Cars have become a convenient and economical form of transport and as a result, the use of cars has increased dramatically during the last century. Discuss the problems this increase has created, and offer some practical solutions.

Most people now use cars as their main form of transport. An increase in this trend during the last century has contributed to major traffic congestion in cities, and to a decline in the quality of our environment. This essay will look at how this is occurring and what can be done to address this problem. For many people, cars are seen as an economical and easy method of transport, and this has led to many families now owning more than one car. However, the growing number of cars on our streets has created traffic jams that occur in most major cities on a daily basis. Drivers have no choice but to wait in traffic and as a result, the use of cars, especially in highly populated areas, is neither convenient nor economical. An increase in the use of cars has also had a negative impact on our natural environment. Pollution from toxic car fumes has led to a rapid decline in the quality of air we breathe and has also been a major contributing factor in creating the hole in our ozone layer. One practical way of solving these problems is to encourage people to use public transport. One way to do this is to improve transport systems by making services cheaper and more frequent. Another way is to introduce or extend underground transport systems so traffic congestion can be avoided. In addition, councils could increase parking fees or charge people to drive into city areas. This is being done in some cities in England where drivers must display a special ticket to show that they have paid to enter a city area. To sum up, the growing use of cars is creating an enormous amount of traffic and is damaging to our environment. In order to reduce these problems, citizens could be encouraged to use alternative methods of transport.