Can We Make Traffic Lights Smarter?

Am I the only one sick of sitting at a red light when there isn’t a single car in sight in any direction?
Do we not have the technology to make smarter traffic lights? [Spoiler Alert: We TOTALLY have the technology to make traffic lights smarter!]
Think about Hwy2 and 104th. That one’s my personal favorite. The (relatively) new light at Potomac and 104th is a real gem. Any light on Tower Road at 3am. The list of traffic lights that operate below 99% efficiency is probably 99% of traffic lights.
We can make these lights – and traffic lights across Colorado – smarter. You would waste less time and gas. The air would be a teensy bit cleaner. Drivers would get less frustrated.

Any traffic light engineers want to enlighten me? Seriously, please, comment below or email me at michael@scanlonforcolorado.com before I go and make some policy proposal that isn’t even technically feasible!