Get me outta here!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Commuting stress may worsen health woes

Getting sick of long rides on the train
Study: Commuting stress may worsen health woes
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
BY JUDY PEET
Star-Ledger Staff

For years, the prevailing New Jersey commuter philosophy has been: When the driving gets tough, the tough get a railpass.

But commuting by train is also stressful, according to a new study that found the longer the rail commute, the higher the strain. With every passing mile, there is an impact not only on physical and psychological well-being, but also on the ability to complete simple tasks, the study concluded.

"With this study, we are suggesting that the stress of long train commutes may pose a similar health problem," added Wener, who commutes by train every day from his Maplewood home to his classes in Brooklyn. "Trains are not as stressful as cars at rush hour, but even a relatively minor stressor, several hours a day, every day of the year, can build to a health risk."

New Jersey commuters were studied because rail commuting here is "worse than in most places," Wener said. The expansion of suburbia here also means the average rail commute is getting longer and longer.

Sitting on the train last night, returning from a hard day in Manhattan, few commuters were surprised at the study results.

"Of course the ride is stressful; everybody is pretty much in a daze after they get off the train," said accounting firm manager Mike D'Angelo, whose commute between Denville and Manhattan takes about 70 minutes. "If I could afford to move closer, like to Summit, of course I would."

Food buyer Joseph Cammarta, who commutes to New York from Dover, complained that the seats are too tight and passengers are jammed between bags, but added that the real bother "is cell phones. That's where the stress comes in."

The researchers studied 208 commuters taking trains from New Jersey to Manhattan on the Midtown Direct line. The subjects, who ranged in age from 25 to 60, commuted at least three days a week and had been on the same route for at least 12 months.

The trips ranged from 59 minutes, door-to-door, to 104 minutes.

The participants were about evenly split between men and women, but of similar education and socio-economic backgrounds. Eighty percent were college graduates, and the median income approached $100,000.

Wener and Gary Evans, a professor of environmental analysis at Cornell University, used several methods to evaluate stress levels.
The commuters' saliva was tested for the stress hormone cortisol at the end of the commute, and, for comparison, during a weekend at home. The commuters and their spouses also filled out questionnaires rating their stress levels, and the riders were asked to proofread a simple office memo at the end of a long commute.

The study found that average cortisol levels rose in direct proportion to the length of time on the train. People who had a 100-minute commute had, on average, more than three times the cortisol levels of people who had only a 60-minute commute.

The ability to pick up errors proofreading declined in a similar pattern, the researchers found. Self-reporting responses supported the increased frustration and irritability of the long commute.

"Ethnicity, profession and gender didn't seem to matter, although mothers with children at home had the highest stress levels," Wener said, adding that the study sponsored by NJ Transit did not take into account factors such as train conditions, seat locations or train changes.

Wener said the potential impact on work productivity following a long commute "should be of concern to employers and infrastructure planners."

New Jerseyans are tough, however, and a number of passengers polled by The Star-Ledger simply shrugged and agreed with Larry Sobol, a financial adviser from Morristown, who said: "Deal with it."

That does not mean they don't have suggestions. The overwhelming favorite was to take out the middle seat. People would rather stand than sit there.

Other rider suggestions included more cars, more space, electric hookups and wireless Internet connections on the cars, better lighting, club cars and better notification of train delays at the stations.

NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said the agency is making several improvements that passengers have requested.

He noted 234 new cars are expected to go on line beginning later this year, with better amenities, better lighting and, best of all, no third seat.

Critics noted, however, there will not be enough new, amenity-filled trains, and most riders will still be forced to use the old, crowded cars. They said the pace of improvement is too slow and it will be up to commuters to manage their stress.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

More on commuting and crowding

UoN: Let the train take the strain?

london.gov.uk: Too close for comfort on the London Underground
Report: here

Times Online: Railways hitting capacity limits, say companies

Times Online: Railways reaching peak of capacity

Times Online: How to beat stress on that ‘crush hour’ train to work

The Guardian: Report says tube travel makes Londoners more aggressive

The Guardian: French commuters are the envy of us all

The Guardian: Crush on train led to loss of baby

The Guardian: Rail overcrowding sparks safety probe

The Guardian: 'There is no hell but this'

The Guardian: 'Lack of information can turn a passive crowd into a stampede'

The Guardian: Rail misery? It's one long party on my train

The Guardian: Holidaymakers face summer of chaos on Britain's failing railways

The Connexion: Companies hit by commuting stress

The Chronicle Online: Angst and the rail commuter: longer the trip, greater the stress, study finds

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Spitting image of road stress

Times Online: How to beat stress on that ‘crush hour’ train to work

Industry Market Trends: Reduce the Stress of Your Commute

EzineArticles: 10 Ways to Reduce Commuting Stress

The Associated Press: Commuting times get shorter

The Associated Press: Commutes Now Longer, Lonelier, Analysis Finds

The Associated Press: Commuter trends show more early birds, longer rides

The Associated Press: More drivers are making solo commutes

The Portland Online: Carpooling, Motherhood and Stress

Morning Star: Tube crowding 'causes ruthless attitude'

Mail Online: £35bn upgrade by Network Rail 'will make trains run on time and end over-crowding'

Mail Online: Commons motion in attempt to end rail crowding

Mail Online: Is your rail journey really necessary?

Mail Online: Filthy and overcrowded, the verdict on our trains

Mail Online: Commuters face more packed trains as Government changes definition of 'overcrowding'

Mail Online: Rail White Paper 'must address overcrowding and punctuality', demands watchdog

Mail Online: MPs slam 'trauma' of public transport

Health & Science Blog: Commuting to work can be good for your health

Los Angeles Times: Commuting to Work Above the Madding Crowd, Via Helicopter

Personnel Today Magazine: Floods could bring wave of homeworking

BBC News: Commuting is 'biggest stress'

BBC News: Web poll to probe commuter stress

BBC News: Commuter stress? Just plan better

BBC News: 'It's a war on commuters'

NTU: Study to target root of commuting stress

Herald Sun: Commuting on public transport 'too stressful'

RAC Foundation Blog: Commuting…the stress continues but help is at hand

Monitor on Psychology: Longer train commutes are more stressful, study finds

BusinessWeek: Extreme Commuting

GOOD Blog: Understanding The Commuting Paradox

ecovelo: The Commuting Paradox

Safe Workers UK: Effects of Long Commutes to Work

Annals of Transport: There and back again

bizjournals: Commuting survey

The Frontal Cortex: Commuting

BBC News: Average commute 'now 139 hours'

IET: The commute to hell and back

The Guardian: Balancing work and life. Some people commute hundreds of miles to work, some even live abroad.

Transport Visions: Long Distance Travel