Wrt 2 Academic: taxing petrol

[Chitarra90]

Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

What other measures do you think should might be effective?


It is argued that increasing price on fuel by taxing it is the best solution to tackle traffic congestions as well as to reduce the average level of carbon dioxide emissions. It is not agreed that this measure alone could solve the problem as the Government should invest on public transportation, as well as well to introduce a pollution charge and more pedestrian zones.

Firstly, it is not always true that increasing the price of petrol will for result to a lower consumption of it. Take commuters as an example, they are often forced to use their own cars in order to move from suburbs to city centres in order to reach their own workplaces. In other words, people are not able to change their habits in order to reduce their own carbon footprint if they have not chance to do so. As a case in point, a survey made by the Italian Government in 2010, measured that increasing the price of fossil fuels in Italy hasn’t had any effect on air pollution in big cities such as Rome, Milan and Naples, which have in common poor transportation systems.

In order to tackle the problem, the Government should invest in more well-designed, efficient and convenient public transports which can help people to invert their tendency to rely only on their own vehicles. Another measure is for the government to promote both a pollution charge, increasing funds that could be invest later on transports, and more traffic-free zones that can give a huge help on increasing the air quality especially in big cities. London has been leading this trend since 1997, and recently on 2010, the City Mayor reported that the average carbon dioxide presenting in the air was cut by more than a ONE half than before.

To sum up, taxing petrol is not the best solution available for the Government as more reliable solutions could be taken in consideration. Personally, increasing public transports as well as reducing traffic jams in the city centres by imposing charges on vehicles and introducing pedestrian zones, I believe are the best efforts that should be made.

Words 345 time 30 min o.o

[David.IELTS.Examiner]

Hello!

Overall, quite good. Grammar is very accurate and there is a good range of structures. Vocabulary is good. However, the suggestion that simply improving public transport will make people use it is demonstrably false. Beijing is a perfect example and there are many others. In London, imporving public transport wasn't the solution you suggest - it was the introduction of a 'congestion charge' on cars entering the centre of the city.

All the best,
David