Simulation and analysis of individual trampling risk during escalator transfers

Wenhang Li, Jianhua Gong, Ping Yu, Shen Shen, Rong Li and Qishen Duan

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2014, vol. 408, issue C, 119-133

Abstract: A type of trampling process that is caused by picking-up activities during escalator transfers was studied in this paper. A five-stage trampling model for individual pedestrians was proposed, and the social force model was modified considering the transfer features. Several scenarios were simulated to study the impacts of 4 factors, namely, pedestrian traffic, escalator velocity, picking-up duration and pedestrian velocity, on trampling probability. The results show that pedestrian traffic strongly affects the trampling probability, with a positive correlation throughout all scenarios; the picking-up duration affects the trampling probability, with a negative correlation throughout all scenarios; lower pedestrian velocities can result in higher trampling probabilities if the picking-up duration is short; and the escalator velocity may also affect the trampling probability, but there are no general rules for all scenarios. Thus, the impacts of these 4 factors can be queued in descending order as follows: pedestrian traffic > picking-up duration > pedestrian velocity > escalator velocity. Countermeasures can be employed according to the results to reduce trampling risks.

Keywords: Trampling risk; Five-stage trampling model; Escalator transfers; Social force model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:408:y:2014:i:c:p:119-133

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2014.03.071

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