PEDESTRIAN SPEED-FLOW-DENSITY RELATIONSHIPS

Understanding the relationships among pedestrian speed, flow, and density is essential for improving the design and operation of pedestrian facilities. Seven established models relating speed to density for vehicular flow were tested against a set of pedestrian data. The seven models were Greenshields (single-regime linear), May's bell-shaped curve, Underwood's transposed exponential curve, Greenberg's modified exponential curve, Edie's discontinuous exponential form, two-regime linear, and three-regime linear. The evaluation procedure closely follows that developed by Drake, Schofer, and May in 1967. The study site was near the entrance to a pedestrian tunnel that caused a single, extensive queue. The walkway portion closest to the tunnel had a capacity equal to or slightly greater than the tunnel. Pedestrian demand at the location increased from near zero to over capacity and then returned to near zero. Flow parameters were derived from videotape. The performance of each model is described both by the results of statistical tests and by visual examination of the flow-density-speed curves. The three-regime linear model was not found to be statistically significant. Of the three one-regime models, the bell-shaped was judged to be superior to the Greenshields and Underwood models because of its better predictions of optimum density and optimum speed. Of the three two-regime linear models, the Edie was judged best on the basis of statistical tests and predictions of flow parameters. Since two distinct regimes were found, the Edie model was deemed to be the best model for this data set.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1994/1438/1438-007.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=PEDESTRIAN+SPEED-FLOW-DENSITY+RELATIONSHIPS&author=M.+Virkler&author=S.+Elayadath&publication_year=1994
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309055199
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1438, Research Issues on Bicycling, Pedestrians, and Older Drivers. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Virkler, Mark R
  • Elayadath, Sathish
• Publication Date: 1994

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 51-58
• Monograph Title: RESEARCH ISSUES ON BICYCLING, PEDESTRIANS, AND OLDER DRIVERS
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1438
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Design; Mathematical models; Pedestrian areas; Pedestrian density; Pedestrian flow; Structural design
• Uncontrolled Terms: Relationships
• Old TRIS Terms: Pedestrian speed
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00668958
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309055199
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-042 012
• Files: HSL, TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Nov 9 1994 12:00AM