Enjoy major public events - safely and securely!
Information for increased safety and security - animation made by PTV shows escape routes
Concepts for effectively handling emergency situations are essential to cope with the increasing number of people attending major public events and a changing climate with increased severe weather. Visitor security is just as important a matter for the festival organizers as the performing artists. The past several weeks have clearly shown that they also have to be prepared to cope with extremely bad weather, like thunderstorms. In these emergency situations it is important to know how to safely guide the fans from the stage area to the exits.
This year for the first time, an LED screen was displayed next to the stage which not only showed the performing artists but all relevant security aspects as well.
An animation made by PTV AG showed how attendees can quickly find their way to the exits within the festival zone. The aim was to improve the distribution of visitors hurrying towards the exits in panic situations and to avoid crowds of people at the main entrance.
The animation is based on PTV's VISSIM module, a component of the PTV Vision software suite for transportation planning. The new pedestrian simulation feature integrated into VISSIM helps to realistically display how pedestrians and vehicles interact. The novel software solution was used for the first time at the festival in Karlsruhe. This was a relatively small project, but the module is also an ideal tool for a wide range of other simulation tasks. ''At major events, like ''Das Fest'' hundreds of people will stream from the trams, buses and cars to the pedestrian crossings. Some will just go ahead and cross them, while others will wait for the light. Even these difficult scenarios can be modeled in the simulation“, says Dr. Tobias Kretz, Product Manager Pedestrian Simulation.. ''Professional event organizers are thus able to evaluate traffic and pedestrian flows expected within the limits of a given infrastructure. Using the simulation results, urban planners and event managers can jointly design attractive concepts for major events that are both environmentally and socially acceptable. It is also possible to derive traffic planning measures and structural and organizational preparations from the simulation necessary to plan and carry out evacuations in an orderly fashion“, explains Tobias Kretz.
The new software helps to simulate possible event or evacuation scenarios. Additionally, in modern city planning, urban planners are focusing more and more on pedestrians' needs. If these needs are considered during the initial planning process, city planners will produce higher quality results that support the development of walkable communities.
Finally, VISSIM, with all its visualization capabilities, is a helpful tool for architects and other people involved in urban planning for presenting their plans to the public in an appealing, intuitive format. ''Visualizing traffic planning results for laypeople and decision makers is a major feature of our software,'' says Kretz. If, for example, a city is planning to install a traffic-calming measure to make a square more pedestrian-friendly, the program allows users to determine the impact on traffic and initiate the required construction. In this context, it is important to not only provide urban planners with the appropriate information, but also to make such information understandable for members of the community in order to involve them in the further development of their life space.
Since the annual “Das Fest” festival will remain a highlight of Karlsruhe's cultural life, urban planners will further concentrate on traffic- and safety-related aspects. PTV's software products can help create sustainable concepts - for all kinds of situations.
