Commuting behavior and congestion satisfaction: Evidence from Beijing, China

Megacity growth in developing countries suffers from heavy congestion, which undermines satisfaction as experienced by local residents. Drawing on a large scale individual survey in Beijing, this paper explores the social-spatial differentiation of urbanites’ satisfaction perceptions about congestion by comparing residents with various motorized commuting modes including car, shuttle bus, and public transit. The results show that shuttle bus commuters are significantly associated with better satisfaction perceptions about congestion than other commuting mode users. We find that perceived wellbeing implications vary with demographic characteristics and transport accessibility characteristics. Findings from this study suggest the importance of considering neighborhood built environment into the design of land use and transport policy aiming to enhance commuters’ subjective experiences towards congestion