Band 6+: Traffic congestion is a growing problem in many of the world’s major cities. Explain some possible reasons for this problem, and suggest some solutions.

In recent years, traffic jams have been increasingly severe in metropolises worldwide. I believe this is possibly caused by a higher number of private vehicles and citizens’ poor traffic discipline. To alleviate this problem, I would recommend the government to promote public transport use and focus on traffic education in the long run.

To begin with, there are two main reasons for the traffic congestion. Firstly, with higher living standards, the growing number of personal automobiles leads to overcrowded roads. Take the difference between buses and cars, as a comparison. While two private cars accommodate only two individuals, a bus with similar size could transport up to 30 passengers. This means private vehicles occupy excessive space which should be provided to other commuters. Secondly, human disobedience to the traffic rule might contribute to accidents and road bottlenecks. Since, many drivers ignore traffic signals and exceed speed limits, creating traffic delays or even road mishaps, the traffic condition is slowed down.

Although it would be challenging to address this problem permanently, 2 proposals will be suggested to mitigate the issue. One instant measure would be encouraging residents to travel more by mass transit, such as trains or buses. This could significantly reduce the number of personal means of transport and in turn, provide more space for traffic. When it comes to long-term schemes, traffic education should be taken into consideration to strictly deal with road violations. If students have been educated to respect traffic regulations and repeat these good behaviours through hands-on activities since a young age, most of them would keep this habit in the future. Therefore, educational systems should provide students with realistic traffic lessons, including the penalty or the accidents if breaking rules.

In conclusion, while it is challenging to eliminate traffic jams due to the high tendency to choose private vehicles and traffic violations, by shifting the traffic choice to public transit and high-quality traffic education programs, this problem could be probably addressed.