Rail commuters are happier

Which Mode of Travel Provides the Happiest Commute?

Walkers, cyclists, and commuter-rail riders are much more satisfied than drivers and transit users.

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I commute to work at O'Hare via the L, and it's awesome. Three minute walk to the line, thirty minute ride straight into the terminal.

One of these days if I can ever move out to Seattle I'm definitely going to look for a place within walking distance of the Link.

This is one of the primary reasons we're moving to Chicago. I'm so tired of driving to/from work every day, especially during the winter.

I worked in Chicago for a couple of summers, and it was wonderful letting someone else "do the driving" for me. Instead of getting stressed out over construction delays and avoiding horrible drivers, I got to read a book and relax. That's the best way to commute.

I've commuted by car for between one and two hours each day for many years. At first it didn't bother me but over time the daily grind through traffic began to annoy me more and more. There's no commuter rail line (or carpool lane) within 70 miles of the 7th largest city in the country so that's no option for me. What we do have are lots of humongous ugly freeways filled with single occupant trucks and SUV's. I've worked at offices all over this city and if it were up to me I'd live near my job to keep the commute down to a minimum. Ideally within walking distance. Unfortunately that's rarely worked out for me.

Although the offices I've worked in have all been in nice buildings the locations around those buildings have rarely been workable for living. Some were too sketchy or polluted for me to live nearby. Other areas were simply too expensive or didn't have residential housing nearby. Like most of you I'm generally in favor of passenger rail but in my view the best way to keep commuters happy is to plan communities in a way that folks can afford to live near where they work without taking on crippling debt or putting their health or belongings at risk.

Devil's Advocate said:

Like most of you I'm generally in favor of passenger rail but in my view the best way to keep commuters happy is to plan communities in a way that folks can afford to live near where they work without taking on crippling debt or putting their health or belongings at risk.

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I totally agree. Smart civic planning should always be the first choice. It's always best to plan "neighborhoods" where people can live, work and play without having to ever step foot in a car. But it takes vision and some political backbone to make that happen.

When I moved here I left my car in LA and I haven't regretted it. Work is a 30 minute walk, a 20 minute trolley ride or 15 minute bus ride away and whichever way I go... I'm happier than when I drive.

I only wish that transit was an option with my career. But it is not for a variety of reasons, and it never will be even though some of our stations are in locations exceedingly well served by transit options.

My commute right now is nearly two hours each way; last year was almost 5 hours. I've watched as the Coast Starlight on a late-schedule went streaming past me toward Sacramento just a few weeks back and longed to be a passenger aboard. But Amtrak only serves the Chico area with buses, which require a train leg in your itinerary to use anyway. Maybe one day commuter-style intercity train service north of Sacramento will be established. I'm not holding my breath though.

Now an interesting thing to look at is the socioeconomic level of rail commuters verses other commuters.

And this possibly-related news:

People who use public transit weigh less than those who drive

New research from the U.K. found that using public transportation instead of driving a car to get to work can serve more than just the environment--it may actually keep your weight down.

The researchers analyzed data from Understanding Society, the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study, which is a large and nationally representative source of data. They examined a total of 7,534 Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements and 7,424 percentage body fat measurements of both men and women. With regard to BMI and percentage body fat, they found that both the participants who commuted actively by bicycle or walking and those who used public transport were significantly healthier than those who traveled to work by car

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That's the sub-reason I want to use the CTA to get to work. I was way more active when I lived in Chicago, and I didn't even have to make an effort.