Most lights work to a preset timetable so your appraoch should not, in theory, make any difference.
In some German cities that I have driven through the lights of main routes are sycronised so that if you go through on green and maintain the legal limit you will go through all others on green as well, speed or go too slow and you will get red. They can control the lights from a central command and vary the times according to traffic flows (See "The Italian Job" for a similar idea). It will be a long while before the UK catches up I suspect as I first saw this system 35 years ago and it wasn't new then.
Most lights work to a preset timetable so your appraoch should not, in theory, make any difference.
Happening more and more now I find.
There's one particular set on the main road leading into Chester, Nick will know them, Goredale nurseries. These lights control a very busy entrance/exit during the daytime. However, at night, the place is shut and therefore they are totally pointless.
This doesn't make any difference though. They WILL turn to red as you approach them providing nothing has gone through them within the previous minute. It is quite simply a pointless exercise being put into place to slow and stop the traffic, for no other reasons other than to piss us all off and waste fuel.
Another hidden agenda to rake more fuel tax in, no doubt about it, bunch of two faced hypocrytical bastards.
Now I consider myself as a safe, law abiding and considerate driver in the main, but If the road is clear behind and in front, I simply stick me foot down and sail through them on red. Not particulary happy about it, but I am heartily sick to the back teeth of these money grabbing dictatorial twats in power over us all.