All around the world, people are using gas-gusling vehicles of mass destruction. Recently, Germany came up with the revolutionary idea to limit the use cars by forbidding street parking, driveways, and home garages in the new, experimental district of Vauban. Others have joined the bandwagon as well, instituting new laws, such as the "Car-Free Day" in Bogota, Colombia, and the partial-driving ban in Paris, France. France, Germany, and Colombia are the predeccessing countries to the innovational car usage limitations. These limitations have many advantages, such as a decrease in pollution, traffic, and a long-term positive culture shift.

Pollution and the emission of green-house gases is one of the common issues troubling countries world-wide. A limit of the use of cars and other various vehicles that run of fossil fuels has been proven to help counter the depleation of Earth's Ozone layer. According to

Source 2: Paris Bans Driving Due to Smog,

"[The Smog] rivaled Beijing, China, which is known as one of the most polluted cities in the world... Paris typically has more smog than other European capitals... [Last] week Paris had 147 micrograms of particulate matter (PM) per cubic meter compared with 114 in Brussels and 79.7 in London, Reuters found." The city of Paris had legislated, "On Monday motorists with even-numbered license plates were ordered to leave their cars at home... The same would apply to odd-numbered plates the following day" (

Source 2

). Resulting from their legislation, "The smog cleared enough Monday for the ruling French party to rescind the ban for odd-numbered plates on Tuesday" (

Source 2

). Paris, originally one of the worlds' most-polluted cities, decreased their pollution so much in one day that it was deemed unnecessary to continue the ban for the odd-numbered license plates the next day. "Passenger cars are responsible for 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe... and up to 50 percent in some car-intensive areas in the United States" (

Article 1: In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars

). A decrease in these emissions could have significant effects, as witnessed in Paris. Also, a Local Colombian businessman Carlos Arturo Plaza claimed that the Car-Free Day was "a good opportunity to take away stress and lower air pollution" (

Source 3: Car-Free Day is Spinning into a Big Hit in Bogota

). The government and their factions are in agreement that the ban on cars is only positive. Whether it is Colombia, Germany, or Paris, the restriction on drving was a major success. Imagine if more countries around the world opted to institute this ban; there would be no energy-crisis nor would there be as much of a pollution issue.

Along with the decrease in pollution, there would be a massive decrease in traffic. The vehicular limitations in the beta-countries (France, Colombia, and Germany) have shown that the restrictions imposed decrease the amount of traffic significantly. Based on

Source 3 , in Bogota, "... a car-free day yesterday, leaving the streets of this capital city eerily devoid of traffic jams." Rather than having a holier-than-thou complex, these Colombians supported the greater good of their country and ceased use of all cars on the car-free day. A positive domino affect occured in Colombia as well. According to

Source 3 , "Parks and sports centers have bloomed throughout the city; uneven, pitted sidewalks have been replaced by broad smooth sidewalks; rush-hour restrictions have dramatically cut traffic; and new restaurants and upscale shopping districts have cropped up." These beta countries have improved the standard of living by meerely putting some restrictions on driving for brief periods of time. The United States has seen various changes as well. While there are no current driving restrictions, new priorities are being discovered, such as the bike-sharing program in one of America's most heavily trafficed cities, New York. According to

Source 4: The End of Car Culture , "New York's new bike-sharing program and its skyrocketing bridge and tunnel tolls reflect those new priorities, as do a poliferation of car-sharinf programs across the nation." Nations are beginning to catch on to the contagious cold of revolutionary alternatives to driving and traffic crises.

France, Germany, Colombia, and the United States are already seeing positive changes. The long-term culture shift is proving to be an aspiration for many countries. According to

Source 4 , "The internet makes telecommuting possible and allows people to feel more connected without driving to meet friends. The renewal of city centers has made the suburbs less appealing and has crawn empty nesters back in. Likewise the rise in cellphones and car-pooling apps has facilitated more flexible commuting arrangements, including the evolution of shared van services for getting to work." People are becoming more connected through digital devices as societies become more technologically advanced, therefore the need for a large amount of privately owned cars has become moot. In Vauban, Germany, Heidran Walter, a media trainer and mother, claims, "When I had a car, I was always tense. I'm much happier this way" (

Source 1

). Commoners, such as Mrs. Walter, are respoding positively to the laws of the experimental district of Vauban, which has very few areas and opportunities for cars. In fact, "70 percent of Vauban's families do not own cars, and 57 percent sold a car to move here" (

Source 1

). This modern-day industrial revolution is drawing vast numbers of people into the areas inwhich cars have become a rarity.

Source 1 also states that "Vauban, completed in 2006, is an example of a growing trend in Europe, the United States and elsewhere to seperate suburban life from auto use, as a component of a movement called "smart planning"." The beta countries have had much success and have not seen failure yet. Although in France, "Almost 4,000 dricers were fined... [Twenty-seven] people had their cars impounded for their reaction to the fine" (

Source 2

), it should not be considered a failed experiment. Of the millions of people who live in France, they only saw a small fraction of driving infractions on the day they limited driving. The long-term culture shift that the world is beginning to see is certainly moving in a positive direction.

Between ISIS and the iPhone, the world has come across a variety of both positive and negative circumstances. Considering all of the positive effects of limitations of cars, including but not limited to less traffic, a decrease in pollution, and long-term culture shifts, there have been many advantages to the switch to a car-free enviornment. Even though transportation may take longer, it will be safer and better for the enviornment. Not everyone country can guarantee that all of their citizens will abide by the new laws, as shown in France, but a small fraction of the trouble is better than the mass population of millions, and in some places billions, wrecking havoc on the planet.