<p>Human-induced vibrations present a critical serviceability and safety challenge for lightweight footbridges in scenic areas. Recent studies have proposed a crowd flow control strategy using fixed obstacles to mitigate such vibrations, yet its effectiveness remains limited. To address this, the present study proposes a more efficient “stationary pedestrian” strategy, which involves designating specific zones on the bridge deck for static occupancy. This strategy intervenes at the vibration source by integrating crowd flow control with the inherent biomechanical damping of the human body. The social force model was employed to simulate crowd flow. A pedestrian-stationary pedestrian-structure coupled model and a finite element model of the footbridge were established. A comparative analysis of the vibration mitigation performance of both strategies was conducted across varying crowd densities. The results show that fixed obstacles, acting through geometric constraints, achieved vibration reduction rates of 11.2%, 14.4%, and 16.4% at the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 bridge spans, respectively. In contrast, the stationary pedestrian strategy enhanced these rates to 14.8%, 18%, and 19.7% at the corresponding locations. The 3/4-span layout proved most effective, regulating approximately 70% of the crowd flow velocity. This study represents a paradigm shift from conventional passive structural damping to active source control via crowd management. The core of the proposed strategy lies in the synergy between crowd flow control and human biomechanical damping, effectively reducing structural vibrations without physical modifications. This method thus offers a promising and potentially low-cost solution for mitigating vibrations in existing footbridges.</p>