Discrepancies in Pedestrian Crossing of Static vs. Dynamic Crowds: An Experimental Study

TL;DR

This study experimentally compares pedestrian crossing behaviors in static versus dynamic crowds, revealing significant behavioral differences, the influence of density on movement, and the emergence of self-organized crossing channels.

Contribution

Introduces the swarm factor density metric and provides quantitative analysis of pedestrian behavior differences in static and dynamic crowds.

Findings

Limited speed variation in static crowds promotes cross-channel formation

Inverse relationship between speed and density in dynamic crowds

Higher density correlates with decreased crossing velocities

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate disparities in pedestrian crossing behaviors within static and dynamic crowds through experimental analysis. First, qualitative trajectory observations revealed significant behavioral differences in static and dynamic contexts. To quantitatively assess these discrepancies, we introduced a density metric termed the swarm factor. In static contexts, limited variations in speed and swarm factor were observed, which may contribute to the formation of cross-channels, a phenomenon of pedestrian self-organization (tactical level). In contrast, speed and swarm factor exhibited inverse synchronization in dynamic contexts, indicating density-dependent behavioral adaptation (operational level). Finally, orthogonal velocity analysis demonstrated a fundamental pattern in crossing motions: as global density increased, both instantaneous velocity and crossing velocity decreased, while transverse velocity remained stable.