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Happiness and Travel

Transport modes are the means by which people and freight achieve mobility. Within this study I have researched the correlation between different modes of transport and their relationship to overall satisfaction and happiness. Understanding which modes bring the most satisfaction and why they bring the most satisfaction are helpful to city planners and political delegates because they can better understand which mode needs to be improved. Many variables need to be considered such as, time or duration of trip, the presence of traffic and the purpose of the trip to understand which mode is preferable. Understanding these variables helps planners to better understand the reason people choose one mode of transport rather than another. City planners work toward meeting the needs of the public while also creating sustainable transportation options. There are studies on the modes of transport and its relationship to satisfaction, but it is not easily understood nor fully researched.

What We Know

We don’t know for sure what mode makes people happiest because duration of travel time often changes how happy one is while traveling. But also the destination during travel time can change how a person feels when using different modes. If someone is going to a job they don’t really love - they won't be happy using any mode of transportation to get there. If someone is going on vacation however - they could be happy taking multiple modes over an extended period of time and still be happier than an average person heading to work. In a study by Eric Jaffe, University of California Berkley experts have concluded, “Pedestrians, train commuters, and cyclist scored highest on satisfaction as opposed to drivers, metro riders, and bus riders scored lower. Active commuters tend to enjoy their commutes more than passive commuters who have to passively endure traffic congestion or transit crowds. Longer travel time led to lower satisfaction whatever the mode, but walkers, train riders, and cyclists were the least affected by time variables—again, no doubt, because they enjoy the commute itself, rather than seeing it as a means to an end.”

Why is this Important?

Dr. Daniel Newman, of Cardiff University's Sustainable Places Research Institute, added: “Previous studies have shown that commuting affects our physical health: commuters are less likely to take exercise or eat home cooked meals while being more likely to suffer from insomnia and joint pain. It makes sense that such bodily ailments should impact on mental health.” There are only 24 hours in a day and if you spend 1 or 2 hours driving in a car or in traffic there is less time for other activities that benefit our health. In Minnesota Jason Cao studied, how close you are to public transport affects your wellbeing. He concludes that the closer you live to public transport the happier you are because of the freedom it provides. Some modes of transportation are large contributors to climate change. When fossil fuels are combusted, the by-product is CO2. The increase in CO2 equals an increase in temperatures in our atmosphere. To prevent the increase in climate change, humans have to figure out more efficient ways of being transported.

The Challenge with Increasing each Mode

This cant be the only way…

A few challenges with increasing healthy modes of transportation (walking and cycling) come down to density, time, and distance. Many people choose to drive their cars because their final destination is too far and riding a bike is usually slower than the car. Another reason is that the United States has created cities that cater to the car lifestyle. Urban sprawl has moved people out of dense regions and when the density of the city isn’t high enough this makes it more difficult to walk and bike to desired destinations. United States urban sprawl has divided city centers and home living, thus increasing the distance from the home to merchant buildings.

The transportation business brings millions of jobs to Americans. Weather it be construction, petrol, car manufacturers/ retailers, or the restaurants lining the highways. By changing the way we use transportation changes the way we interact with our environment. And if we were to change our highways into train railways all the people who depend on the car lifestyle for their livelihoods will have to adapt or the business will be lost. Many political campaigns receive funding from companies that depend on the car industry in one way or another. In turn the political figures end up supporting bills that cater toward the development of more roads and parking lots to increase the growth of the car industry. The funding of political figures from the car industry makes it very difficult to persuade the decision makers to put in more bike lanes and pedestrian highways.

What Do We Recommend?

It has been concluded that to improve satisfaction and happiness for transportation, cycling, pedestrian and rail transportation (Active transport) need to be increased. The way to increase cycling, pedestrian and rail travel it is proposed to create an incentive/ tax system. For example, if a city has a problem with traffic, people who drive will be charged high prices to park their cars. For example, if the current price to park is $5 per hour, an incremental increase of price can be introduced till traffic congestion is decreased. This will reduce the amount of drivers using their cars. Also, instead of externalizing the emissions of petrol combustion in cars, it is recommend internalizing the price of emissions directly at the fuel pump. Instead of the price being $2.00 per gallon, the total impact of the CO2 emissions would be internalized or included in the price to mitigate the CO2 emissions. Say the effect of the CO2 is 50 cents to remediate the environmental impact of the petrol being combusted. Now including the emission tax the price will be $2.50. By increasing the price in fuel, reduces the consumption, environmental impact and increases the probability that a person will either walk or ride their bike. Which then leads to over all satisfaction.

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