More and more people in developing countries are purchasing cars for the first time. What problems does this cause? What do you think are some possible solutions?

An increasing number of people from developing nations are making their

first

car purchases. The principle

problem

this

causes is

traffic

congestion and the most viable solution is better public transport. The primary dilemma developing countries face when their citizens start to buy cars is

traffic

jams.

This

is because people’s wealth has grown faster than the infrastructure and

this

means that roads that were built for bikes or a limited number of cars are suddenly clogged with a line of vehicles during peak times. The result of

this

is people getting stuck in

traffic

for a prolonged period of time during rush hour and

also

pollution of the atmosphere while cars run idly.

For example

, most roads in Ho Chi Minh City were built to carry bikes only, but now there are up to 5,000 new cars added to the streets a month and it now takes up to half an hour to travel one kilometre within the city centre. A solution to

this

problem

is to build a sustainable public transport system.

This

could solve the

problem

by taking most people off the roads and onto either an underground train or a train that runs above the road. As

traffic

problems increase, most people will become frustrated and decide to either sell their car or only use it when absolutely necessary.

This

is why Ho Chi Minh City is currently building their

first

metro line and sky train, similar to Bangkok’s; and they are projected to reduce journey times by up to 50% when they are completed. In conclusion, the main

problem

with the rise in the number of motor vehicles in

third

world countries is the clogging of the roads,

however

,

this

can be addressed through modern public transport infrastructure.