Describe some of the problems over-reliance on cars can cause and suggest a possible solution.
It is undoubtful that cars have become a major asset in our lives. Since they’re invention in 1886, they have witnessed huge technological and mechanical advancement that rendered them essential for everyday life. Cars usage varies depending on the purpose that they’re purchased for. Some people use it for transporting and delivering goods and services. Others use it to travel between their houses and workplaces. Other types of car usage include leisure traveling, family transportation, sports, and outdoor activities. Finally, some people may project a certain look and luxury message to their entourage through the purchase of fancy or state-of-the-art cars. Nevertheless, overdependence on cars can cause various problems like excessive traffic jams and pollution. These issues will be discussed throughout the essay along with a suggested solution to those issues.
Firstly, overuse of cars results in excess traffic jams. These jams could occur on main roads or within the city. Also, these jams account for a lot of time and energy wasted during driving trips. For instance, I found that the typical trip from my house in New Cairo to my workplace in Sheikh Zayed city is around 60 KM and takes about an hour to finish. However, due to the high number of cars taking that road, the trip ends up taking an hour and a half or two hours in some cases due to traffic jams. These jams aren’t bound to certain hours of the day. Instead, they are expected to occur at any time of the day, be it a rush hour or not. Moreover, the increased number of traffic jams results eventually in demanding road maintenance and expansions, which is not only costly and time consuming, but it also creates road bottle necks, adding more time to the driving trip. Hence, I believe that it’s inevitable to see the connection between overreliance on cars and the increase of traffic jams which consume a lot of time and energy.
Secondly, overreliance on cars results in large amounts of pollution, be it air or sound pollutions. These types of pollutions are responsible for decreasing the air quality and harming the human auditory system. For example, looking closely at the increase in number of cars in Egypt in the last 10 years, one can predict the increase in pollution levels in different parts of Cairo. I even noticed the changes in pollution levels during my daily trip on the ring road. The air quality decreases, causing danger to people, especially those suffering from asthma. Also, the building colors started to darken due to being exposed to smoke coming out of car exhausts. Moreover, noises are continuously increasing, resulting from motor sounds and honks. Thus, it’s clear to note that those previously outlined points narrow down the effects of overreliance on cars in increasing air and sound pollution.
To summarize, overreliance on cars results inevitably in increasing traffic jams as well as sound and air pollution. It is obvious that these effects will hinder the quality of human life. Therefore, I suggest shifting some of the reliance on cars to healthier public transportations such as the subway and the tramway. Both transportations are ecofriendly since they run on electricity and they’re also fast and convenient to many citizens, not to mention that their tickets are far more affordable for a large segment of the society. On the long run, I hope that we can reverse the effects of overreliance on cars and preserve our environment as well as the quality of human life.