Evaluating the Information Feedback System Based on the Simulation of Pedestrian Evacuation Dynamics on Staircase

Stampede events frequently occur in the staircase scenario, and the staircases are usually weak links in the pedestrian walking facility chain, therefore the prevention of the tragical events is an urgent issue to address in the daily crowd management. In this study the authors proposed an information feedback system with the assistance of closed-circuit television (CCTV), in which the scenario of a school staircase was modeled, two psychological factors and injury mechanism were considered in a modified social force model for simulating the pedestrian flow on staircase. The authors then simulated the kinds of behaviors affected by the feedback information with different penetration rates in order to evaluate the feasibility of the information feedback system. The results show that lower desired speed behavior with lower penetration rate is not mitigating the forward congestion of the crowd, whereas the high degree conformity behavior is effective in reducing the congestion and preventing stampede. The study suggests that the information feedback system need to be carefully deployed in the staircase environment prior to understanding the relationships between the display information and conformity behaviors.