Empirical Data for Pedestrian Flow Through Bottlenecks

Summa r'y. The number of models for pedestr ian dynamics has grown in the pa.st years, but the experimental data to discriminate between these models is still to a large extent unce rtain and contradictory. To enhance the data base a nd to resolve some discrepancies discussed in the literature over one hundred yean; wc studied the pedestr ian flow through bottlenecks by an experiment performed under laboratory conditions. The time development of quantities like individual velocit.ies, densit.ics) individual time gaps in bottlenecks of different. width and the jam density in front of the bottleneck is presented. The comparison of the results with experimental dat.a of other authors supports a continuous increase of the capacit.y with the bottleneck width. The Illost interesting results of this data collection is that maximal flow values measUl'ed at bottlenecks can exceed t.he maxillla of empirical fundamental diagrams s ignificantly. Thus either our knowledge about empirical fundamental diagrams is incomplete or the common assumptions regarding the connccLion between the fundamental diagram and the flow through bottlenecks necd a thorough revision.