To counter this frustration with frequent stops, officials with the city of Amsterdam have recently began an experiment where the timing of a series of traffic signals along a 2 km (approx 1 mile) stretch of road coming into the center of the city was set specifically for cyclists rather than automobiles.
The plan, outlined in the article here coordinates the signals for inbound bicycle traffic in the morning and outbound in the afternoon, and allowed the average speed of cyclists to increase to 10 mph/20 kmph, up from 15 kmph prior to the change. Interestingly, cars' speed remained unchanged. City officials plan to expand the project to other routes.