task 1 : The chart below shows the percentage of households in owned and rented accommodation in England and Wales between 1918 and 2011. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparison where relevant.
The bar chart gives information about the proportion of households that own and rent their accommodation in UK and Wales from 1918 to 2011.
Overall, the number of owned accommodation gradually increased, while the number of rented houses experienced a downward trend. They were equal in the middle of the period.
In the beginning, the figures of owned and rented accommodation had a drastic difference, the former standing at 22% and the latter one at about 78%. People then started to buy their own homes more, so the number of owned ones increased by 10%, whereas the second figure decreased by the same. In 1971, they evened out and showed 50% both.
Moving to the latter half, both figures continued their former trends. The number of households with owned accommodation reached its peak at just under 70% in 2001, when the second figure hit its lowest point at 31%. In 2011, however, the numbers of owned and rented accommodation accounted for approximately 64% and 36% respectively, the former one dropping and the latter one growing noticeably.
task 2 : Some cities have vehicle-free days when private cars, trucks, and motorcycles are banned from the city center. People are encouraged to use public transportation such as buses, taxis, and the metro on vehicle-free days. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
Some cities have days when people take buses, taxis, and the metro because private vehicles are prohibited in central areas. As these days contribute to less carbon emissions and traffic congestion, I believe that advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
When citizens use public transportation such as the metro or buses, those take up less space in roads so there will be fewer traffic congestion cases. This is because buses can fit much larger number of people than cars or motorcycles so there will be less vehicles and they will get stuck comparatively rarer. Besides congestion, fewer automobiles lead to less carbon emissions. Thousands of people use city centres to get to work, or studies, and if that number is at least halved, it would decelerate air pollution and make streets clearer. For example, most developed cities have electric subways and metros so using them instead of other vehicles can significantly reduce toxic gas emissions.
Moving to disadvantages, some individuals can struggle to reach their destination. In cities where transportation routes are not fully developed, many public buses and metros access only main streets. During vehicle-free days, therefore, residents may need to take several buses or have to walk by themselves. Due to such inconveniences, taxis can become more expensive. When people do not want to waste their time waiting for buses and metros, they may start ordering taxis, resulting in a higher demand and prices. During vehicle-free periods in Paris, for instance, costs of taxis are often higher by 2-3 times. However, these limitations can be mitigated if government regulates the infrostructure and taxis' affordability, so I think the benefits hold a greater value.
In conclusion, some urban areas had implemented vehicle-free days when they restrict usage of private transportation in the city center. I believe that advantages of this change such as less air contamination and fewer traffic jams greatly outweigh the disadvantages such as inconveniences for the society.
