Congestion is in the past

Congestion, the amount of car traffic in a specific area, is significantly decreasing due to a new idea that has sprung:limiting car usage. Places such as Vauban, Paris, Bogota, Cali and Valledupar are participating in a program that's made to decrease car usage. Some of these cities enjoy Day Without Cars, a holiday that "promotes alternative transportation and reduces smog". (Selsky 1) Businessman Carlos Arturo Plaza says that "It's a good opportunity to take away stress and lower air pollution."

Limiting car usage promotes a healthier, cleaner environment for all. By using alternative transportation, such as buses, taxis, biking or even walking, the amount of greenhouse emission is drastically reduced. (Rosenthal 1) The Environmental Protection Agency in the United States are encouraging "car reduced" communites, causing legislators to act. This will cut the amount of money spent yearly by U.S. citizens and the government as a whole, reducing the federal transportation bill. (Rosenthal 1)

Paris, too, momentarily banned driving due to smog. Paris enforced a driving ban (that lasted a few days) to clear the city's air after a close call to record pollution. Although some people were upset, congestion was down 60 percent, and the smog cleared a few days later. (Duffer 1) All in all, diesel usage decreased, leaving a "greener" environment in its place.

President Obama has also wanted "to curb the United States' greenhouse gas emissions," (Rosenthal 1), he revealed last week. Although the United States' rate of car ownership per person and per household has started to decrease, there are still more things that could be done to create a long-term cultural shift. (Rosenthal 1) New York has recently created a bike-sharing program that has done remarkably well. Many cities have proposed plans to make personal vehicle ownership impractical or undesirable. (Rosenthal 1) Even Bill Ford, the owner of the Ford Car Company, suggested an idea to creat 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," at the Mobile World Congress last year. (Rosenthal 1)

Bogota, Colombia specifically enjoys a yearly car-free day in which the only exception of vehicle transportation are buses and taxis. This prevents traffic jams, reduces air pollution, and cuts the many costs to cars. Even in rain, the event continued on; "The rain hasn't stopped people from participating," said Antanas Mockus, the Bogota Mayor. (Selsky 1)

Enrique Riera, the mayor of Asucnion, Paraguay, said that "these people are generating a revolutionary change, and this is crossing borders." Smog reduction, cost-cutting, stress-relieving and traffic-jam-free, participating in this global change is an opportunity you won't want to miss.