A Study On The Thresholds Of Subjective Commuting Time For Urban Residents

Commuting time is an important basis for the analysis of commuting behavior,which has a direct impact on travel mode choice,travel route choice,residential and job location choices,activity participation and life satisfaction.At the same time,because of the interaction between urban land use and commuting behavior,commuting time is also an important factor considered in urban and land use planning.The study on the thresholds of subjective commuting time for urban residents can help us to better understand the commuting behavior and possible behavior changes,and then to adopt the more reasonable transportation and land use policies.To date,the studies regarding the thresholds of subjective commuting time are still relatively lacking.Using the ideal commuting time(ICT)and the tolerance threshold of commuting time(TTCT)as the subjective time thresholds and taking Kunming as a case study,this paper explores the related issues through theoretical and empirical studies.The main contents include four parts as follow.(1)The first part focuses on the TTCT.Firstly,the basic concept of the TTCT is described.Then,through descriptive statistical analysis,the distribution characteristics and group differences of the TTCT are investigated.Furthermore,the determinants of the TTCT are identified using an ordered logit model.The results demonstrate that age,gender,education level,household income,the presence of children,travel mode and housing location have a significant impact on the TTCT.(2)The second part focuses on the ICT.Firstly,the distribution characteristics and group differences of the ICT are investigated.Then,the determinants of the ICT are identified using an ordered logit model.The results demonstrate that age,gender,education level,household income,travel mode and housing location have a significant impact on the ICT.Furthermore,using the path analysis model based on structural equation approach,this paper reveals the influence path on the ICT.The results show that age,gender,education level,household income,housing location and travel mode have a significant total and direct effect on the ICT.Gender,household income and the number of worker in a household have a significant indirect effect through the mediating variables.(3)The third part focuses on the determinants of long-duration commuting and the thresholds of subjective commuting time for long-duration commuters.Considering the long-duration commuting plays an important role in urban transportation system and land use planning,the determinants of long-duration commuting trips are identified based on BL model.The results indicate that age,education level,the number of workers,the presence of retirees,and housing location have a significant impact on the occurrence of long-duration commuting trips.Furthermore,the distribution characteristics and group differences of the ICT and TTCT for long-duration commuters are studied.(4)This last part focuses on the job-housing spatial dissonance based on the mismatch between ideal and actuual commuting time.Firstly,the concept of the job-housing spatial dissonance is put forward.The job-housing spatial dissonance is measured by the mismatch level between ideal and actual commuting time.The job-housing spatial dissonance provides a new perspective for the evaluation of the spatial relationship of the housing and job location,which can help us to better understand the individual’s attitude and preference toward the job-housing separation.Then,the determinants of job-housing spatial dissonance are identified based on an ordered logit model.The results show that travel mode,housing location,age,education level,and the presence of children have a significant impact on the job-housing spatial dissonance.More importantly,we find that longer commuting time does not always indicate greater job-housing spatial dissonance because the attitude and preference toward commuting time are heterogeneous at the individual level.When evaluating the job-housing spatial relationship,more attention should be directed toward the job-housing spatial dissonance that integrates the individual’s attitude and preference.In addition,based on the MNL model,the impacts of the job-housing spatial dissonance on commuting mode choice are explored.The results show that the job-housing spatial dissonance is significantly associated with commuting mode choice.The current study is of great theoretical significance in exploring traveler’s subjective cognition toward commuting time and its influencing mechanism,and evaluating the job-housing spatial relationship.At the same time,the findings from this study have important application value in the fields of travel behavior and traffic demand analysis,urban transportation and land use planning.