Layout effects of multi-exit ticket-inspectors on pedestrian evacuation

The layout effects of multi-exit ticket-inspectors on pedestrian evacuation were investigated using a modified cellular automaton model for the first time. Besides the main static floor field, an extra sub-static floor field was introduced to describe the exit-selection behaviour more accurately. The effects of the spatial distances from evacuees to the exits and the occupant densities around the exits upon the exit-selection process were studied. The model parameters were calibrated using experimental data. The results show that the layout of ticket-inspectors has significant effects on evacuation efficiency. In high density situations The Concave layout gives the maximum flow rate, while the Convex one gives the minimum most likely due to the heterogeneous distribution. Various layouts lead to different flow distributions, which determine the difficulty of reaching an exit. Pedestrians compete frequently at medium crowd density. The Convex layout gives the most frequent competition, while The Concave one leads to the least. This work can be helpful for the design of multiple exits and the management of large-scale crowds.