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

  • December 24, 2012
    Masdar Institute and Abu Dhabi Department of Transport sign MoU
    Abu Dhabi's Department of Transport (DoT) and Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a collaborative partnership on exchange of information in transportation. The MoU will enable the sharing of information on Abu Dhabi's public transport systems and basic traffic data to be used by Masdar Institute for a research project. The proj
  • May 4, 2016
    Priority boosts ridership and cuts congestion
    Transit priority is proving a win-win in Europe and Australia. David Crawford reports. Technology that integrates with the Australian-originated Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) is driving bus signal priority and performance analysis initiatives on both sides of the world; in its homeland, with a major deployment in 2015, and in the capital of the Republic of Ireland.
  • April 23, 2013
    Challenges and benefits of adaptive signal control
    Delcan’s Joe Lam, who managed the first computerised signal system in the world, provides an expert insight into adaptive signal control. There are no gadgets in the world that regulate our daily behaviour as much as traffic signals, except perhaps our mobile phones. It has been estimated that the daily commuter goes through at least 10 signals on his journey to work. However, unlike mobile phones, traffic signals cannot be ignored or switched off by their daily users, at least not without legal consequence
  • March 6, 2017
    Siemens SCOOT improves travel times in Ann Arbor
    Siemens real-time traffic control system, SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique), has reduced Ann Arbor, Michigan’s weekday travel times along the Ellsworth Corridor by 12 percent and weekend travel time by 21 percent, according to the company. Based on these results, the city has decided to operate all downtown intersections with SCOOT technology in the upcoming year. The Siemens SCOOT technology takes an adaptive approach to traffic management, allowing sensors at an intersection to detect v