Impact of holding umbrella on uni- and bi-directional pedestrian flow: Experiments and modeling

TL;DR

This study investigates how holding umbrellas affects pedestrian flow in uni- and bi-directional movement through experiments and an improved force-based model, revealing decreased flow rates and complex lane formation behaviors.

Contribution

It introduces an enhanced force-based model that accounts for umbrella contact forces, accurately simulating observed pedestrian behaviors under umbrella-holding conditions.

Findings

Flow rate decreases when holding umbrellas.

Lane formation becomes more complex with umbrellas.

Simulation aligns with experimental observations.

Abstract

In this paper, the impact of holding umbrella on the uni- and bi-directional flow has been investigated via experiment and modeling. In the experiments, pedestrians are required to walk clockwise/anti-clockwise in a ring-shaped corridor under normal situation and holding umbrella situation. No matter in uni- or bi-directional flow, the flow rate under holding umbrella situation decreases comparing with that in normal situation. In bidirectional flow, pedestrians segregate into two opposite moving streams very quickly under normal situation, and clockwise/anti-clockwise walking pedestrians are always in the inner/outer lane due to right-walking preference. Under holding umbrella situation, spontaneous lane formation has also occurred. However, when holding umbrella, pedestrians may separate into more than two lanes. Moreover, the merge of lanes have been observed, and clockwise/anti-clockwise pedestrians are not always in the inner/outer lane. To model the flow dynamics, an improved force-based model has been proposed. The contact force between umbrellas has been taken into account. Simulation results are in agreement with the experimental ones.