instructor comments
ZihaoDou AS insturctordraft 5102020 x
11925 NE 151ST PL
Kirkland, WA 98034
May 6, 2020
Governor Jay Inslee
Office of the Governor
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
Dear Governor Jay Inslee
I’m writing to you about my idea to encourage people to use public transport in Washington State.
Introduction
The increased use of private vehicles in Washington has resulted to significant air pollution. Private vehicles produce considerable amount of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and other pollutants which have extremely serious health risks. In addition, the increased use of private vehicles has significantly increased traffic in Washington roads. Public transport is the solution to this problem. Because it reduces air pollution, reduces congestion in the roads and it improves social connections. State governments need to encourage people in Washington State to use public transportation
Use of Public transport reduces air pollution
When there are numerous vehicles on the roads they produce significant amounts of air pollutants and this can be reduced by encouraging the use of public transport.
· Vehicles release toxins to the environment that have adverse effects on human health. The more vehicles are on the road the more gases are released to the atmosphere (Buchanan, 20). Using public transport will reduce the number of vehicles on the Washington roads hence reducing air pollution.
· Evidence suggests that buses used in public transport produce less air pollution as compare to passenger cars. Advanced technologies used in the buses have significantly contributed to this development. As a result, use of public transport can significantly reduce air pollution in the city.
· Most cars are powered by fossil fuels which are major contributors to air pollution. Using an alternative form of transport can therefore help to reduce pollution.
Use of public transport reduces congestion on the road
The congestion experienced in Washington road is as a result of many people using their personal vehicles. This can be reduced by encouraging people to use public transport.
· Most people in Washington depend on their cars to commute to and from work. If people living in the state can be encouraged to lower their dependence on their personal vehicles, the traffic experienced on the state’s roads can be reduced substantially (Shapiro et al., 45).
· The state can come up with policies requiring people to use their vehicles on certain days. This will allow commuters to use public transport while going to work in the specified days of the week. This will significant reduce congestion in Washington roads.
· Congested road are prone to accidents. There are many people who are not well conversant with road safety laws but will always want to drive on these roads. Due to their inexperience, they are likely to cause accidents resulting from their inability to handle their vehicles in congested situations (Saif et al., 37).
Use of Public Transport Improves Social Connections
Technological advancements particularly social media has had significant impacts on social connections. Use of personal vehicles exacerbates an already worse situation.
· Public transport promotes community cohesion as people are able to meet in buses, something that can be achieved when people use their personal cars to work. There are people who live in the same neighborhood but don’t know each other because of high reliance of their personal cars (Stevenson et al., 2926)
· Multiples studies suggest that every 10 minutes of travel by personal vehicles reduces social connections 10% (Greer et al., 35). This can be solved if people are encouraged to use public transport.
· When people get used to using their personal vehicles, they tend to get more uncomfortable when they find themselves in the public. This has adverse effects on their health as such situations can cause stress. To avoid such situations. It is imperative to encourage people to use public transport some days in a week.
Conclusion
People should be encouraged to use public transport in Washington to improve social connections, reduce air pollution and congestion on the roads. This can be achieved by developing policies that require people to use their personal vehicles on certain days of the week. People who have special needs can be used to use their personal vehicles on those days. In addition, the policy can exempt other groups of people based on the necessity of the use of their private cars. Encouraging people to use public transport will have significant positive impacts on individual, institutional and governmental levels in the State.
Thank you for your consideration. I’m looking forward to your response. Please feel free to contact me at 123456789@gmail.com or (123)-4567890
Sincerely,
University of Washington Seattle Students
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Works Cited
Buchanan, Mark. The benefits of public transport. Diss. Nature Publishing Group, 2019. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-019-0656-8
Greer, Liz, et al. Intelligent transportation systems benefits, costs, and lessons learned: 2018 update report. No. FHWA-JPO-18-641. United States. Dept. of Transportation. ITS Joint Program Office, 2018. Retrieved from https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/36236
Saif, Muhammad Atiullah, Mohammad Maghrour Zefreh, and Adam Torok. “Public transport accessibility: a literature review.” Periodica Polytechnica Transportation Engineering 47.1 (2019): 36-43. Retrieved from https://pp.bme.hu/tr/article/view/12072
Shapiro, Robert J., Kevin A. Hassett, and Frank S. Arnold. “Conserving energy and preserving the environment: The role of public transportation.” (2016). Retrieved from http://biblioteca.cejamericas.org/bitstream/handle/2015/1589/Conserving_Energy_Preserving_Environment_Public_Transportation ?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Stevenson, Mark, et al. “Land use, transport, and population health: estimating the health benefits of compact cities.” The lancet 388.10062 (2016): 2925-2935. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673616300678
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