Should governments spend more money on improving roads and highways, or should governments spend more money on improving public transportation (buses, trains, subways)? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.
All means of transportation should be kept in good conditions. However, I believe it would be most beneficial for a country or city, if its government spent more money on improving public transportation. This would result in substantial standard of living improvements.
The volume of cars and trucks hitting the highways is dramatically rising every year. As a result, the number of traffic jams, accidents and carbon monoxide emissions are doing too. All these factors have a detrimental effect on our quality of life. Expanding subway lines and railroads and developing an effective plan to combine buses and subways routes, would eventually lead to a reduction in pollution levels, less traffic jams and less stress for the people.
If subway lines reached every corner of a city, people would not need to use their cars to commute. Less cars on the road, means less carbon monoxide emissions into the atmosphere; therefore, the air we breathe would be more pure. Less cars also means less traffic jams, which translates into less stress for drivers and better living conditions.
Not every country has a well developed railroad system. Consequently, they have to rely on trucks and buses for ground transportation of passengers and freight. Expanding and upgrading railroad systems will result in fewer trucks and buses on the highways. Removing this kind of traffic from the highways and encouraging the use of trains, would be another way to reduce congestion on the freeways. The reduction of traffic, represents less maintenance costs for the government. This surplus of money could be use for other purposes. For example, a forest recovery program or a national campaign against pollution.
Highways, roads and public transportation all require maintenance funds, but I think it is more important to think about the future and how to make our countries or cities better places to live in. Improving public transportation, will help reduce traffic jams, accidents and air pollution. A safer, healthier and more enjoyable place to live awaits for us in the future.