Modeling Routing Choices in Unidirectional Pedestrian Flows

In this work we present a simple routing model capable of capturing pedestrians path choices in the presence of a herding effect. The model is tested and validated against data from a large scale tracking campaign which we have conducted during the GLOW 2019 festival. The choice between alternative paths is modeled as an individual cost minimization procedure, with the cost function being associated to the (estimated) traveling time. In order to trigger herding effects the cost function is supplemented with a penalty term, modulated as a function of the fraction of pedestrians walking along each route. The model is shown to provide an accurate quantitative description of the decision process.