you gotta be quick.