German firm Siemens has upgraded the Urban Traffic Control (UTC) system installed in Chile’s capital city Santiago, to PC-based Split Cycle Offset Optimization Technique (SCOOT).

SCOOT is an adaptive system that responds automatically to fluctuations in traffic flow through the use of onstreet detectors embedded in the road, thus managing and controlling the traffic signals in urban areas.

Santiago’s system, which is Siemens’ largest UTC system currently installed worldwide, monitors traffic in real-time, optimises traffic signal operation and adjusts the signal timings to match prevailing conditions, serving nearly six million people in the city.

The new PC-based system will monitor traffic control equipment at over 2,500 intersections and includes all the major features of the existing Siemens UTC/SCOOT system, according to traffictechnologytoday.com.