Queue detection and congestion monitoring using image processing

The problem of the automatic detection of congested and queueing traffic has been exercising the minds of traffic engineers for many years. The recent increase in car ownership in U.K., and the consequent pressure this is putting on the existing road infrastructure, is now making the detection and subsequent alleviation of congestion a critical traffic engineering and political problem. The paper describes the use of a surveillance camera at critical locations. A method of queue detection and congestion monitoring is further described using low-cost image processing and computing hardware.