News Math Dense crowds of pedestrians shift into surprisingly orderly lines. Math explains why New research into lane formation adds to decades of study on the wisdom of crowds Pedestrians heading in opposite directions have long been known to form multiple parallel lines at big intersections such as Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo (shown). Noppawat Tom Charoensinphon/Moment/Getty Images Plus Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterPinterestPocketRedditPrint By Dana Mackenzie April 10, 2023 at 8:00 am No matter how chaotic the train station at rush hour might seem, there’s likely more order than you think in that crowd. It’s long been observed that in a dense crowd with people headed in opposite directions, multiple parallel lanes emerge.