L…vû¹XjF ÕT 3;C… û+¨v#kÌk

 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
113 
Sample essay 56: 
Traffic problems are increasing in most cities. 
What can be done about this? 
Increasing urban populations have led to a corresponding increase in the number of vehicles 
on the road, resulting in rising congestion in city centres. There are a number of potential 
solutions to the problem, as will now be discussed. 
Perhaps the first step to take would be to improve the availability of public transport and 
install bus lanes throughout the city. Whilst this would, in the short term, increase the 
pressure on the roads, it is likely to result in more people using public transport and leaving 
their vehicle at home. One way of encouraging people to adopt buses and trains is to lower 
the price and expand the timetable. 
Following that, local councils or the government could make it more difficult for car drivers 
to use their car by either charging a levy or only allowing certain vehicles in city areas on 
certain days. A similar system has been running in London for some time, and has resulted 
in fewer vehicles on the roads. 
An alternative idea, one which is more extreme than levies and selective use, is to simply 
prevent private passenger vehicles from entering the city at all. By having only public 
transport options, there would be no problem with congestion and would allow for more 
pedestrian areas in the metropolitan areas. 
To sum up, there are a range of options available to reduce the number of cars in the centre 
of cities, but ultimately they all rely on an increased public transport system and 
encouraging drivers and their passengers to use it. 
(256 words) 

---

 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
114