Experimental study of pedestrian dynamics and crowd risk on ramps

Abstract

This study investigates pedestrian dynamics and crowd risk on ramps, a topic not fully explored in previous research. Our experimental setup covers a boarder range of densities for both walking and running scenarios. Our main findings include: (1) Once pedestrian density exceeds 1.70ped/m², flow rates continue to increase and remain consistently higher during ascending the ramp compared to descending, a trend not observed on level ground. This phenomenon can be explained by step behavior mechanisms, driven by the transition from two to three lanes, which help maintain consistent headway and step lengths. (2) The addition of walking lanes increases velocity curl (i.e., local spinning motion) on the ascending segment, especially in running scenarios. When combined with the high-density levels typically seen in ascending movement, these effects amplify crowd danger. Statistical analyses confirm crowd risks are more strongly correlate with movement directions (descending vs. ascending) than with movement speeds (walking vs. running).