Group Formation and Knowledge Sharing in Pedestrian Egress Simulation

Pedestrian simulation has been a topic of research for several decades, especially in regards to pedestrian egress. Only recently, though, have researchers begun to consider the effects that groups have upon pedestrian egress. Both empirical studies and simulation models predict a decrease in pedestrian speeds when pedestrians travel in groups. In this study, we show that this decrease in speed does not necessarily correspond to an increase in egress time as additional factors such as the amount of knowledge gained through the formation of groups must be considered. The sharing of route costs helps pedestrians maintain proximity to each other and under certain circumstances, pedestrian egress times are actually improved by the formation of groups. We also show that the inclusion of communication costs, sharing knowledge, and group decision-making all have a strong impact on predicted egress times.