The whole notion is a pleasant fiction but wholly impractical. As do many of our politicians, this segment of my classes suggests that since these are undesirable states, society should do everything it can to eliminate such unpleasant factors from the lives of citizens. Freedom, however, is not a smorgasbord from which one picks and chooses. Freedom is not whatever society agrees that it is. And most particularly, freedom is not some idealistic illusion, unobtainable and irrelevant to one's daily life.
Freedom is of one piece.
It is contextually absolute. As long as that condition is met, one is free. In the case of traffic lights, the above definition of freedom explains why such signals and the police power behind them do not imply a limiting of one's freedom. It forms the essence of proper social relationships, the foundation of a benevolent society, the only way to establish the foundations of morality. Voluntary action leads to personal confidence, individual well-being, and tolerance of differences.