Traffic Flow on Escalators and Moving Walkways: Quantifying and Modeling Pedestrian Behavior in a Continuously Moving System

Abstract

Because of perceived deficiencies in the state of the practice of designing escalators and moving walkways, a microsimulation-based model of pedestrian behavior in these moving belt systems was created. In addition to implementing walking and stair climbing capabilities from existing pedestrian flow literature, the model utilized following behavior and lane change decision logic taken form studies performed in the field of automotive traffic flow theory. By combining research from these two normally independent fields with moving belt operational characteristics, a solid framework for the simulation was created.

The model was then validated by comparing its operation to real world behaviors and performance metrics found in the literature in order to verify that the simulation matched the choices made by actual pedestrians. Once this crucial function had been completed, the model could finally be used in its original purpose of determining the capacity of a belt under region-specific input parameters. This paper also discusses other applications for which the model is suitable, including performing sensitivity analysis of both existing and proposed belt systems, analyzing the impacts of operational rule sets on the performance of escalators and moving walkways, and analyzing the effect of queue growth on the storage area needed for pedestrians in an ambulatory facility. Through the use of this model and the logic contained within it, engineers and planners will be able to gain a more accurate understanding of pedestrian flow on moving belts. The result of this increased understanding will be more effective and more efficient transportation systems.