Limiting car usage can affect our enviroment in so many ways. Although you may have not ever thought about it before, limiting car usage can help not only our enviroment, but ourselves as well. Let's talk about what can happen if we ditch our vehicles.

People in Germany have completely given up their cars for the most part already. Since most of their residents are suburban pioneers, they find almost no point of even owning a car. Here in America we use cars for transportation (for almost everything)! In Germany, many have admitted that owning a car makes them stressd. Heidrun Walter who is a media trainer said, "I'm much happier this way." The trend of not owning a car isn't just growing in Europe. Lot's of families from Chicago are abandoning their cars as well.

The city of Paris has banned driving for a good enviromental reason. There has been so much pollution in the city from smog that there was a driving ban to clear the city's air. If anyone is caught driving, they are sent a fine of 22-euro, which is $31 here in the US. Although this may seem like a harsh punishment, it has helped Paris overcome a lot of its smog. The only exceptions when it comes to driving are delivery companies and public transit.

Bogota, Columbia has jumped on the bandwagon along with many other places. This country put a ban on cars to prevent smog as well. There was a huge turnout on their part for doing this. Buisnessman Carlos Arturo Plaza stated, "It's a good oppurtunity to take away stress and lower air pollution." Ever since the day where they banned cars for a short period of time, there has been many other new advancements in their society. Parks and sports centers have spread throughout the city, uneven sidewalks have been replaced, rush-hour restrictions have drastically cut traffic, and new restaurants/upscale shopping districts have opened up.

Last, limiting car usage also has a great effect when it comes to getting rid of greenhouse gas emissions. Research has suggested that Americans are now buying fewer cars, fewer licenses, and overall driving less. It seems as many people are starting to open up their eyes and realize all of the long term effects that come with car overusage. Article 4 clearly states that many sociologist believe that if this pattern persist, it will have beneficial implications for carbon emissions and the enviroment. It is said that creating cities in which pedestrian, bicyle, private cars, commercial and public transportation traffic are woven into a connected network to not only save time and conserve resources, but also lower emissions and improve our safety.

All in all, there are many advantages when it comes to limiting car usage. We can help dramatically improve our enviroment and safety. More people should take into consideration about being more conservative when it comes to transportation. We can work around a lot of it by simply walking or riding our bikes short distances rather than wasting a lot of energy with cars.