2018-08-09 #Traffic jams - no end in sight

There are no easy answers to the problem of traffic congestion.

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Traffic congestion affects people throughout the world. Traffic jams cause smog in dozens of cities across both the developed and developing world. In the US, commuters spend an average of a full working week each year sitting in traffic jams, according to the Texas Transportation Institute. While alternative ways of getting around are available, most people still choose their cars because they are looking for convenience, comfort and privacy.

The most promising technique for reducing city traffic is called congestion pricing, whereby cities charge a toll to enter certain parts of town at certain times of day. In theory, if the tolls is high enough, some drivers will cancel their trips or go by bus or train. And in practice it seems to work: Singapore, London and Stockholm have reduced traffic and pollution in city centres thanks to congestion pricing. 

Another way to reduce rush-hour traffic is for employers to implement flexitime, which lets employees travel to and from work at off-peak traffic time to avoid the rush hour. Those who have to travel during busy times can do their part by sharing cars. Employers can also allow more staff to telecommute[work from home] so as to keep more cars off the road altogether. 

Some urban planners still believe that the best way to ease traffic congestion is to build more roads, especially roads that can take drivers around or over crowded city streets. But such techniques do not really keep cars off the road; they only accommodate more of them.

Other, more forward-thinking, planners know that more and more drivers and cars are taking to the roads every day, and they are unwilling to encourage more private automobiles when public transport is so much better both for people and the environment. For this reason, the American government has decided to spend some $7 billion on helping to increase capacity on public transport systems and upgrade them with more efficient technologies. But environmentalists complain that such funding is tiny compared to the $50 billion being spent on roads and bridges.

adapted from The Environmental Magazine, Earthtalk

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While alternative ways of getting around are available, most people still choose their cars because they are looking for convenience, comfort and privacy.

If you ask me what do I think people still want to choose their cars to commute though needing to face traffic jam, this would be an answer with which I could not come up.

In theory, if the tolls is high enough, some drivers will cancel their trips or go by bus or train. And in practice it seems to work: Singapore, London and Stockholm have reduced traffic and pollution in city centres thanks to congestion pricing. 

This couple of conjunctions can be used to deliver ideas which suppose to achieve a certain goal and in fact they do or do not. 

off-peak

rush-hour

forward-thinking