A novel basic antenna element for travelling-wave substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) arrays is proposed in this study. The antenna element is based on a transverse slot and newly complemented by a pair of vias used for matching and a phase shifter. By changing the geometries of the slot and the phase shifter, the amplitude and phase of a radiated wave can be controlled. The proposed approach extends the potential of transverse slots in SIW-based travelling-wave antenna arrays. To verify the capabilities of the antenna element, the authors demonstrate a six-element array with −30 dB side-lobe suppression, intended for a 24 GHz radar system. The measured results show good agreement with simulations.