Today in Beijing, "to drive or not to drive?" has become a daily dilemma for most car owners.

    When my family purchased our first car some ten years ago, the traffic problem was not as serious as it is today. At that time, traffic did not eat up a lot of time and we didn't have to worry about finding parking downtown. The petrol price was rather reasonable as well.

    However, with the dramatic increase in private cars, people are now frequently found stuck in traffic jams. To ease the traffic congestion, the local government has raised parking fees in major business and shopping areas. For those who work in the Central Business District, the parking fee for a working day is probably equal to what they earn.

    This is encouraging some private car owners to turn to public transport. However, there is still a long way to go to build a more comfortable and convenient public transport system, which is the key to solving a city's traffic problems.

    Chen Wanyi

    Beijing, China

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