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Essay 2- Opinion Editorial

Opinion editorial essay

In recent years, increased demand for transport and transit has led to greater congestion,

delays, accidents, and environmental problems in these large cities. Traffic congestion has

become a scourge of particular severity, manifesting itself in both industrialized and developing

countries. It affects both motorists and users of public transport and entails loss of economic

efficiency and other adverse effects on society. It is worrying that this phenomenon characteristic

of the industrial age has been accentuated, without having the prospect of reaching a certain

limit, turning into a nightmare that threatens the quality of urban life.

In the last decades, there has been an explosive increase in the number of motorized

vehicles in developing countries, due to several factors, such as the growth in the purchasing

power of middle-income socioeconomic classes, greater access to credit, Relative reduction of

sales prices and a greater supply of used vehicles. The increasing availability of cars has allowed

for greater individual mobility, which together with the growth of the population of the cities, the

smaller number of inhabitants per household and the scarce application of structured policies of

urban transport, has increased the congestion.

Although the greater individual mobility facilitated by the car can be considered positive,

it has as a counterpart a more intensive use of the space destined to the circulation. The most

obvious consequence of congestion is the increase in travel times, especially at peak times,
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which in some cities reaches levels well above those considered acceptable. Also, the slowness

of displacement exacerbates the spirits and encourages the aggressive behavior of the drivers.

Another result is the exacerbation of environmental pollution. Its relationship with congestion is

an aspect that still needs to be studied in greater depth, although there is a valuable record

obtained in some cities in Latin America.

Pollution affects everyone's health, so it should be kept below stringent limits. However,

not only must local pollution be thought of, as vehicles also emit greenhouse gasses, giving the

issue a global dimension that cannot be ignored. Other significant adverse effects, such as

increased accidents, increased fuel consumption in transportation and, in general, the operational

costs of vehicles should be added to this. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that congestion

harms not only motorists but also users of mass transit, which in developing countries are people

with lower incomes. In addition to magnifying its travel times, has a possibly even more

regretted result, which is to raise the value of the passages, as will be explained later.

However, not necessarily any degree of congestion is undesirable, note that it will be

preferable to tolerate a certain level, rather than adopt measures that represent a greater cost to

society. It is necessary to develop a concept of the city that is desired, in which economic

efficiency, mobility, a tolerable degree of congestion, a clean environment and a better quality of

life coexist harmoniously, all in a sustainable way. It is clear that congestion of uncontrolled

traffic is against such aspirations and may generate an uncertain future. It is, therefore, necessary

to combat it in the short and medium term by means of actions based on technical know-how, in

addition to learning about useful and sustainable measures, which must be accompanied by new

citizens' attitudes towards mobility, the transport system, Public space, and transit.
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However, congestion is not a problem to be tackled only from the technical point of view,

but as part of efforts to develop cities for people. In designing concrete measures, the various

impacts on the harmonious development of the city must also be considered and to prevent

negative effects. For this reason, an integral approach to a systemic character is required, that

allows to reach cities with greater quality of life and sustainable in the time. The cause of

congestion is the friction or interference between vehicles in the traffic flow. Up to a certain

intensity of that flow, the vehicles can circulate at a relatively free speed, determined by the

speed limits, the frequency of the intersections, and other conditions.

However, at larger volumes, each additional vehicle affects the displacement of others,

that is, the phenomenon of congestion begins. As traffic increases, traffic speeds are increasingly

reduced. There is a level of traffic in which the change in the travel time of all vehicles is simply

the time spent by the one who is incorporated because others can continue to circulate at the

same speed as before. On the contrary, from then on every vehicle entering it experiences its

delay, but simultaneously increases the delay of all others that are already circulating (Akpnar

28).

Consequently, the individual user perceives only part of the congestion he causes, with

the remainder falling on the other vehicles that are part of the flow of that moment. Strictly, users

also have no specific notion of private average costs, since, for example, few motorists have a

clear idea of how much it costs them to undertake an additional trip, regarding maintenance, tire

wear, the value of their time and others. On the other hand, they do perceive the costs imposed

on them by the government - particularly the fuel tax and also the tax on the ring or right to

circulate - which are mere transfers from the motorist to the state, all of which distorts the way

they make decisions.

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Congestion could be reduced largely by convincing a significant number of motorists,

which circulate in areas or periods of high traffic, use public transport or change their travel

schedule. One option to reduce congestion is to discourage car travel to the central areas of cities

at peak times. The provision of car parks or their absence, as well as their cost, condition the car

access if it must be parked. It should be noted that more than half of the trips in the peak periods

are intended to go to work and that a large number of jobs is located in downtown areas. Hence,

there is an impressive potential to attack congestion through actions that discourage long-term

parking in labor areas (Kiefer 12).

Semaphores and their adequate design of cycles are necessary in numerous intersections,

and their coordination is one of the most efficient ways to improve the speed of movement and

achieve significant savings in travel times, fuels, pollution, and accidents.

A practical way to increase people's carrying capacity is by using vehicles that carry more

passengers per unit. This allows using fewer vehicles with a more effective use of the road space,

being in the motorized transport the buses that allow better results. Priorities for public

transportation are justified because they cause less congestion per passenger carried, and are

regulatory measures that correct the distortion by not perceiving the congestion costs imposed by

the car. Apart from giving buses certain advantages in the programming of traffic lights, the

main preference is to reserve lanes for their use. However, it may be necessary to incorporate

actions on the demand that allow solving misalignments in the use of the infrastructure looking

for a balance acceptable to the community. The aim is to improve vehicular and pedestrian traffic

behavior, to modify the type of vehicle used at peak times, preferring the one with the highest

capacity, and to transfer part of the trips to hours of lower traffic levels. That is to say; it is

intended to reorder the displacements in a space-time form without suppressing them, to

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maintain the usefulness of society and its economy. Improving the behavior of drivers and

pedestrians is essential. The traffic rules define rights and restrictions of the use of the roads, to

improve the fluency and to avoid accidents. Unruly driving or disrespect for others reduces the

capacity of the road network, as well as ignorance or misinterpretation of those rules.

Another recommendation to ease congestion is through parking control. Parking is an

essential condition in any road transport system. By controlling parking lots in congested areas,

targets such as increased traffic space or disincentive to individual car trips can be achieved, all

of which reduce congestion. There are various control modalities, such as the prohibition of

parking in certain areas. On the overall, it is pertinent that the cause of congestion is friction or

interference between vehicles in the traffic flow. Up to a certain level of traffic, vehicles can

travel at a relatively free speed, determined by speed limits, the frequency of intersections, and

other conditions.

In conclusion, it is essential to improve the behavior of drivers and pedestrians. The

traffic rules define rights and restrictions of the use of the streets and thus, to improve the fluency

and to avoid accidents. Unruly driving or disrespect towards others, in fact, reduces the capacity

of the road network to a fraction of its potential. Attempting to gain a few seconds at the cost of

transgressing traffic rules at intersections or streets is a serious disruption to other users, resulting

in increased traffic congestion and increased risk of accidents.

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Works Cited

Akpnar, Muhammet Enes, et al. "Simulation Optimization for Transportation System: A Real

Case Application." (2017).

Kiefer, Alexander, Michael Schilde, and Karl F. Doerner. "Replacement services for planned

maintenances of the infrastructure of a public transport system." Lecture Notes in

Management Science 8 (2016): 23.