Businesspeople teleporting stock photo from Peshkova/Shutterstock.

If you could teleport to work, would you? I would, and so would most people. But a new study found that two groups of commuters are much less likely to prefer teleportation: people who walk and bike to work.

The study, by Prasanna Humagain and Patrick Singleton of Utah State University, surveyed 648 people online in Portland, Oregon. 73% of drivers, 76% of people who ride as a car passenger, and 66% of transit riders said they’d rather teleport.

For people who walk, however, only 28% wanted to teleport, and 35% of people who bike. This would seem to make some sense as walking and biking brings other benefits besides transportation, like enjoying the outdoor air and fitness. Singleton told Forbes, “People seem to value the exercise they get from using active transportation modes for their commutes.”

He added, “It goes beyond joy: walk and cycle commuters also had more positive responses to questions about confidence, and freedom, independence and control.”

It would be interesting to see how results compare in other cities; Portland has a high rate of walking and biking and good weather, which can make these travel modes pleasant all throughout the year. However, many cyclists do enjoy riding in various weather, and for those who don’t, they still may enjoy riding during the large number of days when the weather is good while being able to choose another mode (or, hypothetically, teleportation) at other times. And the fitness benefit exists regardless of weather.

The researchers asked respondents why they would teleport or not; for those who would, “I have other things to do” was the top reason, while the non-teleporters said “I enjoy certain aspects of my commute.”

The presentation got some attention on Twitter when Singleton presented it at the Transportation Research Board conference in January.

Unfortunately, beyond a summary poster, the research, despite being funded by a center supported in part or whole by the US Department of Transportation, isn’t accessible online without paying $40 or more. Nor is a 2014 paper by Marie Russell and Patricia Mokhtarian which first introduced the idea of comparing one’s commute to teleportation. While the federal government has been gradually pushing for open access to research it funds (and more significant steps are under consideration), academic publishers have continued to be widely criticized for charging scholars and the public to access research that taxpayers have funded.

Leaving aside the question of where to teleport academic publishers if one could… would you teleport to work instead of traveling, or do you like your commute?

Continue the conversation about urbanism in the Washington region and support GGWash’s news and advocacy when you join the GGWash Neighborhood!

Tagged: bicycling, oregon, pedestrians, portland, transit

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.