170 ielts essay samples

 
 

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22 
26. The rising levels of congestion and air pollution found in most of the world's 
cities can be attributed directly to the rapidly increasing number of private cars in 
use. In order to reverse this decline in the quality of life in cities, attempts must be 
made to encourage people to use their cars less and public transport more. 
Discuss possible ways to encourage the use of public transport. 
Anyone who lives in a city is aware of the increasing number of cars on the road and the 
kinds of problems this creates: traffic jams, air pollution and longer commuting periods. As 
economies grow and access to cars spreads to increasing numbers of people, this trend 
is likely to worsen. The solution, it would seem, is for governrnment to encourage the use 
of public transport in urban areas, thus decreasing dependence on the car. 
One way to stimulate public transport use is to make private car use more expensive and 
inconvenient. The introduction of tolls along urban motorways has been successfully 
employed in many cities. Other such measures are high-priced permits for parking in 
urban areas and the restriction of parking to a limited number of cars. Faced with high 
costs or no place to park, commuters would perhaps be more willing to abandon their cars 
in favour of buses or trains. 
There are also less punishing ways of spurring public transport use. The construction of 
free carparks at suburban train stations has proven successful in quite a number of 
countries. This allows commuters to drive part of the way, but take public transport into 
the central, most congested, urban areas. 
Indeed, making public transport more comfortable and convenient should work to attract 
more commuters and decrease traffic congestion. Public transport that is convenient and 
comfortable retains its passengers, much like any business that satisfies its customers. 
The more commuters committed to taking public transport, the less congestion on city 
streets.