Throughout time, pollution has been known to be a huge environmental problem. The excessive amount of individual car owners driving down streets is in no way helping this issue. Efforts to diminish the number of cars we see on our roads have been taking place in order to help the environment and therefore citizens as well.

It is no news that passenger cars are harmful to the environment. They release gases that pollute the air we breathe affecting not only us but the environment as a whole. Passenger cars are responsible for 12 percent of green house gas emissions in Europe and up to 50 percent in some areas in the United States (Source 1). This realization has led to the promotion of "car-reduced" communites by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (Source 1). But the problem is more widespread than that. Paris has acknowledged the importance of this issue after witnessing smog that rivaled Beijing, China, known as one of the most polluted cities in the world (Source 2). Paris's solution was to enforce a driving ban in order to help clear its air. Due to this ban, congestion was down 60 percent shortly after the intensifying smog (Source 2). It is a known fact that transportation is America's second largest source of emissions, therefore, limiting passenger car usage can greatly benefit the environment as well as citizens' everyday lives.

Limiting car usage has not only proven to be helpful towards the environment but towards citizens as well. With a decrease in car usage comes new benefits not just to individual citizens but to communities. Less cars means less time in irritating traffic. Usually, car traffic and traffic jams leads to huge amounts of stress. This is because the idea of not getting to work is stressful; not getting to work means losing money. Losing money adds even more stress. But when limiting car usage, losing money is not an issue one has to think about. Carlos Arturo Plaza agrees by stating that "It's a good opportunity to take away stress..." (Source 3). Rush-hour restrictions and other efforts towards limiting car usage have cut traffic making it easier for citizens to get to their jobs (Source 4). Those who choose other forms of transportation that are less harmful to the environment have even less of a problem and appear to be much happier. Heldrun Walter states that when she had a car she was always tense but now she is much happier (Source 1). The evidence has proven that limiting car usage is benefical to not only the environment but to citizens' daily life as well.

Keeping a clean environment is something of major importance. If one does not take care of the environment there will seize to be a healthy environment in which to live in. Limiting car usage is a big step when it comes to keeping the environment free of pollution. Not only is it beneficial to the environment but it helps citizens live a much happier life lessening the causes of stress. Limiting car usage helps the air needed to breathe, the money coming into your pockets, and one's overall happiness.