Car ownership has increased so rapidly over the past thirty years that many cities in the world are now 'one big traffic jam'. How true do you think this statement is? What measures can governments take to discourage people from using their cars?

With the expansion of cities and rapid infrastructure development, the buying power of people has

also

increased which has enabled them to buy a vehicle of their own.

This

trend has caused the worst traffic crisis on the roads of many important cities around the globe.I totally agree with

this

statement and I believe that

this

issue needs urgent attention.In

this

essay, I will highlight the steps that can be taken by countries to prohibit increased vehicle use.

First

of all, governments should increase the availability of public transport on busy routes.I do recall the Murree road in Rawalpindi , which used to be overcrowded all the time, but after the Metro bus project, a lot of that mess has been reduced.

Secondly

, fares of local buses and coaches should be reduced and

also

, some rewards should be given to regular users in form of free travel vouchers to encourage the use of public transport.

Moreover

, the masses can be discouraged from using private cars by increasing taxes on their purchase and maintenance.

For instance

, in Pakistan after the increase in prices of luxury items recently, the sales of new cars decreased tremendously, as the minimum amount needed to buy a new one surpassed 1 million which is beyond the reach of middle-class persons.

Furthermore

, by increasing the oil prices, there will be more inclination towards using government-sponsored vehicles.I myself had to rely on public transport to reach my workplace due to sky-high prices of the fuel items.

In addition

, governments should announce more holidays in a week to lessen the growing traffic on the roads every day.

Finally

, working from home is an effective way to counter the surge of cars on the highways. An example of

this

, we had seen during the COVID-19 outbreak , when most companies started online jobs, main routes were almost free of traffic. In conclusion, ownership of automobiles

although

, good for the individuals, has negative repercussions on society at large.

This

trend should be curbed by the states in order to improve the messy situation on the roads.