´How Do We Wait?´ - Fundamentals, Characteristics, and Modelling Implications

Pedestrian simulation models predominantly focus on the flow or motion of agents. However, in many real-world scenarios a large amount of pedestrians´ time is spent waiting. Furthermore, the initial spatial distribution of visitors of a mass event may contribute significantly to the overall evacuation time. In this paper, we discuss social science concepts related to waiting, such as personal space requirements, and identify relevant aspects for the modeling of pedestrian behavior. With this background, we develop measures and hypotheses for pedestrian waiting behavior and apply them to a field observation of a train station platform in Vienna. We discuss implications for modeling approaches to waiting, which could be an important future extension to pedestrian simulations.