• Methods governments could use to discourage the use of private cars in the city centre 2015

Private transportation has become a fast-growing problem in modern-day city centres. Many people now believe owning their own transport vehicle is essential to their day-to-day activities and that without it, travelling from living quarters to their work place would not only bring more stress into their lives but also long periods of waiting on bus stops, railway stations, subways and... pretty much anywhere your day took you to. With their own personal land vehicle people have the liberty to make up their day as they wish without as many time restraints and inflexible routes.

Of course, with the high probability of one's job to take them to city centres, these are constantly overflowing with vehicles- both public and private. The problem is not so much the public ones- those transport a considerate amount of people or can at least, seat plenty of individuals. So it's probably fair to say that the problem rests on private cars, which more frequently than not take only their drivers inside, making up maybe as much of the pollution as a single public vehicle along with generating great traffic and leaving the city centre incredibly busy and hard to navigate.

Well, if private cars are so used to bring employees to their workplaces in the city centre and the goal is to decrease the circulation of private vehicles in said area, logic tells us that imposing fees for those who wish to bring their cars to work would most likely help in such endeavour. Making employers pay for their employees' parking fees might also be a way. However, this might cause the relocation of businesses out of the city centre which could negatively affect those in it.

Another way to do it, would be reaching out to everyone and making sure they acknowledge how pedestrianised city centres have the potential to make their lives easier and better- no traffic, no pollution along with decreased numbers of accidents and even deaths. On the other hand, this could not be a viable option for each and every individual. In addiction, the streets would still be busy- now with pedestrians.

That is why I believe a balanced method should be formulated- transportation vehicles are essential but not in excessiveness. Public transports can offer a lot, and with people's vote of confidence and help they can shape up to a service which is reliable, affordable, dynamic and overall up to par with the users' necessities.