Traffic is Better with no lights!

Last night it was snowing on my journey home, it wasn't like Scotland but enough to make most of my company leave early. I left at 5pm as normal and even though I couldn't go more than 40 on the motorway and 30 or less elsewhere, I still got home in the normal time. If I go at 70 on the motorway and 50/40/30 on the other roads when they are clear, it doesn't save me anything!
Why not? Because reducing the speeds and not having to stop at so many traffic lights (because no-one was around) resulted in better economy from lower speeds, less frantic merging of traffic on slip roads and a generally better experience, even on 4 inches of snow. It reminds us how much of our normal time on the road is spent waiting!
Amazing.
One of the questions is of course how we reduce the number of people on the roads to make this work more easily and things like governments insisting that people get full choice of schools etc only adds to the problem. This week the schools are out and some people have stayed at home and the roads are empty despite many people still travelling to work.
With some joined up thinking and a return to the idea that you go to the local school or you pay (which could raise money for schools!) perhaps more people would walk to school again?