I commute in NYC, I never counted the stoplights, but there are many. I have discovered that I can make a nice string of greens if I get up to 16mph real quick after taking off from a red. I stop at reds, but on the less busy streets I normally take off again if there is no traffic.

I only rode 2.5 miles to work (changing now, just moved out to Brooklyn, I think it is now about 8). In that time I have probably over 30 lights (at least one per street, I ride from down where there are no street numbers up to 23rd street).