Band 8+: The first car appeared on British roads in 1888. By the year 2000 there may be as many as 29 million vehicles on British roads. Alternative forms of transport should be encouraged and international laws introduced to control car ownership and use. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

With the production of cars becoming more automated, they have become cheaper and more easily accessible to many people, resulting in a boom in private car sales and ownership. I strongly agree with the statement that encouraging alternative forms of transport and introducing car ownership laws can be used to control the rise in this number, taking Singapore as an example.

Introducing laws that make owning a car more challenging could help control car ownership rates. For example, in Singapore, the law states that everyone who owns a car must buy a Certificate of Entitlement (COE). The COE costs upwards of 100 thousand dollars, in addition to the price of the car itself. Further, it expires after ten years and has to be renewed. This makes owning a car in Singapore extremely expensive and has significantly reduced the number of cars present on Singapore’s roads, proving its effectiveness. At the moment, while this is not an international law, it represents a possibility that could be trialled in the future in other cities.

In introducing other transport options, many people may complain that these are not as comfortable and convenient as driving a privately owned car. For instance, public transport, such as buses and trains, is often crowded during peak hours, and sometimes has long waiting times, which can be very emotionally draining after a long day of work. However, this can be countered with appropriate planning and implementation. In Singapore, bus interchanges and train stations are often built in close proximity to each other. Additionally, during peak hours, buses and trains arrive every two minutes, reducing both waiting times and congestion on board these vehicles. As such, a well-developed and connected public transport system can make a city more people-centric and reduce private car ownership and usage.

In conclusion, legislation on car possession and building better infrastructure to enhance the ease of using public transport are important. I believe that making public transport more appealing than private options in terms of comfort, convenience, and cost would assist in reducing car ownership rates.