Some people believe the government should spend money on building train and subway lines to reduce traffic congestion. Others think that building more and wider roads is the better way to reduce traffic congestion. Discuss both views and give your opinion. v.1

There are some arguments about how to reduce traffic jam. Some people propose that new and wider roads should be built, others believe that developing systems of public transportation such as train or subway lines is a more effective solution. Personally, I am inclined to the latter view. Admittedly, building wider roads, to some extent, is a good way to tackle road congestion. However, it seems to simply be a stop-gap method. The effect of this solution is only temporary because along with the growth of population and economy, the number of private vehicles will continuously increase which will quickly fill up the roads again. As a consequence, traffic jam will eventually recur. Moreover, enlarging or constructing new roads requires new land, which is inherently a limited resource in crowded cities. On the other hand, developing public transport systems as train or subway lines ensures long-term benefits. It has been proven that using public transport brings about many advantages for the communities. For instance, public transport provides an affordable and time-saving alternative to driving and helps to reduce gasoline consumption as well as carbon emission. For such outstanding benefits, people will certainly be willing to adapt to this kind of transportation provided that governments can offer a reliable and efficient service to meet their demand. Additionally, owing to the huge capacity of public transportation, which can carry up to hundreds or even thousands of passengers, a train or a subway in operation would mean hundreds or thousands of cars being taken off roads. As a result, traffic congestion would be significantly reduced. In conclusion, I strongly believe that investing in public transport is the best method to mitigate traffic jams.