The Effect of Wheelchair Users on the Egress Time of Pedestrian Crowds: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis.
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| Title: | The Effect of Wheelchair Users on the Egress Time of Pedestrian Crowds: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Geoerg, Paul1,2 (AUTHOR) paul.geoerg@akkon-hochschule.de, Bode, Nikolai W. F.3 (AUTHOR) nikolai.bode@bristol.ac.uk, Berthiaume, Maxine4,5 (AUTHOR), Kinateder, Max4 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Fire Technology. Nov2025, Vol. 61 Issue 6, p4331-4348. 18p. |
| Subjects: | Wheelchairs, Crowds, Comparative studies, Demographic characteristics, Safety, Individual differences |
| Abstract: | Egress time, or how long it takes a pedestrian crowd to pass through a bottleneck during egress, is a crucial metric for safety and capacity considerations. It has been suggested that heterogeneity in the composition of pedestrian crowds - such as variability in mobility, age, or the presence of social groups - could affect egress times. However, only a few empirical studies have addressed this issue. To solidify insights from the existing empirical evidence, we present a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to quantify if the presence of wheelchair users in pedestrian crowds increases egress times. We identified nine studies, all based on controlled experiments, that used a comparable layout in which groups of participants had to move through a bottleneck and compared conditions with and without wheelchair users present. The meta-analysis confirmed the findings from the individual studies. The difference in egress time between conditions with wheelchair users present and those without was close to three standard deviations, indicating a strong effect. We found no evidence for publication bias, such as the under-reporting of non-significant findings. Our work presents a quantitative basis for adjusting expected egress times depending on occupant characteristics. It suggests that the behavioural consequences of crowd heterogeneity are safety relevant and require further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Fire Technology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 189910003 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The Effect of Wheelchair Users on the Egress Time of Pedestrian Crowds: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Geoerg%2C+Paul%22">Geoerg, Paul</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> paul.geoerg@akkon-hochschule.de</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bode%2C+Nikolai+W%2E+F%2E%22">Bode, Nikolai W. F.</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> nikolai.bode@bristol.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Berthiaume%2C+Maxine%22">Berthiaume, Maxine</searchLink><relatesTo>4,5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kinateder%2C+Max%22">Kinateder, Max</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Fire+Technology%22">Fire Technology</searchLink>. Nov2025, Vol. 61 Issue 6, p4331-4348. 18p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Wheelchairs%22">Wheelchairs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Crowds%22">Crowds</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Comparative+studies%22">Comparative studies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Demographic+characteristics%22">Demographic characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Safety%22">Safety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Individual+differences%22">Individual differences</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Egress time, or how long it takes a pedestrian crowd to pass through a bottleneck during egress, is a crucial metric for safety and capacity considerations. It has been suggested that heterogeneity in the composition of pedestrian crowds - such as variability in mobility, age, or the presence of social groups - could affect egress times. However, only a few empirical studies have addressed this issue. To solidify insights from the existing empirical evidence, we present a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to quantify if the presence of wheelchair users in pedestrian crowds increases egress times. We identified nine studies, all based on controlled experiments, that used a comparable layout in which groups of participants had to move through a bottleneck and compared conditions with and without wheelchair users present. The meta-analysis confirmed the findings from the individual studies. The difference in egress time between conditions with wheelchair users present and those without was close to three standard deviations, indicating a strong effect. We found no evidence for publication bias, such as the under-reporting of non-significant findings. Our work presents a quantitative basis for adjusting expected egress times depending on occupant characteristics. It suggests that the behavioural consequences of crowd heterogeneity are safety relevant and require further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Fire Technology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=189910003 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s10694-025-01740-y Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 18 StartPage: 4331 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Wheelchairs Type: general – SubjectFull: Crowds Type: general – SubjectFull: Comparative studies Type: general – SubjectFull: Demographic characteristics Type: general – SubjectFull: Safety Type: general – SubjectFull: Individual differences Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The Effect of Wheelchair Users on the Egress Time of Pedestrian Crowds: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Geoerg, Paul – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Bode, Nikolai W. F. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Berthiaume, Maxine – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kinateder, Max IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 11 Text: Nov2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00152684 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 61 – Type: issue Value: 6 Titles: – TitleFull: Fire Technology Type: main |
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