People Cars Cities Public Transportation Road Carpool Gas

In most cities in the U.S., people depend on their cars, rather than public transportation, for their everyday life. Public transportation is run by the government and usually includes buses, subways, and trains. With the exception of a few big cities such as New York, Boston, and San Francisco, many people think that public transportation is not convenient enough to use everyday, to go work or school, or to travel around town. However, too many cars on the road cause poor air quality, or "air pollution," which affects people's health. Having fewer cars on the road also means fewer "traffic jams," where cars move very slowly or are stopped on the road.

In the past 30 years, the government, private organizations, and businesses have been trying to get people to drive their cars less. Many of these are "incentive" programs that reward people for using other types of transportation. For example, many large cities have "carpool lanes," or a lane on a road or freeway just for people in cars with at least two or three people. During "rush hour," or the time of day when the roads are the busiest, people who drive in carpool lanes are less likely to be caught in traffic jams.

Some companies are encouraging their employees to carpool by giving them different types of incentives. For instance, employees who carpool may get a special parking "permit," or pass, that allows them to park in the most convenient parking spaces at work.