As the number of private cars has increased, so too has the level of pollution in many cities. What can be done to tackle this increasingly common problem?

As the number of private cars has increased, so has the level of pollution. Over-reliance on cars at the expense of public transport has made

this

problem even worse, causing many concerned citizens to look for a solution to the problem. One potential solution to

this

issue is to discourage the use of private cars by raising taxes. If the cost of petrol was increased,

then

many people would consider using alternative forms of transportation or even walking. Admittedly, there would be a number of complaints from car drivers, but these would not be of much importance when balanced against the environmental benefits. Another solution could be to look at more specific causes of the issue. Modern cars are fitted with cleaner-burning engines and catalytic converters.

Accordingly

, they do not cause much of an environmental hazard as any older cars. In Japan,

for example

, cars are heavily taxed once they have been on the road for three years or more, encouraging people to buy new cars which pollute less. By heavily taxing older vehicles from the road, some of the worst polluting vehicles would be taken off the road.

However

,

this

would not be fair to those who cannot afford a new car with

such

regularity. An improvement in the quality and efficiency of public transit would

also

encourage people to use their cars less. In London,

for instance

, a system has been operating for some time in which people are allocated days of the week when they can use their cars. On days that they are not allowed to drive, public transit is taken.

Although

there are potential solutions to the trouble, none of them are perfect. Only by a concerted effort by both the government and the public can

this

situation truly be resolved.