Commute Well-Being among Bicycle, Transit, and Car Users in Portland, Oregon

摘要

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