Crowd behavioural analysis at a mass gathering event

Abstract

Religious occasions, gathering at fairs and terminals, are the events of crowd gatherings. Such gatherings act as severe threats for crowds because of high density in less space, which ends up in adverse outcomes resulting in crowd stampedes. The movement of an individual person in a crowd is influenced by the physical factors. In the present study, characteristics like age, gender, group size, child holding, child carrying, people with luggage and without luggage are considered for crowd behaviour analysis. The average speed of the crowd movement was observed as 0.86 m/s. The statistical analysis concluded that there was a significant effect of age, gender, density and luggage on the crowd walking speed. Multi-linear regression (MLR) model was developed between crowd speed and significant factors observed from the statistical analysis. Location 1 data was used for the model development. This developed model was validated using Location 2 data. Gender has more significant effect on speed followed by luggage and age. This study helps in proper dispersal of crowd in a planned manner to that of diversified directional flow that exist during crowd gathering events.