Abstract
The vast majority of westerners living in or near cities are commuters.1 Every day in a tidal to and fro we migrate between particular topographical points on the earth's surface. We depart and arrive at different cognitive environments, and for most, the period of ‘transit’ involves a completely different set of physical and cognitive parameters from those experienced at home or at work/ place of destination. The ‘transit’ between these two points or states of being involves, therefore, not just a physical journey, but a cognitive shift. The period of transit is a time-space void set apart from any other activity in everyday modern life Tberefore the notion of the ‘person-in-the-world’ during this practice of commuting becomes a fascinating phenomenon. Of course one popular means of commuting is the private car. During the 20th Century, the automobile, it would universally be agreed, has moved to an unchallenged position of sovereignty as the vehicle of popular choice for commuter transport. The personal, social and environmental costs of the car to the person-and-the-world are immeasurable. Alternative modes of transport such as buses, trains, trams, ferries, the bicycle and the foot offer completely different in-the-world relationships while at the same time offering underlying benefits to the person-in-tbe-world. With cars, public transport and personal transport comes telecommunications. Telecommuting, the fourth realm of commuting, has a phenomenal potential to ‘leapfrog’ the other three to the top of the commuting world. It is certain that telecommuting will continue to flourish, but to what extent remains to be seen. The level of delight of the ‘being-in-the-world’ relationships offered by these four modes ultimately appears to correlate with the benefits that each different mode offers to the planet and the person, socially, personally and environmentally.
Published Version
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