Student Essay - Ko Se Lim, Year 11, Sayfol International School - Reducing the need for people to travel is the only way to reduce traffic.

Ko Se Lim, Year 11, Sayfol International School

Reducing the need for people to travel is the only way to reduce traffic. Do you agree?

What would it be like not having to go out at all? The car is one of the things which we have to have. Surprisingly, many people think we should give it up. Why? It is comfortable, fast and shows one’s style. More and more people own cars these days. So, traffic is increasing day by day which causes more air pollution, accidents and traffic jam. Reducing the need to go out can reduce some traffic but it is not completely effective. 

Firstly, reducing the need for people to go out will have some effect on the amount of traffic. Shopping, work and education are major reasons for people to go out. Advanced technology has done something which we never thought would be possible. With new technology, we can work and study at home by teleconferencing and using the internet. Teleconferencing is easy, widely available and very useful when participants are in different countries. Employees can email their work instead of going to the office. Moreover, students can learn through the computer or television instead of attending school. Fortunately, online shopping also reduces some traffic and is good for busy people.  Therefore, reducing the major reasons to go out can reduce some traffic. 

However, even if we decrease the need for people to go out, people will still need to travel. Most of the time, it is better to go out and experience things. This is especially true for children. Children need a structured environment to learn and they have to learn to communicate with others. Therefore, they need to go to school. Moreover, we have to go certain places. For example, we have to go to the hospital to get treatment, restaurants for a meal, hairdresser for a haircut and so on. Furthermore, some people prefer to do their shopping physically because they want to be able to ensure the freshness of the produce that they purchase for their family to consume. And some people just enjoy the experience of shopping! Thus, we are still living in a world where it is better to have our own transport. 

Fortunately, there are many other ways to decrease traffic apart from decreasing the need for people to go out. The point is to change people’s minds and dissuade them from over-using private transportation. For example, by increasing taxes, cost of insurance, price of cars and petrol, the government can reduce the number of car owners. A better idea would be to reduce the price of public transportation and increase its quality – by improving its comfort, cleanliness and frequency. Also, the government should look into laying more pavements for pedestrians to walk or cyclists to cycle on. Hence, the government doesn’t have to reduce the need for people to go out in order to reduce traffic.

In conclusion, all countries should encourage alternative forms of travel rather than reduce the need to go out. Decreasing traffic would improve our lifestyle and quality of lie. We should make a habit of walking and biking!