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?

Nowadays, there are many vehicle companies around the world. Therefore, the price of vehicles is lower than in the past so more people are able to afford cars. The number of car owners has dramatically increased over three decades which causes serious traffic jams. This essay will discuss why the greater number of cars leads to traffic jams and the roles of government in reducing car usage.

The number of car ownership has rapidly escalated while roads have been slowly developed so there is an imbalance between cars and roads. For example, in Bangkok, most roads are almost the same as they were in the past 30 years, even though there are more cars in the city. This is why I think that more cars that we use leads to the more traffic jams.

Governments can reduce car usage by increasing car tax fees and reducing public transportation fees. If car prices are higher because of tax fees, fewer people will buy them. In addition, if public transportation fees are lower, more people will use them as well. For instance, in Europe, the metro ticket price is lower as fuel price increases everyday so people prefer using public transportation compared to their cars.

In conclusion, the greater number of cars on the streets affects traffic jams. This essay discussed that this is true because the street development does not match the increasing number of cars and also discussed that governments can solve this problem by charging higher car taxes and lowering public transportation fees.