A Good Idea, brought to you by Santiago de Chile

Ever waited for what seemed like ages to cross the road, not knowing when the light was going to change? Well, have a look at this wonderful device in use in the centre of Santiago de Chile: a traffic light that counts down the seconds until you can cross, or have to stop. The less time you have, the faster that little man runs. I see how the pedestrians deal with the lights, too: they gradually gravitate towards the soonest change, often not breaking step as they step confidently into the road. I find the car drivers more cautious around them, too; they know the pedestrians are just going to go when they have a green light so they hang back a lot more than they did the last time I was here, in 2011.

When will we we see these great devices in Europe?