Serea Amalia

MINIMISING THE USE OF CARS

As society continues to evolve, car use in major urban areas has grown significantly over
the past few decades, bringing mobility to those who own vehicles but also many problems for
society such as environmental damage and traffic congestion. In addition, using cars for
transportation means also implies the use of resources, including fossil fuels, either directly or
indirectly. Bearing in mind this issue of topicality, what could governments do to minimize the
use of cars in the city centres around the world?
One of the first methods which should be taken into consideration is restricting parking
spots. This could be a great alternative as it would force people to stop using their vehicles for any
means of travel. Money could be saved by reducing infrastructure needed for cars, which leads to
less road maintenance cost and perhaps fewer officials to monitor parking. We could as well see
growth or regeneration, meaning that car parks could be changed to shops or office
accommodation, which in turn could generate revenue for the city. Restricting parking may
motivate people to choose public transport as well, thus reducing traffic and auto emission of gas
in the atmosphere, since it is a known fact that more and more cities are opting for electricity
fuelled buses.
Another method that should be taken into consideration is charging a fee whenever a large
congestion occurs. On top of the fact that it mainly reduces traffic jams, it would also make city
centres more attractive for pedestrians and cyclists, which will help increase the quality of life.
This alternative can highly contribute to raising revenue for the local community, since the money
from congestion charge can be spent on other forms of public transport and increasing alternatives
to driving, or other projects designed for the city environment. Obviously, imposing a fine will
make citizens think twice before stepping in their vehicle and driving around, as there is a larger
amount of money that has to be payed apart from the rest of the taxes.
Both methods are great solutions for reducing the use of cars in city centres, as both provide
a stable background and fight against similar urgent difficulties. However, in my opinion, the
method that would be applied in an easier manner is restricting parking spots, as it would cause
less controversy than imposing a congestion charge. If there were less public parking, people
heading to the same destination on a daily basis would arrange their journey using one vehicle for
more than one rather than one car per person. This would be a great alternative for students
commuting to the same school or employees working together in a company.
In conclusion, reducing the use of cars in urban conglomerates is an urgent matter of
discussion, as environmental condition is at high stake. Administrations have plenty of methods to
choose from, but nonetheless they should choose the one that would benefit both the drivers and
the pedestrians.