Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique (SCOOT) is a real time
adaptive traffic control
Adaptive traffic control system (ATCS) is a traffic management strategy in which traffic signal timing changes, or adapts, based on actual traffic demand. This is accomplished using an adaptive traffic control system consisting of both hardware a ...
system for the coordination and control of traffic signals across an urban road network. Originally developed by the
Transport Research Laboratory
TRL Limited, trading as TRL (formerly Transport Research Laboratory) is an independent private company offering a transport consultancy and research service to the public and private sector. Originally established in 1933 by the UK Government a ...
for the Department of Transport in 1979, research and development of SCOOT has continued to present day. SCOOT is used extensively throughout the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
as well as in other countries.
SCOOT automatically adjusts the
traffic signal
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic.
Traffic light ...
timings to adapt to current traffic conditions, using flow data from
traffic sensors.
Sensor data is usually derived from inductive loops in the carriageway but other forms of detection are increasingly being used.
Adjacent signal controlled junctions and pedestrian/cycle crossings are collected together into groups called "regions". SCOOT then calculates the most appropriate signal timings for the region.
SCOOT changes the stage lengths or the splits to ensure that the delays are balanced as much as possible, changes the cycle time to ensure that delays are minimised and finally changes the offset between the signal installations to ensure that the timings are co-ordinated as well as possible.
SCOOT has been demonstrated to yield improvements in traffic performance of the order of 15% compared to fixed timing systems.
In early 2021, TRL released SCOOT7, having updated the algorithm to work with future mobility needs.
See also
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Traffic light control and coordination
The normal function of traffic lights requires more than sight control and coordination to ensure that traffic and pedestrians move as smoothly, and safely as possible. A variety of different control systems are used to accomplish this, ranging fr ...
References
Traffic signals
Road transport in the United Kingdom
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