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Limiting car usage could have many advantages on our planet. Many cities, such as Vauban in Germany, have given up on using cars to help the world around them. "Vauban's streets are completely car-free, except the main thoroughfare, where the tram to downtown Freiburg runs, and a few streets on one edge of the community." There is a movement going on called, "smart planning" and Vauban is just one example of a growing trend in Europe of limiting auto use. The article says that passenger cars are responsible for twelve percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. It seems that the people in Europe are realzing that so much car usage is harming their environment, and they are trying to set a trend for other countries like the United States to follow to limit using cars.

How much people use their cars is very important. Polluted air is a very widespread problem in many regions of the world. Paris had days of near-record pollution, and decided to enfore a partial driving ban to try to help clear the air of the city. The article says that almost 4,000 drivers were fined, and twenty-seven had their cars impounded for their reaction to the fine. "Congestion was down 60 percent in the capital of France, after five days of intensifying smog." The driving ban helped clear the smog, because it reduced car emissions. Paris has more smog than many other European capitals, which is why reducing how much citizens drive their cars is a good idea.

Some cities have days that are completely car free. Bogota, Colombia is one of them. They have been having a Day Without Cars for three straight years. Cars are banned for the day and buses and taxis are the only exception. The city holds about 7 milion people, and had a large turnout. "It's a good opportunity to take away stress and lower air pollution," said businessman Carlos Arturo Plaza. The mayor of Asuncion, Paraguay even said that, "These people are generating a revolutionary change, and this is crossing borders." The Day Without Cars has even helped stores and sports center come up throughout the city. Instead of shopping centers along a highway, those stores are now in the city and easy to get to without having to use a car.

Researchers have been studying America's ways of car usage and driving. America is home to the first cars like the Model T, or "Mustang Sally." Vehichles have always been a huge part of culture, but it seems now that that might not be the case anymore. "As of April 2013, the number of miles driven per person was nearly 9 percent below the peak and equal to where the country was in January 1995." Researchers are actually hoping that the pattern continues because it will have beneficial implications for carbon emissions on the environment. Transportation is the second largest source, behind power plants, of emissions. Many changes have now happened in America, which are making using cars not as important. "With all these changes, people who stopped car commuting as a result of the recession may find less reason to resume the habit.." The article says. If we could slow down the usage of cars and emission, maybe we could help the planet become a better place.

Since the percentage of car usage has gone down in America, so has the percentage of getting a license. There has been a large drop in 16-39 year olds getting a license, Mr. Sivak's research has found. Older people are also likely to retain their licenses as they age. Mr. Sivak and another man both have children of about the same age, 19 and 21, and live in busy cities where a car could be useful. Neither one of them has their licenses, even though they are interested, but they don't really see the need for one when they can use public transportation or car-pool with their friends. The article says that a study last year has also found that driving by young people decreased 23 percent between 2001 and 2009. Whether or not this changes as these young people grow older, these decreases in driving are proving that cars might just not be as important as they used to be.

Our planet is just continuing to get worse from emissions from cars. Some countries are starting to realize this and are working hard to limit car usage and have citizens rely just on public transportation, walking, or riding a bike. Bill Ford proposed partnering with the telecommunications industry to create cities in which, "pedestrian, bicycle, private cars, commercial, and public transportation traffic are woven into a connected network to save time, conserve resources, lower emissions, and improve safety." Citizens all over the world can work together to reduce car usage and better improve our planet.

Score: 5