Sure, but you know that feeling when you are doing something complex, according to a set of rules, and someone decides to just go off plan and do something random, and you have to mentally process that on top? That's quite an anxious feeling, right? Well, I think neuro-typical people's closest understanding of ASD anxiety around that sort of thing is when they drive. Because it's a complex sequence of decisions and skills, and when handling a potential accident zone, such as a junction, they need to be able to concentrate. Adding to their distractions and tasks in this way is going to upset and annoy them.
I'm also not an expert on how junctions work, so I could be wrong, but around here I think many are controlled centrally to aid traffic flow, with adjustments made when someone presses the button. So if you don't press the button but cross during their right of way, the central system has no way of knowing you are there, and the odds are good that it will turn to red for them before you are over. And automated junctions allow a fair bit of time before a change, to aid traffic flow.
If that's correct, then you can delay them quite a bit, because the system thinks they had plenty of time to cross, and of course they couldn't. So they then have to sit on red. Does that make sense?
I get that you see roads completely different when solely a pedestrian. Honestly, I do. But if you're dealing with a heavy road using area, even if it's not busy at that time, I'd stick to the 'rules' and use the lights. For your own sake, and for theirs.
An awful lot of learning to drive is about matching the expectations of other road users - speed, when you do something, and how you do it. That's why driving too slowly is dangerous, as it can make other drivers angry, and in turn they may drive aggressively from frustration. As a pedestrian, we need to think about their expectation too, I think. And I wish they taught us that before we learn to drive, for everyone's sake.