Walking behavior of high school students during stair descent under normal conditions

Abstract Understanding pedestrian movement behavior on stairways is essential for optimizing staircase design, pedestrian flow management, and safety planning, particularly in high-density environments such as schools. While previous studies have examined pedestrian walking behavior on stairs, limited research has focused on how high school students’ characteristics influence their movement during stair descent. This study investigates the stair descent behavior of high school students under normal conditions in a natural school setting, focusing on the influence of pedestrian density, spatial position, and group walking behavior on movement speed. A field study was conducted, in which students’ movement characteristics were analyzed using video recordings to capture real-world pedestrian dynamics. The results reveal significant variations in walking behavior across different stair sections and density conditions, as well as the impact of group behavior on stair descent. Specifically, higher pedestrian density significantly reduces walking speed, highlighting the restrictive effects of congestion. Additionally, spatial positioning plays a critical role, as students walking on the outer side of the stairs exhibit higher speeds, while those on the inner side experience increased congestion and slower movement. The spatiotemporal distribution of descent speed illustrates the propagation of traffic waves upward, demonstrating the influence of density on pedestrian flow stability. Furthermore, group walking behavior is found to be a key factor in movement efficiency, with larger groups exhibiting slower speeds due to greater coordination and interaction demands. These findings provide valuable insights into pedestrian dynamics on stairways, with important implications for the design and management of school staircases and other public infrastructure.