There are two pedestrian crosswalks out of dozens in the town I live in that work this way. Confuses the crap out of the pedestrians and the drivers, as they aren't expecting it to work that way.

All the other intersections are timed so drivers and pedestrians go at the same time. If we switched all the intersections to allow pedestrians to go first, I think that would be safer. Getting city council to do anything is another issue.

I have a question about these. Where I live there's typically a green light for pedestrians, red for cars at the start of the cycle. Then it switches to green for cars, flashing for pedestrians, which means that cars have to give way, pedestrians may finish crossing, but no pedestrians may start crossing.

I am a fast walker, in a hurry, confident at dodging cars, and this is a slow intersection. I arrive at the crosswalk when the pedestrian light is flashing but cross anyway, I know I have plenty of time. Turning car honks on having to give way to me.

Which rule takes priority? I think that even though I'm technically breaking the rules, the car should still have to follow the rules and give way to pedestrians.

In the UK pedestrians will never have a green light while cars have a green light and the timings wait until pedestrians will have finished crossing before allowing cars. There might be some slow walkers or people who crossed without green (it's dangerous but not illegal) but everything is done to ensure neither pedestrians nor cars are told to go while the other isn't told to stop.