Pollution is a serious global problem although that which is caused by traffic is one which can be tackled. I would agree that the primary way of doing this would be to invest in the public transport infrastructure. However, there are also other ways.
People need to commute in order to travel to work; and many people choose to travel to work in private cars which cause gridlock in many cities twice a day, and which also give rise to more serious problems. The fumes from these cars cause air pollution, resulting in poor quality, harmful air in our cities. These fumes are also a major contributor to global warming. If people used public transport instead of driving then this problem would be dramatically reduced.
Cost and convenience are big factors in people’s choice of transport. For this reason governments need to invest money to ensure that they have a transport system which is more effective than private car ownership. This means that the system is reliable and is capable of transporting large numbers of people around the city cheaply and quickly. An example of a well developed system is in Tokyo where millions of people rely on public transport rather than driving themselves.
An alternative solution to the problem is to encourage the use of electric cars. We already have the technology to produce electric cars which do not produce any fumes so do not result in air pollution. However, these cars are not as popular at present. The government could change this by subsidizing car ownership through perhaps offering tax deductions when purchasing the cars. They could also offer free parking in city centres for electric cars.
In conclusion, public investment in subsidized public transport infrastructure is certainly vital in order to tackle pollution. However there are also some other alternatives with regards to cleaner technology.