Traffic congestion seems to be increasing. What do you think are the causes of traffic congestion and what, if anything can be done to reduce the problems?
Traffic congestion has become the biggest concern of many countries. Traffic congestion is increasing because of towns and cities being populated and also because most are able to afford private vehicles. Besides each family may have as many vehicles as the number of members it has.
People prefer the convenience of their own vehicles as it saves time. It is a luxury and a status symbol for them too. Many can now afford cars due to easy availability of loans at low interest rates. Cars in fact are no longer luxury item.
People do not find public transport comfortable and convenient. They consider it a waste of time. Travelling in crowded buses is very inconvenient due to heat and humidity. Due to heavy traffic the speed is slow too so it takes longer to reach the destination.
Another reason for increase in traffic congestion is that the roadside is occupied by vendors and wrongly parked vehicles which slow down the movement of the vehicles. Poorly maintained roads and narrow roads are cause a lot of inconvenience.
To reduce traffic congestion Government should increase public transport facilities such as increasing the number of buses on roads so as to increase the bus frequency. The Indian government is coming up with metro in many cities after its successful implementation in Delhi and Calcutta. The government has introduced air conditioned buses and created special lanes for public buses so that they can move with speed and with no hindrance.
Indian towns and cities still do not have separate lanes for cyclists and other two wheelers. This makes it very risky for such people to move on roads with cars and buses plying side by side. Vice versa the cyclists impede the smooth movement of four wheelers by coming their way and riding carelessly.
People are regular offenders for they do not follow the traffic rules seriously. People need to be punished strictly so that they don’t repeat the offence.
People should pool their cars so as to save petrol as well as reduce traffic. Flyovers and under bridges should be constructed in the congested areas of cities so that the traffic can move freely in different directions without intercepting each other.
I will like to conclude that there are several solutions to reducing traffic congestion. The government should build good infrastructures and transport facilities to match with the needs of the increasing population in the cities. Likewise the citizens too should try to keep the interests of the city and the public in mind so as not to cause inconvenience to others and also have road manners.
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