# Beyond the "faster is slower" effect

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how extremely high pressures during evacuations can alter pedestrian dynamics, reducing delays and improving overall evacuation efficiency beyond the traditional 'faster is slower' effect.

## Contribution

It reveals a novel phenomenon where very high pressures change blocking cluster behavior, leading to decreased delays and enhanced evacuation performance.

## Key findings

- High pressures alter blocking cluster dynamics
- Reduced long-lasting delays at extreme pressures
- Improved evacuation efficiency beyond 'faster is slower' regime

## Abstract

The "faster is slower" effect raises when crowded people push each other to escape through an exit during an emergency situation. As individuals push harder, a statistical slowing down in the evacuation time can be achieved. The slowing down is caused by the presence of small groups of pedestrians (say, a small human cluster) that temporary blocks the way out when trying to leave the room. The pressure on the pedestrians belonging to this blocking cluster raises for increasing anxiety levels and/or larger number of individuals trying to leave the room through the same door. Our investigation shows, however, that very high pressures alters the dynamics in the blocking cluster, and thus, changes the statistics of the time delays along the escaping process. It can be acknowledged a reduction in the long lasting delays, while the overall evacuation performance improves. We present results on this novel phenomenon taking place beyond the "faster is slower" regime.