1) Interesting. It did not seem that the flashing period was of sufficient length for allowing more than 1 or 2 cars to pass on a protected left.

2) I think that you are right..it is cultural. When I tried to order unsweet tea, I was told that all tea is served "Canadian Style" (ie lots of sugar).

3) I don't know about all of this pre-mix stuff. The same issues exist here in the states and no one seems to be bothered. Canned drinks as restaurant fare are extremely rare in this part of the world. The fast food restaurants do much better installing a self serve fountain and charging $1.29 for a 375ml drink. Refills are gratis. The direct cost to the eatery is probably 3-4 cents. The mark-up is fantastic. I did not check out the free standing fast food places but the food court restaurants that I saw seem to offer the canned drinks.