# Jamming transitions induced by an attraction in pedestrian flow

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how attractions influence pedestrian flow, revealing that social influence can induce jamming transitions and suggesting moderation of pedestrian influx to prevent congestion.

## Contribution

It introduces a social force model incorporating social influence to analyze jamming transitions caused by attractions in pedestrian flow.

## Key findings

- Bidirectional flow transitions from free flow to freezing.
- Unidirectional flow transitions from free flow to localized and extended jams.
- High pedestrian flux with strong social influence can lead to freezing phenomena.

## Abstract

We numerically study jamming transitions in pedestrian flow interacting with an attraction, mostly based on the social force model for pedestrians who can join the attraction. We formulate the joining probability as a function of social influence from others, reflecting that individual choice behavior is likely influenced by others. By controlling pedestrian influx and the social influence parameter, we identify various pedestrian flow patterns. For the bidirectional flow scenario, we observe a transition from the free flow phase to the freezing phase, in which oppositely walking pedestrians reach a complete stop and block each other. On the other hand, a different transition behavior appears in the unidirectional flow scenario, i.e., from the free flow phase to the localized jam phase and then to the extended jam phase. It is also observed that the extended jam phase can end up in freezing phenomena with a certain probability when pedestrian flux is high with strong social influence. This study highlights that attractive interactions between pedestrians and an attraction can trigger jamming transitions by increasing the number of conflicts among pedestrians near the attraction. In order to avoid excessive pedestrian jams, we suggest suppressing the number of conflicts under a certain level by moderating pedestrian influx especially when the social influence is strong.