Movement Characteristics of Processions

Processions are a scientifically not much investigated traffic system. Recent studies found that the first participant in the Cologne Rose Monday parade has a remarkable higher travel time than the last participant. The velocity profiles of the participants are explained by the constant moving vehicle driving ahead of the parade leaving the pathway and partly due to a spatial contraction of the parade during the procession. This contribution compares the traffic kinematics of the Cologne Rose Monday parade in Germany with other processions (Schuetzenausmarsch Hanover 2017, Niederrheinischer Kinderkarnevalsumzug 2018). The kinematics of these processions were analysed based on GPS data from participants. Their kinematics differ from those of the Cologne Rose Monday parade. In general, the observations depend on the size of a procession, the length of its pathway, the composition of the procession and especially on the catching up behaviour, of the participants, when gaps occur in front of them. Furthermore, we examine the influence of the pathway on the traffic flow. This can be used to choose a parade’s pathway avoiding flow reducing infrastructure characteristics like traffic area transitions, narrow curves etc. In summary, this work extends the understanding of the kinematics of processions. It can serve as a basis upon which the parade’s movement can be predicted and so the duration of such events can be estimated better.