Pedestrian Traffic Lights in Germany

Please consider the "map" below. Let's assume that you want to cross the one-way street.

| |
| |
| |
| |
| | TRAFFIC
| | LIGHT
-------------------------+ +-----------------------------


<--- ONE WAY --- -------------------------+ +----------------------------- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
This being a situation in Germany, the circumstances are pretty special: the traffic light for the cars driving on the one-way street shows red. The traffic light for the pedestrians wanting to cross the same street also shows red.
Now you'd probably start wondering what car could possibly hit you if you crossed the street anyway. People here apparently don't do that. They just stand there waiting for the light to become green. It eventually does so, when the cars coming from the left also have a red light, but that's a long wait.
Not only do Germans wait at traffic lights even if there is no car coming (you can observe this behaviour on deserted streets at night), they also wait for traffic lights that obviously have been programmed by someone who suffered from a sever hangover when he did it!