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Influence of slope angle and headway on the stepping behavior of single-file pedestrians: An experimental and modeling study

Author

Listed:
  • Hu, Zuoan
  • Wang, Shibo
  • Wei, Yidong
  • Du, Jun
  • Zeng, Tian

Abstract

Rapid urbanization worldwide has led to a significant increase in the urban population, resulting in heightened pressure on urban pedestrian traffic systems. The recent Itaewon stampede, which occurred on a ramp, has drawn attention to the study of urban pedestrian transportation systems again. As a common mode of pedestrian traffic, there remains a lack of understanding regarding how crowd density and ramps impact pedestrian walking characteristics, specifically, the step length, step frequency, and step duration. To address this gap, we conducted a single-file pedestrian flow experiment with varying slope angles (0°, 3°, 5°, 7°, 9°, 12°, 17°,22°, 27°) to investigate the effects of slope angle and headway on stepping behaviors. Our main findings are as follows: The headway divides pedestrian stepping into free, weakly constrained, and strongly constrained regimes, with the headway thresholds for each regime being influenced by changes in slope angle. When walking under free conditions, whether uphill or downhill, pedestrians tend to increase their step length and decrease their step frequency on gentle slope angles (less than 5°). Additionally, for each slope angle, the step length and duration of uphill walking are greater than those of downhill walking; however, the step frequency during downhill walking is greater than that during uphill walking. Based on these findings, we have incorporated stepping behaviors into the social force model, allowing for the simultaneous reproduction of the primary dynamics and stepping characteristics of pedestrian flow. The model has been validated in a single-file flow scenario, demonstrating that the time-space diagram, fundamental diagram, step length-headway relation, and step frequency-headway relation of the simulation results closely align with experimental findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Hu, Zuoan & Wang, Shibo & Wei, Yidong & Du, Jun & Zeng, Tian, 2025. "Influence of slope angle and headway on the stepping behavior of single-file pedestrians: An experimental and modeling study," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 665(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:665:y:2025:i:c:s0378437125001402
    DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2025.130488
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. von Sivers, Isabella & Köster, Gerta, 2015. "Dynamic stride length adaptation according to utility and personal space," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 104-117.
    2. Wei, Yidong & Hu, Zuoan & Zeng, Tian & Xie, Wei & Ma, Yi, 2023. "Influence of walkway slope on single-file pedestrian flow dynamics: Results from an experimental study," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 630(C).
    3. Wang, Jiayue & Boltes, Maik & Seyfried, Armin & Zhang, Jun & Ziemer, Verena & Weng, Wenguo, 2018. "Linking pedestrian flow characteristics with stepping locomotion," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 500(C), pages 106-120.
    4. Fang, Zhi-Ming & Song, Wei-Guo & Liu, Xuan & Lv, Wei & Ma, Jian & Xiao, Xia, 2012. "A continuous distance model (CDM) for the single-file pedestrian movement considering step frequency and length," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 391(1), pages 307-316.
    5. Xu Chen & Martin Treiber & Venkatesan Kanagaraj & Haiying Li, 2018. "Social force models for pedestrian traffic – state of the art," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(5), pages 625-653, September.
    6. Yi Ma & Eric Wai Ming Lee & Meng Shi & Richard Kwok Kit Yuen, 2021. "Spontaneous synchronization of motion in pedestrian crowds of different densities," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 5(4), pages 447-457, April.
    7. Zeng, Tian & Wei, Yidong & Hu, Zuoan & Ma, Yi, 2023. "Comparison study in single-file pedestrian flow dynamics: Foot motion perspective versus head motion perspective," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 629(C).
    8. Zeng, Guang & Cao, Shuchao & Liu, Chi & Song, Weiguo, 2018. "Experimental and modeling study on relation of pedestrian step length and frequency under different headways," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 500(C), pages 237-248.
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