Understanding the relations between crowd density, safety perception and risk-taking behavior on train station platforms: A case study from Switzerland

Railway platforms are becoming increasingly crowded, especially at peak hours. In this observational study, the authors investigated how the density of people is perceived by passengers and how this perceived density correlates with safety perception and risk-taking behavior. Risk-taking behavior here means stepping into the danger zone, the area of the platform bordering the tracks where individuals are at risk to their physical integrity by a train passing through, arriving at or leaving the station. The investigation of perceived density and actual behavior on the platform poses methodological challenges. Therefore, the authors used a stereo sensor technology to collect anonymized behavioral data on a train station platform over two months. Data regarding passenger density and oversteps into the danger zone was collected during rush hours and analyzed for this study. Additionally, subjective data, such as estimation and perception of passenger density and safety perception were collected in a survey with 179 participants. Survey links were distributed during rush hours in three different train stations on platforms over two weeks. While distributing the links for the online survey in the field (two-hour sessions during rush hours), an observation was conducted (i.e., oversteps into the danger zone, general passenger behavior). The results indicate that increased measured passenger density is related to more oversteps. Subjective perception of crowd density, regarding how comfortable someone feels in the given situation, correlates with safety perception and also significantly predicts overstepping into the danger zone. Increased estimated density also correlates with reduced safety perception but is not a predictor of oversteps. The authors suggest optimizing the passenger distribution on the platform by motivating passengers to move to less crowded areas, e.g. with approaches such as “nudging” so that passengers feel more comfortable on the platform. This can both improve both safety and the customer experience on the platform.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2021.100390
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259019822100097X
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/25901982
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2021 Andrea Schneider, et al. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Schneider, Andrea
  • Krueger, Eva
  • Vollenwyder, Beat
  • Thurau, Jasmin
  • Elfering, Achim
• Publication Date: 2021-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 100390
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
  • Volume: 10
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 2590-1982
  • Serial URL: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/transportation-research-interdisciplinary-perspectives
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Passengers; Peak hour traffic; Pedestrian density; Pedestrian flow; Railroad stations; Risk taking
• Geographic Terms: Switzerland
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Public Transportation; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01783488
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 28 2021 11:30AM