Many people think that the fastest way to get out of a restricted area, such as a sportsground, is to follow the people in the centre of the group. However, as Graeme Quirk explained, crowds are not like grains of sand in an egg timer, where the fastest flow is through the central axis. Crowds are made up of thinking individuals all competing for an opening. Graeme’s advice is to move to the edge of the crowd, because at the edge you have fewer encounters with other people and your progress is most rapid.
When it comes to crowd dynamics, the Colosseum in Rome was one of the most efficient sporting arenas ever built. Constructed around 2,000 years ago, it had 80 entrances and exits. Each spectator was issued with a ticket, which had an entrance number, level and seat number. It is said that 50,000 people could both enter and exit the Colosseum in an amazingly short amount of time.
