Micro and Macro Pedestrian Dynamics in Counterflow: The Impact of Social Group

Although it is widely recognised that the presence of groups influences microscopic and aggregated pedestrian dynamics, a precise characterisation of the phenomenon still calls for evidences and insights. The present paper describes micro- and macro-level original analyses on data characterising pedestrian behaviour in the presence of counterflows and grouping, in particular dyads, acquired through controlled experiments. Results suggest that the presence of dyads and their tendency to walk in a line-abreast formation influences the formation of lanes and, in turn, aggregated observables, such as overall specific flow.