The effect of desired speed variability on pedestrian dynamics in social force-based simulations of a closed bi-directional flow setting

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of desired speed variability on pedestrian dynamics within a closed-loop, bi-directional flow setting using simulations based on the Social Force Model. Motivated by the empirical findings of Moussaïd et al., we replicate and extend their experimental setup in a virtual environment, systematically varying both the number of pedestrians and the range of desired speed distributions. Our simulations reveal that even modest heterogeneity in desired speeds can significantly influence flow stability, leading to oscillations between ordered and disordered states. At lower densities flow is higher for low heterogeneity of desired speeds, while it is the opposite at high densities. Highest capacity results from low heterogeneity.