Electric Train heading to Newmarket from Britomart Source: pic.twitter.com/IUHNR2DboJ
The Herald reports that taking public transport makes its users happier than those who would drive to work.
From the NZ Herald
Taking public transport makes people happier, study suggests
10:54 AM Wednesday Sep 17, 2014
A study showed car commuters were 13 per cent more likely to feel they were under constant strain than public transport users.
Taking public transport instead of driving to work appears to make people happier and helps them to sleep better, according to a new study.
Researchers reported that car commuters were 13 per cent more likely to feel they were under constant strain or unable to concentrate.
It is thought that the exercise taken to walk to the bus stop or station and then the relaxation while travelling helps to make people feel better. A previous study found switching from a car to public transport helped people lose weight and become healthier physically.
Academics from the University of East Anglia studied 18,000 workers in the UK for the research, which was published in the journal, Preventive Medicine.
Lead researcher Adam Martin told The Daily Telegraph: “One surprising finding was that commuters reported feeling better when travelling by public transport, compared to driving.
You might think that things like disruption to services or crowds of commuters might have been a cause of considerable stress.
“But as buses and trains also give people time to relax, read, socialise and there is usually an associated walk to the bus stop or railway station, it appears to cheer people up.”
He added that improvements to public transport, including improving cycling, could actually have “noticeable mental health benefits.”
The journal article said: “These results appear to suggest that avoiding car driving may be beneficial to well-being.
“This view complements existing evidence of a negative association between driving and physical health and is consistent with the hypothesis that car driving, a non-passive travel mode that requires constant concentration, can give rise to boredom, social isolation and stress.
“However this view is also consistent with the hypothesis that intrinsic enjoyment is gained from the exercise or relaxation associated with active travel.”
Okay that can be a given. But as one comment pointed out Auckland has a little bit to go yet before its Public Transport system is up to scratch:
It’s only party correct to state that Public Transport has positive effect on a person. Of course, we get time to relax, socialise, read, walk and exercise, but there are too many pain points that actually has potential to drive people back to their cars.
1. Lack of bus lanes on major roads – Means, buses need to tag behind the cars providing no time benefits.
2. Travel cost only marginally lower in case of Public transport compared to private vehicles when travelling as a family or car-pooling. AT hops benefits, but it has its own negatives
3. Bus fleet in Auckland is pathetic and is not enough to accommodate any more passengers than those who already use them during peak hours.
4. Most times than not, 2 or 3 buses come together like a train and then there are no services for the next 20 minutes during morning rush hour.
5. Train stations are not convenient to many during rainy days when suburban shuttle services would come handy.
So yes public transport is good all round but Auckland has a bit to go before mass transit is really a first choice option. Oh and before anyone comments on driving as first choice; as I write this there is a flipped car on the South Western Motorway (State Highway 20) which shows as a demonstration of the high and draining concentration needed owing to ill educated drivers out there. Simply put the risks are rather high some days on our roads…
Talking Southern Auckland 