Skip to main content

Abu Dhabi installs Scoot

The Department of Transport (DoT) in Abu Dhabi has commenced work on a US$9 million adaptive traffic control central system project, which is expected to be completed by early 2015. The project will see the implementation of a new Scoot (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) adaptive traffic control system to improve traffic flow at the capital’s 125 main signalised junctions. Scoot, installed in more than 120 cities worldwide, is a tool for managing and controlling traffic signals in urban areas.
March 5, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
The Department of Transport (DoT) in Abu Dhabi has commenced work on a US$9 million adaptive traffic control central system project, which is expected to be completed by early 2015.

The project will see the implementation of a new Scoot (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) adaptive traffic control system to improve traffic flow at the capital’s 125 main signalised junctions.  Scoot, installed in more than 120 cities worldwide, is a tool for managing and controlling traffic signals in urban areas. It is an adaptive system that responds automatically to fluctuations in traffic flow through the use of in-road detectors.

Traffic signals in Abu Dhabi currently operate on fixed time, which is not ideal for easily managing traffic congestion or other unexpected events. Scoot is able to respond quickly to variations in traffic flows by reducing delays and queue lengths at junctions, using about 20 sensors at each intersection to monitor and report the volume of traffic. The system is also able to give priority to buses or emergency vehicles, which will enhance road safety and quick response to accidents and vehicle breakdowns.

“It is simply to have the most adaptive technology to manage the traffic network in the proper way,” said Salah Al Marzouqi, director of the integrated intelligent transport systems

The centre manages monitoring of the traffic flows on the road network, operation of the central traffic control system, and offers road service support patrols to prevent any congestion.

Related Content

  • Keeping a watching brief over traffic flows
    March 11, 2015
    Monitoring traffic flows is set to become an even bigger challengebut a revolution in camera technology can help, as Patrik Anderson explains. By 2025 almost 60% of the world’s population will live in urban areas and in those cities there will be an estimated 6.2 billion private motorised trips every day. In order to manage this level of traffic growth, traffic management centres (TMCs) will need to both increase their monitoring capabilities and be able to detect traffic problems quickly, efficiently and r
  • Siemens Mobility wins traffic management contract in Northern Ireland
    March 8, 2019
    Siemens Mobility has been chosen by the Department of Infrastructure in Northern Ireland to maintain and develop existing traffic management systems, which are mainly located in Belfast. The scope of the four-year contract includes the maintenance of local systems and the ongoing delivery of a dedicated IP-communications network, which connects 328 urban traffic control (UTC) sites to the central Siemens Mobility UTC and split cycle offset optimisation technique system. The deal is expected to migrate the
  • Pile-up prompts Gulf States to counter fog menace
    September 23, 2014
    David Crawford investigates a promising development to counter the problem of fog in the Gulf States. Despite being a largely desert area with low rainfall, fog is a major driving hazard in countries on the Arabian peninsula, such as the UAE. The fog is the result of moist air moving across from the neighbouring Gulf during the afternoon and evening, and experiencing radiation cooling at night.
  • ITS Australia Awards 2025 finalists announced
    November 13, 2024

    ITS Australia has announced 32 finalists for the 15th Annual ITS Australia Awards, with winners announced at a ceremony on 13 February 2025 in Perth, Western Australia.