To cross or to detour? Gender differences in decision-making and safety during high-density pedestrian evacuation with obstacles

During emergency evacuations in high-density conditions, pedestrians may choose to cross when facing low obstacles resulting from earthquakes or other reasons. To investigate how this crossing behavior influences evacuation performance and safety, a series of controlled experiments were conducted in a straight corridor. The self-organizing phenomenon, behavioral decisions, velocity, density, and evacuation time in each condition of different obstacle heights and positions were analyzed in detail. The main findings are: (a) When obstacle height reaches 75 cm, lane formation is disrupted and a clear avoidance triangle emerges in front of the obstacle. (b) Obstacle height is negatively correlated with crossing rate, and female pedestrians show greater sensitivity to height variation. (c) Pedestrian speed is more significantly affected by higher obstacles and those closer to the evacuation start point. (d) While local density near obstacles is not always highest, obstacles closer to the start prolonged high-density durations and increased local crowding risks, with the 75 cm obstacle exceeding the 4 pers/m² safety threshold. (e) Obstacles considerably prolong evacuation time, with higher obstacles leading to longer delays. These findings deepen the understanding of pedestrian decision-making, particularly gender-based differences in obstacle negotiation, provide empirical data on the safety implications of crossing behavior during emergency evacuation, and help establish or calibrate evacuation models, which are valuable for gender-informed crowd management and risk mitigation.