Essay on Urban Traffic Congestion

Whether or not traffic congestion is an emergent issue in modern cities is vigorously debated. The variety of causes and modern lifestyles make the solution to this problem quite difficult. However, governments and individuals might be able to take measures to decrease traffic jams. In this essay, both causes and solutions will be discussed prior to providing a personal opinion.

It is important to consider two inevitable phenomena: overpopulation and urban sprawl. The second one is a direct consequence of overpopulation and as a result, the increase of urban areas brought a dramatic use of cars for moving to one side of the city to another. Furthermore, cars are not only used for going to work but they are also used in daily-life activities. For example, in my city, most of the people prefer going to the gym by car instead of walking to save time.

Although others believe that reducing urban traffic congestion might be an extremely difficult task, it is crucial not only for governments but also for individuals to adopt measurements in favour of such a reduction in traffic jams. On the one hand, governments mat adopt measures such as license-plate driving restrictions, which might reduce the number of cars on some days of the week. Moreover, governments should encourage the use of public transport by increasing their numbers of vehicles and efficiency.

On the other hand, individuals may decrease traffic congestion by using more public transports and walking instead of using private cars. For example, in daily-life activities such as going to the gym, it might be more beneficial to walk or ride a bike instead of driving a private car.

In conclusion, the first measures might be taken by governments and followed by that of individuals. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that there will be a real solution to traffic congestion if governments do not encourage the use of public transport and enforcing driving restrictions.