Band 6+: Car ownership has increased so rapidly over the past thirty years that many cities in the world are now 'one big traffic jam' How true do you think this statement is? What measures can governments take to discourage people from using their cars?

Over the past thirty years, easier access to car ownership has led to its growth, and now many cities are seen as “one big traffic jam”. I believe this statement is true, as now a considerable amount of individuals have the possibility to buy a car, and that contributes to the increase of traffic. A lot of measures can be taken by the government to discourage the use of cars, and this essay will provide the actions needed.

In my opinion, it is true that more and more people are buying cars. This can be explained by the profitable purchasing power of people in the present compared to thirty years ago and the large quantity of automobiles available. For example, nowadays there is an extensive portion of new job areas where people can work, and the income is greater than it was in the past, with countries where the minimum salary reaches 2.000€. Furthermore, the abundance of cars combined with the need for more comfort, leads people to prefer purchasing automobiles. Therefore, this contributes to more congested traffic, as the number of cars continuously increases.

To discourage the use of cars, essential measures have to be taken. The government should provide adequate public transportation, that has a flexible schedule, and motivate individuals to use bicycles or other environmentally friendly types of transport. For instance, transport like trains, buses, and metros are crucial. Having a more comfortable carrier, with a flexible program and more stops will encourage people to start using them instead of their cars. Another example is the use of bicycles, in Amsterdam the construction of cycle paths around the city facilitated the citizen’s movements from one place to another, adapting this in other countries could also diminish the number of cars on the road.

To conclude, I believe if true that the cities are now “one big traffic jam” as the accessibility to the ownership of cars boosted in the last thirty years. To reduce this, the regime needs to provide satisfactory public transportation and encourage people to use bicycles by building efficient cycle paths.