Pedestrian Modelling and Simulation
Pedestrian modelling simulates how people move through a built environment before that environment is built. At SALT we use it as a decision-making tool rather than a compliance exercise, testing design, safety and operations against evidence instead of assumption. Our work spans rail stations, airports, stadiums, hospitals, campuses and mixed-use precincts across Australia and overseas.
What is pedestrian modelling?
Pedestrian modelling is the simulation and analysis of people moving through a space, measuring flow rates, walking speeds, crowd density, queue lengths and clearance times. It answers questions a floor plan cannot: where crowds will bank up, how long a platform takes to clear, whether a concourse holds up on a match day, and how fast a building empties in an emergency.
Most projects need more than a heat map. We treat pedestrian analysis as engineering, so every output ties back to a design decision, a cost, or a safety requirement someone has to sign off.
Pedestrian modelling techniques we use
We match the method to the question. Not every project needs a full simulation, and paying for one when a first-principles check would do is wasted budget.
Static first-principles modelling
Spreadsheet and capacity-based analysis for rapid, early-stage assessments and high-level spatial planning. Best used at concept and options stage, when you need to size a concourse, corridor or stair before the design is fixed.
Microsimulation modelling
Agent-based simulation in industry-standard software including LEGION and MassMotion, where every person is modelled individually over time. This is the tool for complex environments, crowd behaviour, interchange movements and evacuation scenarios, and it produces the performance evidence approval authorities expect.
Pedestrian egress and evacuation modelling
Egress modelling tests how quickly and safely people can leave a building or precinct under emergency conditions. We model evacuation scenarios alongside fire engineering strategies, comparing required safe egress time against available safe egress time, and identifying the stairs, doors and refuge areas that govern the result.
This work supports performance-based fire safety strategies and regulatory approvals, and it works best when it starts early. Egress problems found after the structure is set are expensive to fix.
Where pedestrian modelling adds value
- Business case and feasibility. Quantify improvements to connectivity, pedestrian flow and congestion relief to support capital investment decisions and economic cases.
- Risk mitigation. Find bottlenecks and safety issues during design, before they turn into delivery delays and variations on site.
- Design and wayfinding optimisation. Right-size facility footprints and test signage and wayfinding with visual and quantitative simulations, reducing construction cost while improving the experience for users. This pairs closely with master planning work.
- Operations and construction staging. Keep sites safe and operating through temporary works, special events and degraded operating conditions, feeding directly into traffic management plans.
- Emergency egress and life safety. Model evacuation and fire safety scenarios to meet regulatory standards and satisfy certifiers.
- Commercial and retail performance. Use footfall and crowd movement analysis to place retail tenancies and advertising where the people actually are.
Why SALT?
Pedestrians are not vehicles, and methods borrowed from road traffic analysis produce answers that look precise and behave badly in the real world. Our approach is pragmatic and built around the outcome you need to defend.
- Decisions, not deliverables. We turn modelling output into clear recommendations that planners, designers and operators can act on.
- Movement and Place. Throughput is one measure. We also assess how people experience a space, so the result is safe, comfortable and easy to navigate.
- Systems thinking. Technical analysis sits next to the social, cultural and operational realities of the site, because a model that ignores how a place is actually used will mislead you.
- Integrated expertise. Specialist pedestrian simulation capability sits inside SALT’s wider traffic engineering and transport team, so pedestrian, vehicle and traffic modelling questions are answered together rather than in separate silos.
Track record and project experience
Our specialist team has delivered pedestrian modelling for major, city-shaping infrastructure across Australia and internationally.
Rail and stations
Sydney Metro, Cross River Rail, Level Crossing Removal Project, BART Silicon Valley Extension, Amtrak Emergency Management, Singapore MRT Eastern Region Line.
Aviation
Melbourne Airport T2 Redevelopment, Brisbane International Airport Expansion, Sydney Airport Taxi Rank.
Leisure and major events
National Gallery of Victoria Contemporary, Questacon, Armstrong Creek Sports Centre, New Yankee Stadium.
Buildings and precincts
Deakin University RISE Precinct, Santa Sophia Catholic College, Chifley Tower Development, Easing Sydney’s Congestion.
What our clients say
Your team has been fundamental to the successful delivery of a challenging project in a live operational airport environment… creating a project delivered ahead of schedule and under budget.
Project Leader, Laing O’Rourke (Brisbane International Airport Expansion)
The detail was excellent and exceeded requirements and expectations relative to the final product of the models. Heads and tails above any other competition.
Chief Capital Programs, Amtrak Police Department (Amtrak Emergency Management)
Pass on to the guys producing the report my thanks for the clarity of the report. It seems rare to read an engineering-based document that is so clear in guidance, outcomes and direction.
Project Manager, Roads and Maritime Services (Easing Sydney’s Congestion)
Pedestrian modelling FAQs
What software do you use for pedestrian modelling?
We use LEGION and MassMotion for agent-based microsimulation, and first-principles capacity analysis where a full simulation is not warranted. The software is chosen to suit the question and the approval pathway, not the other way around.
What is the difference between static and microsimulation pedestrian modelling?
Static first-principles modelling calculates capacity and space requirements from established flow rates, and suits early concept and options work. Microsimulation models each person individually over time, capturing queuing, congestion and interaction effects that a static calculation cannot represent.
Is pedestrian modelling the same as traffic modelling?
No. Traffic modelling analyses vehicles on a road network, using intersection capacity and network assignment methods. Pedestrian modelling analyses people on foot, who choose their own routes, move around each other and behave very differently in crowds. SALT does both, and they are separate pieces of work.
When should pedestrian modelling start on a project?
As early as the concept stage. Early static analysis sizes the space correctly while changes are still cheap, and microsimulation later in design confirms the result and supports approvals. Modelling brought in after documentation is locked usually finds problems that are costly to resolve.
Can pedestrian modelling be used for evacuation and fire safety approvals?
Yes. Evacuation and egress simulation is regularly used to support performance-based fire safety strategies. We work with fire engineers so the pedestrian model and the fire strategy use consistent assumptions and the outputs stand up to review.
Talk to our pedestrian modelling team
If your project depends on people moving through it safely and efficiently, we can model it and tell you what the numbers mean. Contact SALT to discuss your project, or send an enquiry using the form below.