Walking (and Cycling) to Well-Being: Modal and Other Determinants of Subjective Well-Being During the Commute

Although transportation’s impacts on physical health are relatively well-established, the relationship between transportation and subjective well-being (SWB) has been the subject of recent focus. Policymakers attempt to improve the health and well-being of populations through interventions to improve transportation experiences and promote sustainable transport modes, while researchers studying these connections seek valid and reliable measures of SWB in the travel domain. Studies consistently find travel by walking and bicycling to be rated more positively than automobile travel, yet many use single measures of travel SWB, obscuring nuanced variations between modes. Using the results of a Portland, Oregon, survey of nearly 700 commuters, this study investigates modal differences and other potential determinants of detailed, multidimensional measures of travel SWB. Specifically, the Satisfaction with Travel Scale as well as new measurement models of travel affect (distress, fear, attentiveness, and enjoyment) and travel eudaimonia (security, autonomy, confidence, and health) are examined for variations between modes. Structural equation models predicting the latent variable constructs as a function of trip and traveler characteristics yield valuable behavioral and psychological insights. Walking and bicycling rated much higher on measures of physical and mental health, confidence, positive affect, and overall hedonic well-being, suggesting significant benefits of physically active commutes. However, cycling commuters scored higher on distress and fear and lower on security, highlighting the value of multidimensional measures of travel SWB. Enhancing the quality of the traveling experience by various modes—such as making bicycling feel safer through protected infrastructure—could significantly improve commuters’ well-being

Validating the Satisfaction With Travel Scale as a Measure of Hedonic Subjective Well-Being for Commuting in a U.S. City

The relationships between transportation and well-being are of increasing interest to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. Stakeholders seeking to improve quality of life and traffic safety require valid and reliable ways of gauging the emotional states of travelers. Psychological scales exist for measuring subjective well-being (SWB), but these instruments have rarely been applied to the travel domain. The Satisfaction with Travel Scale (STS) is a nine-item measure of travel-related hedonic SWB, capturing core affect (emotions) and cognitive evaluations of overall satisfaction associated with personal transportation. Although the STS has been used in an increasing number of studies, questions remain regarding its structure and validity. This research utilized a survey of 654 commuters in the Portland, Oregon, area to investigate the measurement properties of a slightly modified version of the STS. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested a three-factor structure—composed of positive deactivation, positive activation, and cognitive evaluation—that matches some previous results and SWB theory; a model with a single second-order factor also fit the data. Tests of measurement invariance across three travel modes (automobile, transit, and walk/bicycle) found that the STS exhibited configural and perhaps weak factorial invariance; non-motorized commuters tended to have more positive scores. Future research can continue to refine the STS items and wordings, test the scale in various geographic and travel contexts, and examine relationships between SWB and travel behavior

Discussing the “Positive Utilities” of Autonomous Vehicles: Will Travellers Really Use Their Time Productively?

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are expected to reshape travel behaviour and demand in part by enabling productive uses of travel time—a primary component of the “positive utility of travel” concept—thus reducing subjective values of travel time savings (VOT). Many studies from industry and academia have assumed significant increases in travel time use and reductions in VOT for AVs. In this position paper, I argue that AVs’ VOT impacts may be more modest than anticipated and derive from a different source. Vehicle designs and operations may limit activity engagement during travel, with AV users feeling more like car passengers than train riders. Furthermore, shared AVs may attenuate travel time use benefits, and productivity gains could be limited to long-distance trips. Although AV riders will likely have greater activity participation during travel, many in-vehicle activities today may be more about coping with commuting burdens than productively using travel time. Instead, VOT reductions may be more likely to arise from a different “positive utility”—subjective well-being improvements through reduced stresses of driving or the ability to relax and mentally transition. Given high uncertainty, further empirical research on the experiential, time use, and VOT impacts of AVs is needed

How Useful is Travel-Based Multitasking? Evidence from Commuters in Portland, Oregon

As research on travel-based multitasking—doing other things while traveling—becomes more common, some studies also investigate the quality or value of activity participation during travel. This idea of travel usefulness is a component of the positive utility of travel concept; understanding the benefits of travel-based multitasking is important for calculating accurate economic values trading-off travel time and other variables. This study analyzed travel usefulness and its potential determinants using a 2016 survey of about 650 commuters in the Portland, Oregon, area. Ordered logit models identified factors associated with subjective assessments of the overall usefulness of activity participation while on a recent commute trip. Around 90% of walk and bicycle commuters reported useful commutes, as did about half of transit commuters and auto passengers; however, half of auto drivers viewed their commutes as wasted time. Younger travelers, those with less frequent commutes, and people who reported “doing nothing” or more passive activities (window-gazing, daydreaming) on the trip were more likely to consider their commuting time to be a waste. Traveler perceptions were more closely associated with travel usefulness than sociodemographic characteristics. Results suggested that exercise and the physical activity benefits of walking and bicycling may be considered a useful form of travel-based multitasking. Overall, few common and traditionally productive multitasked activities appeared to be useful. Instead, commuters may be doing things more to pass the time than to make productive use of it. These findings offer implications for understanding travel behavior interventions and the potential use of autonomous vehicles

Would You Rather Teleport or Spend Some Time Commuting? Investigating Individuals’ Teleportation Preferences

Teleportation test, a survey instrument developed to measure Positive Utility of travel (PUT) If you could snap your fingers or blink your eyes and instantaneously teleport yourself to the desired destination, would you do so Yes - Regarding travel as disutility i.e. means to reach destination No - Find benefits during travel or traveling itsel

Particle Production in a Gravitational Wave Background

In this article, the authors study the possibility that massless particles, such as photons, are produced by a gravitational wave. That such a process should occur is implied by tree-level Feynman diagrams such as two gravitons turning into two photons, i.e., g + g → γ + γ. Here we calculate the rate at which a gravitational wave creates a massless scalar field. This is done by placing the scalar field in the background of a plane gravitational wave and calculating the 4-current of the scalar field. Even in the vacuum limit of the scalar field it has a nonzero vacuum expectation value (similar to what occurs in the Higgs mechanism) and a nonzero current. We associate this with the production of scalar field quanta by the gravitational field. This effect has potential consequences for the attenuation of gravitational waves since the massless field is being produced at the expense of the gravitational field. This is related to the time-dependent Schwinger effect, but with the electric field replaced by the gravitational wave background and the electron/positron field quanta replaced by massless scalar “photons.” Since the produced scalar quanta are massless there is no exponential suppression, as occurs in the Schwinger effect due to the electron mass

Particle Production in a Gravitational Wave Background

In this article, the authors study the possibility that massless particles, such as photons, are produced by a gravitational wave. That such a process should occur is implied by tree-level Feynman diagrams such as two gravitons turning into two photons, i.e., g + g → γ + γ. Here we calculate the rate at which a gravitational wave creates a massless scalar field. This is done by placing the scalar field in the background of a plane gravitational wave and calculating the 4-current of the scalar field. Even in the vacuum limit of the scalar field it has a nonzero vacuum expectation value (similar to what occurs in the Higgs mechanism) and a nonzero current. We associate this with the production of scalar field quanta by the gravitational field. This effect has potential consequences for the attenuation of gravitational waves since the massless field is being produced at the expense of the gravitational field. This is related to the time-dependent Schwinger effect, but with the electric field replaced by the gravitational wave background and the electron/positron field quanta replaced by massless scalar “photons.” Since the produced scalar quanta are massless there is no exponential suppression, as occurs in the Schwinger effect due to the electron mass

From Attitude to Satisfaction: Introducing the Travel Mode Choice Cycle

Many studies analysing the relationship between attitudes and travel behaviour have found that travel attitudes have an important impact on travel mode choice. More recently, studies focusing on how people experience travel have shown that travel satisfaction is influenced by the chosen travel mode. The desire and intention of using a travel mode – which can be considered as important predictors of mode choice – have, however, received limited attention. Furthermore, existing studies mostly have a narrow scope and lack integration of the above constructs. In this paper, we introduce the travel mode choice cycle (TMCC), a comprehensive model aiming to link attitude, desire, intention, behaviour, and satisfaction by integrating prominent social-psychological attitude theories such as the theory of planned behaviour, the model of goal-directed behaviour, and the theory of cognitive dissonance. We argue that the constructs of the TMCC are strongly interrelated such that they can affect each other in direct and indirect ways. The proposed cycle provides valuable insights for policymakers to stimulate the use of desired travel modes, such as public transport and active travel. We end this paper by providing suggestions for future studies to simultaneously investigate the relationships specified by the TMCC

Scalar Field Vacuum Expectation Value Induced by Gravitational Wave Background

We show that a massless scalar field in a gravitational wave background can develop a non-zero vacuum expectation value. We draw comparisons to the generation of a non-zero vacuum expectation value for a scalar field in the Higgs mechanism and with the dynamical Casimir vacuum. We propose that this vacuum expectation value, generated by a gravitational wave, can be connected with particle production from gravitational waves and may have consequences for the early Universe where scalar fields are thought to play an important role

The Theory of Travel Decision-Making: A Conceptual Framework of Active Travel Behavior

We present a unifying conceptual framework of active travel behavior called the theory of travel decision-making. It integrates seminal travel-related concepts from economics, geography, and psychology with active travel behavior theories and empirical research. The framework abstracts an individual’s thought process around short-term travel decisions and explains the roles of activities, built environment factors, socio-demographics, attitudes and perceptions, and habit. Our primary objective is to inform travel behavior research by meeting the need for a theoretical framework capable of guiding studies on active transportation. The framework could also support active transportation planning and analysis methods by informing the development of travel forecasting tools that better represent the unique influences on walking and bicycling. This presentation summarizes the theoretical foundations of active travel behavior; presents and describes the conceptual framework and its components in detail; notes research needs; and assesses the contributions of the framework to active travel behavior theory, research, and practice.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/trec_seminar/1083/thumbnail.jp