Influence of the parameters of the social force model in the analysis of capacity in public spaces for people with reduced mobility

Abstract

Pedestrian microsimulation is incompatible with reality when the diversity of pedestrians and their different needs are not considered, which are defined by space, the way of movement and the condition of movement. Therefore, the study of pedestrian displacement has regained importance in transportation planning. This study is focused on the analysis of pedestrian behavior and its connection with the capacity of a public space. For this, the external consultation hall of a hospital has been taken as a case study, due to its pedestrian diversity and space conditions. For the simulation, the 3 most representative characteristics that define the pedestrian behavior during the walk were taken: speed, personal space and trajectories. Likewise, pedestrians were classified into 6 groups, with the objective of assessing their different behaviors. Finally, 5 parameters were selected: Tau, Lambda Mean, Noise, A_soc_Mean and B_soc_isotropic, as together they reflect the 3 characteristics of the analysis. As a main result, it was possible to calculate the adequate capacity for the space of 102 people, taking into account the most vulnerable, those with disabilities, so that they have accessibility and move comfortably.