Traffic signal operation in New South Wales is the act of traffic management (or active traffic management) in New South Wales, Australia (NSW). Traffic signals in NSW use the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) traffic light control and coordination system. Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is responsible for controlling the signals in NSW, through the Network Operations division. TfNSW also develops the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System software, which is deployed in 216 cities in 33 countries. Smart traffic signal operation delivers substantial economic benefits to Sydney in travel time savings. The savings were estimated to be worth around $3.6 billion per year, compared to simpler traffic signal control. Personnel specialised in this field may be traffic engineers or traffic signal operations specialists. As of November 2025, there were 4860 traffic signals across NSW.
History
In 1933, Australia's first traffic lights were installed at the intersection of Market and Kent streets. The next set of signals was installed in 1937. In the 1960s, intersection number 1 was moved to Strathfield South, at the intersection of the Hume Highway and Pemberton St. It was eventually moved back. In 1963 (or 1964, under the Inner City Signals Project,) the Department of Motor Transport introduced television monitoring and computer control to 110 traffic signals wit hthe aim of easing congestion in the CBD. The computer was originally located in the Department of Main Roads building at 309 Castlereagh Street. Coordinated traffic signals were first trialled on Parramatta Road, unsuccessfully at first. In 1971 there were 13 systems of three or more linked signal sites. Traffic signal investment was always lacking, but "this was inevitable because of definitional arrangements of "needs"". By the end of 1971, there were 569 intersections controlled by signals and at 263 intersections traffic signals were "warranted". The 1000th installation of traffic signals in NSW started operation on 8 April 1974. In 1981, the Traffic and Transport in South Sydney report made a recommendation for "traffic light adjustments to allow longer 'walk' time". In 1988, a pilot scheme for monitoring travel times on Victoria Road was completed using commercially available vehicle mounted transponders and loop based interrogation equipment installed in existing traffic controllers connected to the SCAT [sic] system. In May 1988 a contract was let with Advanced Systems Research (ASR) for a 150MHz system. A prototype radio system was tested on the Pacific Highway between Turramurra and Crows Nest. By August 1991 there were 2120 traffic signals at intersections in NSW and 280 at mid-block sites. Since 1994 automated pedestrian phases were enabled across the CBD from 7am to 7pm on Monday to Thursday, and from 7am to 9pm on Friday. By December 2009 there were 3791 traffic signals in service in NSW (including mid-block sites). In 2017, a trial of in-ground traffic signal lights were installed for pedestrians at the intersections of Pitt and Goulburn streets, and Hay and Dixon streets at a cost of $380,000. In NSW from 2022 to 2024, road crashes at signalised intersections injured 666 pedestrians and resulted in the deaths of 19 people. In 2025, at least 8 pedestrians were killed at traffic lights.
Operation Transport for NSW aims to allocate physical and temporal road user space equitably between people walking, cycling and private vehicles. As of April 2026, the design of traffic signal phasing is defined under Transport for NSW standard TS 02670 (TS 02670.1, TS 02670.2, TS 02670.3). Design objectives for signal phasing include "minimise the cycle time", and aim to achieve the following outcomes in order of priority if compromise "may be needed":
promote road safety minimise delay for active transport optimise capacity and reliability consistency across the network minimises operating costs and road user frustration The older November 2024 Traffic Signal Operations standard TS 05493 (which is not superseded as of April 2026) does not include objectives but includes "Selection of an appropriate phasing design for a particular intersection is further discussed in relevant parts of TS 02670" This standard superseded RTA-TC-106 version 1.3. There are subtle differences between the current design and operations standards. The operations standard states that pedestrian clearance (ie. flashing red) time "can represent a significant amount of wasted time that could have been used by vehicle movements" and that "pedestrian movements are usually introduced only by demand" unless in "public transport interchange", "CBD environments", or in places at risk of overcrowding. The design standard states "A pedestrian movement can be automatically introduced without relying on pedestrians to activate the walk signal", makes no mention of "wasted time" and states auto-introduction "should" be implemented where the button is pressed in over 85% of cycles for a period of the day, on high-demand walking routes, or for short parallel marked foot crossings where clearance times are "at or below the intergreen time" for the concurrent (vehicle) phase. Transport for NSW uses cameras to monitor intersections and adjust signal phases at peak times to prioritise vehicle traffic. Traffic lights in NSW use a yellow time of between 4.0 and 6.4 seconds, depending on the speed and grade of the road.
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