It is true that the car industry has evolved dramatically since last century, thus leading to more people owning private cars. This essay will argue that this tendency has more upsides than downsides.
An important benefit is that people feel more secure and comfortable in their cars compared to public transport. For instance, when utilizing public transport, eating or listening to music may disturb other people, whereas in a private car there are no such concerns. Also, not being surrounded by others, sociopathic people will not feel insecure. This is a major reason why most people trade off their money for comfort.
Another advantage is the time efficiency. Since public transport tends to be very slow, people choose private cars over other means of transport. Long-haul travel can be overwhelming when going by coach and takes several hours. In this case a private car is an invaluable option as it saves time.
However, there is a notable drawback in this tendency. The increasing number of private cars leads to traffic jams and contradicts the human-oriented city principle. “A bus and a car” is a prominent example used to convey this idea to society preferring private cars over public transportation. This idea states that the 2 cars take the same space as one bus but can carry 20 times less passengers. This is why most cities prioritize bus lanes and prohibit private cars from moving in them.
To conclude, although the increasing number of people owning private cars seems reasonable because of their safety, comfort and speed, vast amount of them will result in several problems. Considering that not everyone can afford a private car, the government should act to balance the number of people utilizing cars and public transportation.
