#pedestriantraffic — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #pedestriantraffic, aggregated by home.social.
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DATE: May 15, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Scientists just revealed a strange quirk in how we exit train stations
URL: https://www.psypost.org/scientists-just-revealed-a-strange-quirk-in-how-we-exit-train-stations/
An analysis of data collected by a pedestrian tracking system at the Eindhoven Centraal Railway Station in the Netherlands found that, after exiting a train, individuals tend to follow the same walking path as the person directly in front of them. This happens even when they do not know that person and even when such a choice leads to a longer travel time. The research was published in the *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*.
When walking in crowded spaces such as busy streets, train or bus stations, airports, or mass gatherings, people generally try to reach their destination while avoiding obstacles, delays, collisions, and discomfort. Their route is shaped by physical features such as walls, doors, stairs, kiosks, corridors, signs, and bottlenecks. They also respond to crowd density, often avoiding areas that look too congested or slow.
Walking paths are likely influenced by perceived travel time, not only by actual distance, because a shorter route may feel worse if it is crowded. Also, being in a crowd forces people to continuously adjust their speed and direction in response to others moving around them. In such situations, they often follow visible flows of pedestrians because other people’s movement gives information about where a usable path may be. Social groups, such as friends or family members, also shape walking paths because members tend to stay together and follow the same route.
Study author Ziqi Wang and his colleagues used a large-scale, high-resolution dataset of pedestrian paths collected at tracks 3 and 4 of Eindhoven Centraal Railway Station using an advanced overhead pedestrian tracking system based on 3D stereoscopic imaging.
These sensors covered about 1400 m2 of the station, capturing data at 10 frames per second using overhead depth sensing without recording identifiable images of pedestrians. The system also provided very high spatial resolution, being able to detect changes of around 1 millimeter. In total, between March 2021 and March 2024, the system captured over 30 million pedestrian movement trajectories. This included people disembarking from the trains and the people already present on the platform.
In this analysis, the study authors focused on a subset of pedestrian trajectories where individuals, after getting off a train, had to choose between taking a direct, shorter path to the exit and a longer path that involved circumventing a kiosk in the middle of the platform. The authors analyzed the paths of passengers who exited the train from three specific door zones, including approximately 100,000 passengers.
To ensure they were studying the interactions between strangers rather than people traveling together, the researchers developed a mathematical algorithm to detect social groups. This system analyzed how close people were to each other, how much they matched each other’s speed, and if they moved in the same direction. Once these groups were identified and filtered out, the researchers could focus solely on independent pedestrians.
For each passenger included in the analysis, the study authors recorded their choice of route after exiting the train and the relative order in which they exited. This allowed them to study how individuals and crowds decide what path to take in the presence of congestion, differences in how the space is organized, and how local social dynamics—especially among strangers—affect those choices.
The results showed that, after exiting the train, passengers demonstrated a strong tendency to follow the same path as the person directly in front of them. This “stranger-following effect” happened even in the absence of any social ties, and even when following the stranger led to a longer travel time.
The study authors note that this tendency creates “avalanches” of choices, where sequences of people make identical decisions about their walking paths in succession, leading to strong patterns in collective movement.
To confirm these findings, the researchers built a theoretical routing model to simulate pedestrian behavior. They tested various factors, such as the natural randomness of walking speeds and the tendency of people to follow the majority (herding). However, they found that only by including the “stranger-following effect” could the model accurately reproduce the real-world patterns observed at the station. This indicates that local imitation behavior is the dominant driver of collective route choices in this scenario.
“These findings highlight how brief, low-level interactions between strangers can scale up to influence large-scale pedestrian movement, with strong implications for crowd management, urban design, and the broader understanding of social behavior in public spaces,” the study authors concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of how people choose their paths in crowded areas. However, it should be noted that the study was based on data concerning the movements of passengers exiting trains at three relatively fixed positions and moving towards the station exit. This situation greatly simplified and constrained the routing choices people could make. Results in environments with wider routing and end-goal options might differ.
The paper, “Avalanches of choice: how stranger-to-stranger interactions shape crowd dynamics,” was authored by Ziqi Wang, Alessandro Gabbana, and Federico Toschi.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/scientists-just-revealed-a-strange-quirk-in-how-we-exit-train-stations/
-------------------------------------------------
DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #StrangerFollowing #PedestrianDynamics #CrowdBehavior #UrbanMobility #CrowdManagement #PedestrianTraffic #AvalanchesOfChoice #SocialImitation #InstituteOfScience #PublicSpaceDesign
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DATE: May 15, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Scientists just revealed a strange quirk in how we exit train stations
URL: https://www.psypost.org/scientists-just-revealed-a-strange-quirk-in-how-we-exit-train-stations/
An analysis of data collected by a pedestrian tracking system at the Eindhoven Centraal Railway Station in the Netherlands found that, after exiting a train, individuals tend to follow the same walking path as the person directly in front of them. This happens even when they do not know that person and even when such a choice leads to a longer travel time. The research was published in the *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*.
When walking in crowded spaces such as busy streets, train or bus stations, airports, or mass gatherings, people generally try to reach their destination while avoiding obstacles, delays, collisions, and discomfort. Their route is shaped by physical features such as walls, doors, stairs, kiosks, corridors, signs, and bottlenecks. They also respond to crowd density, often avoiding areas that look too congested or slow.
Walking paths are likely influenced by perceived travel time, not only by actual distance, because a shorter route may feel worse if it is crowded. Also, being in a crowd forces people to continuously adjust their speed and direction in response to others moving around them. In such situations, they often follow visible flows of pedestrians because other people’s movement gives information about where a usable path may be. Social groups, such as friends or family members, also shape walking paths because members tend to stay together and follow the same route.
Study author Ziqi Wang and his colleagues used a large-scale, high-resolution dataset of pedestrian paths collected at tracks 3 and 4 of Eindhoven Centraal Railway Station using an advanced overhead pedestrian tracking system based on 3D stereoscopic imaging.
These sensors covered about 1400 m2 of the station, capturing data at 10 frames per second using overhead depth sensing without recording identifiable images of pedestrians. The system also provided very high spatial resolution, being able to detect changes of around 1 millimeter. In total, between March 2021 and March 2024, the system captured over 30 million pedestrian movement trajectories. This included people disembarking from the trains and the people already present on the platform.
In this analysis, the study authors focused on a subset of pedestrian trajectories where individuals, after getting off a train, had to choose between taking a direct, shorter path to the exit and a longer path that involved circumventing a kiosk in the middle of the platform. The authors analyzed the paths of passengers who exited the train from three specific door zones, including approximately 100,000 passengers.
To ensure they were studying the interactions between strangers rather than people traveling together, the researchers developed a mathematical algorithm to detect social groups. This system analyzed how close people were to each other, how much they matched each other’s speed, and if they moved in the same direction. Once these groups were identified and filtered out, the researchers could focus solely on independent pedestrians.
For each passenger included in the analysis, the study authors recorded their choice of route after exiting the train and the relative order in which they exited. This allowed them to study how individuals and crowds decide what path to take in the presence of congestion, differences in how the space is organized, and how local social dynamics—especially among strangers—affect those choices.
The results showed that, after exiting the train, passengers demonstrated a strong tendency to follow the same path as the person directly in front of them. This “stranger-following effect” happened even in the absence of any social ties, and even when following the stranger led to a longer travel time.
The study authors note that this tendency creates “avalanches” of choices, where sequences of people make identical decisions about their walking paths in succession, leading to strong patterns in collective movement.
To confirm these findings, the researchers built a theoretical routing model to simulate pedestrian behavior. They tested various factors, such as the natural randomness of walking speeds and the tendency of people to follow the majority (herding). However, they found that only by including the “stranger-following effect” could the model accurately reproduce the real-world patterns observed at the station. This indicates that local imitation behavior is the dominant driver of collective route choices in this scenario.
“These findings highlight how brief, low-level interactions between strangers can scale up to influence large-scale pedestrian movement, with strong implications for crowd management, urban design, and the broader understanding of social behavior in public spaces,” the study authors concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of how people choose their paths in crowded areas. However, it should be noted that the study was based on data concerning the movements of passengers exiting trains at three relatively fixed positions and moving towards the station exit. This situation greatly simplified and constrained the routing choices people could make. Results in environments with wider routing and end-goal options might differ.
The paper, “Avalanches of choice: how stranger-to-stranger interactions shape crowd dynamics,” was authored by Ziqi Wang, Alessandro Gabbana, and Federico Toschi.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/scientists-just-revealed-a-strange-quirk-in-how-we-exit-train-stations/
-------------------------------------------------
DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #StrangerFollowing #PedestrianDynamics #CrowdBehavior #UrbanMobility #CrowdManagement #PedestrianTraffic #AvalanchesOfChoice #SocialImitation #InstituteOfScience #PublicSpaceDesign
-
DATE: May 15, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Scientists just revealed a strange quirk in how we exit train stations
URL: https://www.psypost.org/scientists-just-revealed-a-strange-quirk-in-how-we-exit-train-stations/
An analysis of data collected by a pedestrian tracking system at the Eindhoven Centraal Railway Station in the Netherlands found that, after exiting a train, individuals tend to follow the same walking path as the person directly in front of them. This happens even when they do not know that person and even when such a choice leads to a longer travel time. The research was published in the *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*.
When walking in crowded spaces such as busy streets, train or bus stations, airports, or mass gatherings, people generally try to reach their destination while avoiding obstacles, delays, collisions, and discomfort. Their route is shaped by physical features such as walls, doors, stairs, kiosks, corridors, signs, and bottlenecks. They also respond to crowd density, often avoiding areas that look too congested or slow.
Walking paths are likely influenced by perceived travel time, not only by actual distance, because a shorter route may feel worse if it is crowded. Also, being in a crowd forces people to continuously adjust their speed and direction in response to others moving around them. In such situations, they often follow visible flows of pedestrians because other people’s movement gives information about where a usable path may be. Social groups, such as friends or family members, also shape walking paths because members tend to stay together and follow the same route.
Study author Ziqi Wang and his colleagues used a large-scale, high-resolution dataset of pedestrian paths collected at tracks 3 and 4 of Eindhoven Centraal Railway Station using an advanced overhead pedestrian tracking system based on 3D stereoscopic imaging.
These sensors covered about 1400 m2 of the station, capturing data at 10 frames per second using overhead depth sensing without recording identifiable images of pedestrians. The system also provided very high spatial resolution, being able to detect changes of around 1 millimeter. In total, between March 2021 and March 2024, the system captured over 30 million pedestrian movement trajectories. This included people disembarking from the trains and the people already present on the platform.
In this analysis, the study authors focused on a subset of pedestrian trajectories where individuals, after getting off a train, had to choose between taking a direct, shorter path to the exit and a longer path that involved circumventing a kiosk in the middle of the platform. The authors analyzed the paths of passengers who exited the train from three specific door zones, including approximately 100,000 passengers.
To ensure they were studying the interactions between strangers rather than people traveling together, the researchers developed a mathematical algorithm to detect social groups. This system analyzed how close people were to each other, how much they matched each other’s speed, and if they moved in the same direction. Once these groups were identified and filtered out, the researchers could focus solely on independent pedestrians.
For each passenger included in the analysis, the study authors recorded their choice of route after exiting the train and the relative order in which they exited. This allowed them to study how individuals and crowds decide what path to take in the presence of congestion, differences in how the space is organized, and how local social dynamics—especially among strangers—affect those choices.
The results showed that, after exiting the train, passengers demonstrated a strong tendency to follow the same path as the person directly in front of them. This “stranger-following effect” happened even in the absence of any social ties, and even when following the stranger led to a longer travel time.
The study authors note that this tendency creates “avalanches” of choices, where sequences of people make identical decisions about their walking paths in succession, leading to strong patterns in collective movement.
To confirm these findings, the researchers built a theoretical routing model to simulate pedestrian behavior. They tested various factors, such as the natural randomness of walking speeds and the tendency of people to follow the majority (herding). However, they found that only by including the “stranger-following effect” could the model accurately reproduce the real-world patterns observed at the station. This indicates that local imitation behavior is the dominant driver of collective route choices in this scenario.
“These findings highlight how brief, low-level interactions between strangers can scale up to influence large-scale pedestrian movement, with strong implications for crowd management, urban design, and the broader understanding of social behavior in public spaces,” the study authors concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of how people choose their paths in crowded areas. However, it should be noted that the study was based on data concerning the movements of passengers exiting trains at three relatively fixed positions and moving towards the station exit. This situation greatly simplified and constrained the routing choices people could make. Results in environments with wider routing and end-goal options might differ.
The paper, “Avalanches of choice: how stranger-to-stranger interactions shape crowd dynamics,” was authored by Ziqi Wang, Alessandro Gabbana, and Federico Toschi.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/scientists-just-revealed-a-strange-quirk-in-how-we-exit-train-stations/
-------------------------------------------------
DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #StrangerFollowing #PedestrianDynamics #CrowdBehavior #UrbanMobility #CrowdManagement #PedestrianTraffic #AvalanchesOfChoice #SocialImitation #InstituteOfScience #PublicSpaceDesign
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https://www.europesays.com/ie/461097/ Law enforcement ramps up across El Paso ahead of busy weekend #Éire #ElPasoCountySheriff’sOffice #Entertainment #IE #Ireland #LawEnforcementAgencies #Music #PedestrianTraffic #UniversityOfTexasAtElPaso #UTEP #VehicularTraffic
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Slovakia introduces speed limit for pedestrians https://www.byteseu.com/1507472/ #Featured #LawAmendments #PedestrianTraffic #RoadSafety #Slovakia #TrafficAccident
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Dayton prepares to welcome NATO Assembly, showcasing city’s beauty and rich legacy https://www.byteseu.com/1033024/ #Beauty #CulturalEvents #Dayton #DowntownDaytonPartnership #Europe #legacy #NATO #NATOAssembly #PedestrianTraffic #PublicForums
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State by State Pending and recently passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Utah
SB 173: Criminal penalties for protests that disturb legislative or other government meetings
Creates new potential penalties for individuals protesting convenings of the legislature or other meetings of government officials. The law expands "disorderly conduct" to include a person who recklessly causes public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm by making "unreasonable noises" at an official meeting or in a private place that can be heard at an official meeting. "#DisorderlyConduct" also includes obstructing #PedestrianTraffic at an official meeting or refusing to leave an official meeting when asked by law enforcement. The law also increases the penalty for disorderly conduct, such that it is punishable by a $750 fine on the first offense (an infraction), up to 3 months in jail if a person was warned to cease prohibited conduct (Class C misdemeanor), up to 6 months for a second offense (Class B misdemeanor), and up to 1 year for a third offense (Class A misdemeanor). Accordingly, the law could, for example, be used to penalize silent protesters who refuse to leave a legislative committee meeting. An earlier version of the bill explicitly made it unlawful to commit even a "single, loud outburst, absent other disruptive conduct, that does not exceed five seconds in length."
Full text of bill:
https://le.utah.gov/~2020/bills/static/SB0173.htmlStatus: enacted
Introduced 24 Feb 2020; Approved by Senate 5 March 2020; Approved by House 12 March 2020; Signed by Governor 30 March 2020
HB 370: New Penalties for Protests Near #Pipelines, #Roadways, and other #Infrastructure
**Note: This bill was amended prior to its passage, and provisions that would have covered peaceful protest activity were significantly narrowed.** As introduced, the bill would have created new potential criminal liability for protesters in many locations by criminalizing acts that "inhibit" or "impede" critical infrastructure facilities. The bill's original text had a sweeping definition of "critical infrastructure facility" that included highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, financial systems, and energy infrastructure including pipelines--whether under construction or operational. The bill created a new felony offense for "inhibiting," or "impeding" the facility, its equipment, or operation, such that protesters who intentionally inhibited or impeded the operation of a roadway or construction of a pipeline could have faced life in prison. Amendments to the bill substantially narrowed the offense, however. The enacted law criminalizes "substantially... inhibiting or impeding" the operation of critical infrastructure only if doing so "causes widespread injury or damage to persons or property." Amendments also narrowed the definition of "critical infrastructure facility," including by removing highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, and financial systems from the definition.
Full text here:
https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/HB0370.htmlStatus: enacted with improvements
Introduced 3 Feb 2023; Approved by House 14 February 2023; Approved by Senate 28 February 2023; Signed by Governor Cox 14 March 2023
Issue(s): Infrastructure, #TrafficInterference
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #PipelineProtests -
State by State Pending and recently passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Utah
SB 173: Criminal penalties for protests that disturb legislative or other government meetings
Creates new potential penalties for individuals protesting convenings of the legislature or other meetings of government officials. The law expands "disorderly conduct" to include a person who recklessly causes public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm by making "unreasonable noises" at an official meeting or in a private place that can be heard at an official meeting. "#DisorderlyConduct" also includes obstructing #PedestrianTraffic at an official meeting or refusing to leave an official meeting when asked by law enforcement. The law also increases the penalty for disorderly conduct, such that it is punishable by a $750 fine on the first offense (an infraction), up to 3 months in jail if a person was warned to cease prohibited conduct (Class C misdemeanor), up to 6 months for a second offense (Class B misdemeanor), and up to 1 year for a third offense (Class A misdemeanor). Accordingly, the law could, for example, be used to penalize silent protesters who refuse to leave a legislative committee meeting. An earlier version of the bill explicitly made it unlawful to commit even a "single, loud outburst, absent other disruptive conduct, that does not exceed five seconds in length."
Full text of bill:
https://le.utah.gov/~2020/bills/static/SB0173.htmlStatus: enacted
Introduced 24 Feb 2020; Approved by Senate 5 March 2020; Approved by House 12 March 2020; Signed by Governor 30 March 2020
HB 370: New Penalties for Protests Near #Pipelines, #Roadways, and other #Infrastructure
**Note: This bill was amended prior to its passage, and provisions that would have covered peaceful protest activity were significantly narrowed.** As introduced, the bill would have created new potential criminal liability for protesters in many locations by criminalizing acts that "inhibit" or "impede" critical infrastructure facilities. The bill's original text had a sweeping definition of "critical infrastructure facility" that included highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, financial systems, and energy infrastructure including pipelines--whether under construction or operational. The bill created a new felony offense for "inhibiting," or "impeding" the facility, its equipment, or operation, such that protesters who intentionally inhibited or impeded the operation of a roadway or construction of a pipeline could have faced life in prison. Amendments to the bill substantially narrowed the offense, however. The enacted law criminalizes "substantially... inhibiting or impeding" the operation of critical infrastructure only if doing so "causes widespread injury or damage to persons or property." Amendments also narrowed the definition of "critical infrastructure facility," including by removing highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, and financial systems from the definition.
Full text here:
https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/HB0370.htmlStatus: enacted with improvements
Introduced 3 Feb 2023; Approved by House 14 February 2023; Approved by Senate 28 February 2023; Signed by Governor Cox 14 March 2023
Issue(s): Infrastructure, #TrafficInterference
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #PipelineProtests -
State by State Pending and recently passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Utah
SB 173: Criminal penalties for protests that disturb legislative or other government meetings
Creates new potential penalties for individuals protesting convenings of the legislature or other meetings of government officials. The law expands "disorderly conduct" to include a person who recklessly causes public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm by making "unreasonable noises" at an official meeting or in a private place that can be heard at an official meeting. "#DisorderlyConduct" also includes obstructing #PedestrianTraffic at an official meeting or refusing to leave an official meeting when asked by law enforcement. The law also increases the penalty for disorderly conduct, such that it is punishable by a $750 fine on the first offense (an infraction), up to 3 months in jail if a person was warned to cease prohibited conduct (Class C misdemeanor), up to 6 months for a second offense (Class B misdemeanor), and up to 1 year for a third offense (Class A misdemeanor). Accordingly, the law could, for example, be used to penalize silent protesters who refuse to leave a legislative committee meeting. An earlier version of the bill explicitly made it unlawful to commit even a "single, loud outburst, absent other disruptive conduct, that does not exceed five seconds in length."
Full text of bill:
https://le.utah.gov/~2020/bills/static/SB0173.htmlStatus: enacted
Introduced 24 Feb 2020; Approved by Senate 5 March 2020; Approved by House 12 March 2020; Signed by Governor 30 March 2020
HB 370: New Penalties for Protests Near #Pipelines, #Roadways, and other #Infrastructure
**Note: This bill was amended prior to its passage, and provisions that would have covered peaceful protest activity were significantly narrowed.** As introduced, the bill would have created new potential criminal liability for protesters in many locations by criminalizing acts that "inhibit" or "impede" critical infrastructure facilities. The bill's original text had a sweeping definition of "critical infrastructure facility" that included highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, financial systems, and energy infrastructure including pipelines--whether under construction or operational. The bill created a new felony offense for "inhibiting," or "impeding" the facility, its equipment, or operation, such that protesters who intentionally inhibited or impeded the operation of a roadway or construction of a pipeline could have faced life in prison. Amendments to the bill substantially narrowed the offense, however. The enacted law criminalizes "substantially... inhibiting or impeding" the operation of critical infrastructure only if doing so "causes widespread injury or damage to persons or property." Amendments also narrowed the definition of "critical infrastructure facility," including by removing highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, and financial systems from the definition.
Full text here:
https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/HB0370.htmlStatus: enacted with improvements
Introduced 3 Feb 2023; Approved by House 14 February 2023; Approved by Senate 28 February 2023; Signed by Governor Cox 14 March 2023
Issue(s): Infrastructure, #TrafficInterference
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #PipelineProtests -
State by State Pending and recently passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Utah
SB 173: Criminal penalties for protests that disturb legislative or other government meetings
Creates new potential penalties for individuals protesting convenings of the legislature or other meetings of government officials. The law expands "disorderly conduct" to include a person who recklessly causes public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm by making "unreasonable noises" at an official meeting or in a private place that can be heard at an official meeting. "#DisorderlyConduct" also includes obstructing #PedestrianTraffic at an official meeting or refusing to leave an official meeting when asked by law enforcement. The law also increases the penalty for disorderly conduct, such that it is punishable by a $750 fine on the first offense (an infraction), up to 3 months in jail if a person was warned to cease prohibited conduct (Class C misdemeanor), up to 6 months for a second offense (Class B misdemeanor), and up to 1 year for a third offense (Class A misdemeanor). Accordingly, the law could, for example, be used to penalize silent protesters who refuse to leave a legislative committee meeting. An earlier version of the bill explicitly made it unlawful to commit even a "single, loud outburst, absent other disruptive conduct, that does not exceed five seconds in length."
Full text of bill:
https://le.utah.gov/~2020/bills/static/SB0173.htmlStatus: enacted
Introduced 24 Feb 2020; Approved by Senate 5 March 2020; Approved by House 12 March 2020; Signed by Governor 30 March 2020
HB 370: New Penalties for Protests Near #Pipelines, #Roadways, and other #Infrastructure
**Note: This bill was amended prior to its passage, and provisions that would have covered peaceful protest activity were significantly narrowed.** As introduced, the bill would have created new potential criminal liability for protesters in many locations by criminalizing acts that "inhibit" or "impede" critical infrastructure facilities. The bill's original text had a sweeping definition of "critical infrastructure facility" that included highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, financial systems, and energy infrastructure including pipelines--whether under construction or operational. The bill created a new felony offense for "inhibiting," or "impeding" the facility, its equipment, or operation, such that protesters who intentionally inhibited or impeded the operation of a roadway or construction of a pipeline could have faced life in prison. Amendments to the bill substantially narrowed the offense, however. The enacted law criminalizes "substantially... inhibiting or impeding" the operation of critical infrastructure only if doing so "causes widespread injury or damage to persons or property." Amendments also narrowed the definition of "critical infrastructure facility," including by removing highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, and financial systems from the definition.
Full text here:
https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/HB0370.htmlStatus: enacted with improvements
Introduced 3 Feb 2023; Approved by House 14 February 2023; Approved by Senate 28 February 2023; Signed by Governor Cox 14 March 2023
Issue(s): Infrastructure, #TrafficInterference
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #PipelineProtests -
State by State Pending and recently passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Utah
SB 173: Criminal penalties for protests that disturb legislative or other government meetings
Creates new potential penalties for individuals protesting convenings of the legislature or other meetings of government officials. The law expands "disorderly conduct" to include a person who recklessly causes public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm by making "unreasonable noises" at an official meeting or in a private place that can be heard at an official meeting. "#DisorderlyConduct" also includes obstructing #PedestrianTraffic at an official meeting or refusing to leave an official meeting when asked by law enforcement. The law also increases the penalty for disorderly conduct, such that it is punishable by a $750 fine on the first offense (an infraction), up to 3 months in jail if a person was warned to cease prohibited conduct (Class C misdemeanor), up to 6 months for a second offense (Class B misdemeanor), and up to 1 year for a third offense (Class A misdemeanor). Accordingly, the law could, for example, be used to penalize silent protesters who refuse to leave a legislative committee meeting. An earlier version of the bill explicitly made it unlawful to commit even a "single, loud outburst, absent other disruptive conduct, that does not exceed five seconds in length."
Full text of bill:
https://le.utah.gov/~2020/bills/static/SB0173.htmlStatus: enacted
Introduced 24 Feb 2020; Approved by Senate 5 March 2020; Approved by House 12 March 2020; Signed by Governor 30 March 2020
HB 370: New Penalties for Protests Near #Pipelines, #Roadways, and other #Infrastructure
**Note: This bill was amended prior to its passage, and provisions that would have covered peaceful protest activity were significantly narrowed.** As introduced, the bill would have created new potential criminal liability for protesters in many locations by criminalizing acts that "inhibit" or "impede" critical infrastructure facilities. The bill's original text had a sweeping definition of "critical infrastructure facility" that included highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, financial systems, and energy infrastructure including pipelines--whether under construction or operational. The bill created a new felony offense for "inhibiting," or "impeding" the facility, its equipment, or operation, such that protesters who intentionally inhibited or impeded the operation of a roadway or construction of a pipeline could have faced life in prison. Amendments to the bill substantially narrowed the offense, however. The enacted law criminalizes "substantially... inhibiting or impeding" the operation of critical infrastructure only if doing so "causes widespread injury or damage to persons or property." Amendments also narrowed the definition of "critical infrastructure facility," including by removing highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, and financial systems from the definition.
Full text here:
https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/HB0370.htmlStatus: enacted with improvements
Introduced 3 Feb 2023; Approved by House 14 February 2023; Approved by Senate 28 February 2023; Signed by Governor Cox 14 March 2023
Issue(s): Infrastructure, #TrafficInterference
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #PipelineProtests