Commuting and well-being

Abstract

The progress of human societies has always been associated with mobility and transportation. Since the earliest homo sapiens migrated from their cave dwellings over 100,000 years ago to establish civilizations in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates, human achievement and societal well-being has been dependent on our ability to transport ourselves and the goods that we produce. While the information age has radically modified both work products and the means of transportation, physical mobility on roadway systems remains fundamental to our commerce, recreation, and other life-sustaining activities. Indeed, mobility is very much associated with well-being, but the relationship is not uniform, as higher levels of travel may be reflective of constraints on opportunities, depletion of resources, and impairments to personal health and job performance.