Humankind has always been fascinated with the concept of cars. Motorized vehicles that effortlessly take you from one area to another when compared to more traditional methods such as walking. Everyone wanted a car for themselves to become a part of the innovation. But as time has passed, we now realized that it was naive of us to think cars were going to revolutionize transport, as some of the more simpler ways of transport (bike riding, bus) outshined car ownership in practicality and efficiency.

Now more than ever, alternative transportation methods are being promoted heavily in order to reduce the amount of pollution in the atmosphere. A shining example of this is in Paris, France ("Paris bans driving due to smog", source two), where the goverment took the initiative to limit the usage of vehicles to reduce the amount of smog in the city.

Paris, one of the most idolized cities in the world, was at a point where the density of smog and pollutants in the air rivaled Beijing, China, one of the most polluted cities in the world. However, after the driving ban in Paris, the city saw a drastic reduction in the amount of pollutants in the air, as it dropped down from 147 micrograms of particulate matter/cubic meter. Not only that, but Paris also saw an inprovement in car traffic, dropping down to 40 percent of what it originally was five days after the ban.

With all this in mind, how does this benefit the population without looking at the pollution reduction? This can also benefit us physically and psychologically. In Bogota, Colombia, a generally congested city, filled with traffic jams and other problems; Mayor Antanas Mockus promoted alternative transportation in the "Day Without Cars event"(Car-free day is spinning into a big hit in Bogota, source 3). In an effort to encourage public transportation in the city of 7 million inhabitants, Mockus promoted an event in which the only form of motorized transportation available was taxi cabs and bus rides. This mean that the people took the opportunity to bike, walk, hike from one point to another. Subsequently, this also indirectly promoted physical fitness and a stress release for people wanting to take the chance to enjoy their day. As Carlos Plaza evidently states that it is a great way to take away stress, while on a bike ride with his wife. Colombia has also opened up new bike path, parks, and sports centers, which is all the more proof that this initiative is promoting physical fitness and psychological wellness.

One could argue that this revolution of alternative transportation could have negative consequences on car industries and other businesses that rely on personal vehicle, and they wouldn't be wrong. But this phenomenon doesn't necessarily have to hurt anyone, as these same industries can promote their time and resources on projects that also promote alternative transportation. Just as well, in recent years, the amount of people getting driver's licenses and relying on personal vehicles has seen a significant decline, such as the amount of young prople driving decreaed 23 percent from 2001 to 2009, or when a study showed the amount of miles driven by the average American peaked in 2005 and steadily declined since then (The End of Car Culture, Source 4). People started to see the efficiency of alternative transportation, and capitalized on the opportunity to make transportation more accessible to everyone. Whether its from the expanding biclycle paths in New York City, to the Bay Area Rapid Transport in San Francisco, these are just a few examples of the steadily growing list of cities promoting more accessible transportation.

So with all of this in mind, there is irrefutable evidence that the more simpler methods of alternative transportation to limit vehicular usage is more efficient and practical. As seen in Paris where the city saw a significant drop in the amount of smog the city contained. Or when Bogota where an event that banned vehicular usage promoted physical and psychological wellness. People opting for alternative transportation is the global phenomenon that benefits us in more ways than we can imagine. There''s no doubt that the older, more traditional methods of transportation out perform personal vehicles in efficiency.