Discouraging the Use of Private Cars in the City Centre

Essay by Shmeleva Elena

Discouraging the use of private cars in the city centre

Pressure groups often advocate for the serious limitations of the use of private cars in

the modern megalopolitan centres. The city dwellers’ indifference to discouraging the

use of personal transport in busy city centres is both the result of the lack of

awareness and insufficient financing. There is clearly scope for the government to do

something about this situation. In this essay I will discuss two possible approaches

that could be taken.

The first of these is to increase the money investments. This may contribute to the

development of the reliable system of public transport as well as the promotion of

bicycle rental and therefore convince people that there is no need for using their own

cars in the city centre. While it would almost certainly lead to considerable

improvements in the network of public transport, more could still be done to make

the city centre a pedestrian-friendly place.

A second tactic could be to deepen people’s understanding of how efficient would it

be to turn the city centres into pedestrianised areas. There are some drawbacks to this

approach, however. Where, for instance, is the guarantee that the public would be

ready to change their ways? The issue can be addressed by the introduction of social

advertising campaigns with the participation of world-renowned celebrities. Being

highly influenced by different mass media, the public could thus rest assured that it is

vital to stop using private cars in the city centre.

On balance, intensifying money investments and raising people’s awareness must go

hand in hand. Once it all has been implemented, there will be far less temptation to

use private transport in the city centre.