Topic :
The government should impose a fee on drivers who use their vehicles during rush hour to help cut down on air pollution from exhaust fumes.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Answer :
As more people drive their own cars, there are more problems related to this. Air pollution is one of the biggest problems and one solution to solve this problem is to take charges on drivers who are out on the road during rush hour. I strongly agree with this idea because it can encourage people to look for other options than driving their own cars.
The first reason I agree with the statement that the government should charge people for driving in rush hour is that people will consider the amount of money they are going to have to pay for going out at all. This would impact the frequency of taking their cars when people try to get somewhere. For example, if someone takes about 20 minutes to his or her work on foot, without the extra rush hour fee, he would not hesitate to drive to work, if he had a car. However, once there is a rule that he has to pay for every riding to his workplace, he would consider walking. How about people who live so far away from their destination that they have no choice but to get a vehicle? In this case, people still will figure out some ways not to pay the fee and they might start to use public transportation or start a carpool with their co-workers.
Furthermore, once this ‘rush hour fee’ policy is set, I think less people will be willing to buy a car. There was a recent survey shows that more than 70 percent of people with the age between 25 and 35 answered that the main reason they bought cars is for commuting. If all these people had to pay for driving to and from their work, which is literally what they bought their car for, they would think twice before making the purchase, becasuse it is not a one time payment. This would eventually lead people not to buy cars in the first place, when they can take bus or metro to work.
To sum up, I agree on charging extra fee for driving in rush hour to reduce air pollution. This extra fee will discourage the drivers to drive, and with people who consider to buy a car, it will make the decision harder and possibly stop them from buying a new car. Either way, this policy will reduce the amount of cars on the road, which would decrease air pollution after all.
