The traffic signal system that operates in Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton is known as SCATS (Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System).

Information concerning traffic flow, including the requirements of pedestrians, is relayed from the intersection controller via a telephone line to one of 34 regional computers. More than 128 sets of signals can be connected to each regional computer which continuously responds to the conditions at each site by adjusting the green times allocated to each phase and by changing cycle times. The computer also collects traffic data from each section of a linked route to determine the best linking strategy for current traffic volumes. There are more than 3200 sets of traffic signals connected to SCATS.

In addition to linking, each regional computer monitors the operation of the traffic signals and passes alarms, caused by faults, to the central monitoring computer at the Traffic Management Centre where action can be taken to rectify the situation.