Research indicates that a significant increase in population has been recorded globally in recent years with a significant percentage of this being recorded in industrialized nations.The increase in population is both advantageous and disadvantageous to global nations although the latter is more evident. One of the disadvantages of the increase in population is its contribution to traffic congestion witnessed in major urban areas.Our city, New York City, experiences incessant traffic snarl ups, and this is one of the immediate concerns to the residents of the city and the public at large. This problem can be attributed to the city’s poor design and plan, which allows or gives insufficient space meaning that a few people can access the city center at a time(Cohen 61). Of course, there have been measures and strategies to address this problem as can be seen in the creation of committees to spearhead the thoughtful planning and reexamination of the city’s design. With the guidance and support from the Mayor, a comprehensive development plan was initiated in 2003. This plan has played a crucial role in the significant changes seen in the city including the expansion of highways within the city center and construction of pavements and footpaths to help sustain pedestrian traffic. Moreover, the city’s stakeholders and other elected officials have championed for the enactment of legislations aimed at introducing levies motorists using specific roads within the city(Peters and Jonathan 6). This has not only helped generate revenue to steer economic growth but contributed to the reduction of road users.
However, the adoption of the development plans as well as legislations to guide the management of the city’s traffic has been hampered by myriads of issues. First, different opinions and ideologies among stakeholders have played a role in the delay seen in the implementation of the said plans and legislations. A section of your stuff believes that the introduction of levies to motorists is harsh given the current economic constraints(Peters and Jonathan 6). Second, there has been the lack of expertise when it comes to the expansion of road networks within the city and outskirts. Third, there has been conflict between the federal and local governments in the management of the city’s activities and overseeing its growth and expansion. For instance, in 2010, the federal government gave a direction that the city’s local authorities were to evaluate and implement road expansion policies to curb the significant increase in traffic congestion. The NYC authority failed to comply to the federal government’s order, and this is one of the factors contributing to the city’s current congestion problems.
As such, the city’s residents and public believe that restructuring of the city’s local administration is necessary. With a new administration in place, problems such as noncompliance with directions from the federal government are likely to be addressed. Besides, the new administration would be tasked with outsourcing experts to help in the necessary expansion of current road networks and construction of new roads within and outside the city(Cohen 61). There is no doubt that this will see a significant decrease in traffic congestion problems that have affected its economic growth in recent years.
As part of the city’s electorate, we believe that you have what it takes to resolve and phase out the endless traffic congestions witnessed in our nation’s capital. We have confidence in your leadership and look forward to the consideration and implementation of our proposals.
Works Cited
Cohen, Steven. “Sustainable New York City: A Work in Progress.” European Financial Review (2011): 61-64.
Peters, Jonathan R., and Jonathan K. Kramer. “Just who should pay for what? Vertical equity, transit subsidy and road pricing: The case of New York City.” Journal of Public Transportation 15.2 (2012): 6.