Yanxi Hao

During peak hours, the large-scale and spatiotemporal imbalance of passenger flow in subway stations results in passenger crowding, queuing issues, and uneven utilization of facility capacities. These problems not only decrease the overall throughput efficiency of the station but also increase safety risks related to large passenger gatherings. This research constructed a pedestrian facility network for subway station access and egress by defining minimum capacity control units of node facilities (including station entrances/exits, fare gates, security check machines, and staircases/escalators) as network nodes and the connecting channels among these nodes were assumed as edges. With the optimization objectives of minimizing both the average walking time of passengers in the pedestrian facility network and the risk of passenger flow aggregation at nodes, an integrated optimization model for passenger flow control and service capacity configuration in the pedestrian facility network of subway stations is established. The ε-constraint method is employed to transform it into a single-objective linear integer programming model, which is then directly solved using the Gurobi optimizer version 11.0. The following conclusion were drawn form a case study on the National Convention and Exhibition Center Station of Shanghai Metro: compared with pre-optimization conditions, the optimized solution reduced the average walking time of access/egress passengers during peak hours by 11%, decreased the number of nodes with queue overflow by 76%, lowered node-level crowding risks by 45%, and reduced facility supply–demand balance standard deviation by 22.8%. Compared to single-objective optimization approaches, the proposed method only increased the average walking time by 8% while decreasing the number of overflow-prone nodes by 60% and crowding risk by 26.1%. These findings provided scientific support for the formulation of crowd management strategies and optimization of operational control in subway stations under heavy passenger flow conditions.

To determine a better combination of signs and markings on expressway tunnel entrance sections, three types of typical signs and markings were compared and tested according to five indicators: speed, lane lateral offset, lane change behavior, fixation behavior, and operating load, using a driving simulator. The results identified that the obvious no overtaking and speed limit signs, combined with a layer of thin red pavement, had the most influence on drivers’ speed, and they led to the highest fixation frequency of static facilities, the longest average distance from the completion point of the lane change to the entrance, and the longest average lane change distance, which could help drivers to pass through tunnel entrance sections more smoothly. The location of the static facilities should be between 3 s before the tunnel entrance and 3 s after entering the tunnel, as this is the area where a driver’s relative viewpoint changes. The improper combination of warning signs and deceleration measures will affect a driver’s judgment, causing negative effects, such as premature lane changes and an increased operating load. The research results can provide a design basis and reference for the combination setting of safety signs and markings on tunnel entrance sections.