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?

Opinions are divided on whether there has been an explosive number of people owning cars over the

last

thirty years, resulting in severe congestion in many large

cities

in the world. In my opinion,

this

argument depends on each city or each nation, whereas there are some solutions for governments to solve

this

problem. It is undeniable that the demand for car ownership has been increasing over the

last

decades due to some reasons in terms of price and travelling distance. Regarding the former, thanks to the development of technology, compared to the past, the cost of manufacturing cars is significantly reduced, resulting in more affordable prices for them so more and more people are able to have a car. As for the latter, citizens must travel much

further

distance in a shorter time these days.

As a result

, cars are preferred due to their flexibility and faster speed compared to motorbikes or public transport. To solve

this

problem, there are several approaches for governments

such

as the relocation of industrial areas or the development of public transportation. With regard to industry, moving factories to suburban areas might help to mitigate the traffic jam in large

cities

because large vehicles would not go to the centre of the city.

Last

but not least, developing and subsidizing public transportation

such

as buses, MRT, or trains, is one of the most effective methods to alleviate congestions, which has been implemented in many large

cities

such

as Singapore, and Hong Kong. Take the Southeast Asian country ,

for instance

, the modern public transport system of Singapore has changed the travelling habit of its citizens, which encourages people to use MRT and buses rather than catching taxis. In conclusion, I believe that cheaper prices and longer distances are the important reasons for explosive car ownership throughout the world, causing traffic jams in many large

cities

.

However

, there are several policies that governments can apply to solve

this

issue like moving industrial areas to rural regions and developing public transport.