20140109

Q: The best way for governments to solve the problem of traffic congestion is to provide free public transport in 24 hours per day, and seven days a week. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The traffic is getting worse in contemporary society, some citizens suggest that the authority should provide free public transport every day, yet there still remain some arguments against this issue as it's extremely costly. Overall, it is my personal view that offering free public transport is not the best way and other measures should be taken at the same time.

We had to admit that this policy can increase the usage of public transport. Inhabitants will take it into consideration if it's free when they facing traffic jam. To some extent, it can reduce traffic congestion. But we can not turn a blind eye to the problems it caused.

This initiative will sharply increase the national budget. It's generally acknowledged that national funds are limited and should be used in a large variety of social aspects from education to environmental protection. The initiative will leave a burden on the financial budget and let the infrastructure cannot be maintained and guaranteed.

Furthermore, this policy can not address the root of this issue. People use private cars not because of the high cost of the public transportation system, but the line and route don't cover their destination or the low-efficiency when they plan for a long-distance trip. No matter how attractive the public transport is, people still use private cars in case of emergency and essence. In addition, traffic congestion only accrued during the rush hours, so it's pointless to provide it for free all day.

To sum up, I think the authority should reduce the price and develop the traffic infrastructure if they want to address this issue, rather than provide it for free simply.