I wish there were traffic lights that would countdown until the the light changes (quantitative) or use something like an hourglass (qualitative).
Based on the operational studies, only the red time countdown device has a positive influence on safety and delay but increases the travel time and decreases the capacity. The pedestrian countdown signal, however, has little improvements for both travel directions.[1]
[1] http://www.ce.siue.edu/faculty/hzhou/publication/What%20do%2...