SCOOT and MOVA: Embracing Transport Innovation

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Henry Ford’s infamous quote applies just as much now, in the midst of a digital revolution, as it did when he was inventing the assembly line, interchangeable parts, or the automobile. But where does SCOOT and MOVA come into this?

Today we are facing an increasingly complex number of factors affecting our road network. Road traffic in Great Britain has increased from 255 billion miles travelled in 1990 to 328 billion miles in 2018. That’s an increase of 29%. Along with this, our increasingly congested roads are pumping our greenhouse gases. The recent Engine off Campaign found that in one day if 50% of all cars in London idled at a set of traffic lights for just one minute, nearly 30,000 kg of CO₂ would be released.  It would take 66 trees 100 years to absorb all of that CO₂. Road authorities are battling this, all the while trying to make journeys safer and more efficient.

Recently addressing a trade event involving the UK, Estonia and Finland, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport Rachel Maclean said “Technologies such as SCOOT and MOVA, designed in the UK, now manage traffic flows from Croydon to California,” she said. “These have led to more efficient journeys, lower emissions and safer speeds, benefiting the economy, our planet and our personal safety.” Embracing transport technologies is crucial to addressing the challenges we face.

Now on version 7, SCOOT is used in over 350 towns and cities globally. Original developers of SCOOT & MOVA, TRL have always been at the forefront of transport innovation, pushing the boundaries to make our roads safer, cleaner, more efficient and liveable. Partnerships with institutions such as The Alan Turing Institute and the Smart Mobility Living Lab and progressive authorities such as Transport for Greater Manchester means that we are uniquely positioned to understand the roadmap for transport innovation.

The latest version of SCOOT addresses key transport challenges faced by road authorities now, whilst our commitment to continual development means it will always be up for whatever challenge arises. SCOOT 7.0 is the first TRL Software only release of SCOOT and introduces new features which broaden the toolbox for adaptive traffic control and the changing needs of mobility, including:

• GLOSA, or cooperative signals data to provide road users with information that can help with their journey
• Multiple split optimisation allows the optimiser to make larger changes without the compromises
• Pedestrian SCOOT functionality for green man period optimised to number of pedestrians
• Modelling link departures to help with optimisation in general
• Loop failure logic to reduce detection requirements

The latest developments in SCOOT are exciting, however, what is most exciting is “the future potential of ITS” (Maclean). As the minister responsible for the future of transport, Maclean has pledged that the UK will continue to lead on innovation to solve the mobility challenges faced around the world. At TRL Software, we will continue to do our part, pushing transport technology and innovation. Want to be part of the journey? Get in touch.

To read more about Rachel Maclean at the ITS Trade event, click here.