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0The cost of our car dependency
Driving: do we love it because it's quick and convenient, or is it just that we don't have a choice? Either way, commuting by car is becoming more common across the world. While this could mean that people are getting more mobility and freedom, could it have a cost?
As the number of cars on the road increases, so does congestion. As more people travel by car, more road space is used up. According to the OECD's International Transport Forum, the average person travelling in a car takes up five times as much road space as someone on a bus. This is made worse by the fact that, on average, today's cars are larger than those of the past. Tailbacks and other traffic jams in the UK could be costing £7.5 billion each year in wasted time.
It's not just gridlock and wasted time that's the problem. Car dependency has significant health impacts. Air pollution from diesel and petrol cars can cause health problems such as asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Road traffic accidents lead to injuries and fatalities. Additional to this are the long-term problems caused by sedentary lifestyles, leading to poor fitness and obesity.
Road-building developments can also split communities, leading people to feel cut off. Where road transport dominates an area, people without access to a car can feel isolated.
Cities and countries are sometimes tempted to build new roads to reduce the potential for snarl-ups. However, some experts say that this can cause induced demand where increased road capacity leads to more people driving, and congestion is soon back to its previous level. The other side of this theory is that when road space allocation is taken away from private cars, often congestion won't get any worse.
Authorities in some cities, such as Seoul and Utrecht, have demolished motorways, leaving natural features such as streams and rivers in their place. Making drivers pay more is an approach used in cities like London, or Singapore, where ten-year car ownership licenses can cost over £60,000. The increased costs can help reduce the number of cars on the road and make traffic flow faster.
词汇表
commute [kəˈmjuːt] vi./vt. 通勤，上下班往返
mobility [məʊˈbɪləti] n. 流动性，移动性
congestion [kənˈdʒestʃən] n. （交通）堵塞，拥堵
tailback [ˈteɪlbæk] n. （因堵车形成的）车辆长龙，长队
traffic jam [dʒæm] 交通堵塞，堵车
gridlock [ˈɡrɪdlɒk] n. 交通大堵塞，交通瘫痪
diesel [ˈdiːzl] n. 柴油
petrol [ˈpetrəl] n. 汽油
asthma [ˈæsmə] n. 哮喘，气喘
respiratory [rɪˈspɪrətri] adj. 呼吸的，呼吸系统的
fatality [fəˈtæləti] n. （事故中的）死亡，死者
sedentary [ˈsedntri] adj. 久坐不动的，缺乏活动的
feel cut off 感到与外界隔绝，被疏远
isolated [ˈaɪsəleɪtɪd] adj. 孤立的，与世隔绝的
snarl-up [ˈsnɑːl ʌp] n. 交通堵塞，拥堵，混乱
induced demand [ɪnˈdjuːst dɪˈmɑːnd] 诱导需求（因供给增加而引发的需求增长）
allocation [ˌæləˈkeɪʃn] n. 分配，配置
demolish [dɪˈmɒlɪʃ] vt. 拆除，拆毁（建筑物）
motorway [ˈməʊtəweɪ] n. 高速公路
car ownership licenses [ˈəʊnəʃɪp ˈlaɪsnsɪz] 汽车拥车证，车辆所有权凭证
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