Commute Well-being Among Bicycle, Transit, and Car Users in Portland, Oregon

To understand the impact of daily travel on personal and societal well-being, measurement techniques that go beyond satisfaction-based measures of travel are used. Such metrics are increasingly important for evaluating transportation and land-use policies. This study examines commute well-being, a multi-item measure of how one feels about the commute to work, and its influences using data from a web-based survey that was distributed to Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. workers. Valid surveys (n=828) were compiled from three roughly equally sized groups based on mode: bike, transit and car users. Average distances between work and home varied significantly among the three groups. Descriptive results show that commute well-being varies widely across the sample. Those who bike to work have significantly higher commute well-being than transit and car commuters. A multiple linear regression model shows that along with travel mode, traffic congestion, travel time, income, health, job satisfaction and residential satisfaction also play important individual roles in shaping commute well-being. While more analysis is needed, these results support findings in previous research that commuting by bike enhances well-being while congestion detracts from well-being. Implications for future research and sustainable transportation policy efforts are discussed.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD50(1) Health and Transportation.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Smith, Oliver
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2013-1-13 to 2013-1-17
• Date: 2013

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: TRB 92nd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile drivers; Cyclists; Health; Linear regression analysis; Policy making; Social impacts; Surveys; Sustainable transportation; Transit riders
• Uncontrolled Terms: Well being
• Geographic Terms: Portland (Oregon)
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01473983
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 13-4479
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 27 2013 10:39AM