5.- Write about 100 to 150 words on the following topic. What are the advantages and disadvantages of cycling in big cities? (Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos).
PRUEBA SELECTIVIDAD MADRID CONVOCATORIA JUN 2014-2015 INGLES.
Go on Two Wheels “Beat the Tube strike, get a bike!” During the 48-hour shutdown of London Underground in February 2014, thousands did just that and took to two wheels. During the General Strike of 1926, the middle-class volunteers who drove trains were strike breakers. Similarly, these two-wheeled commuters were trying to beat the Tube strike. With every turn of a bicycle wheel, human freedom is advanced. Cyclists do not have to face timetables; through their own sweat, they make their way in the world, free from following rigid lines of steel and electricity. The bike is individualism in action. The bicycle is a reminder of the freedoms people enjoyed in the lost Victorian days. You pay no taxes or duties; you need no licence, permit or certificate of proficiency - you just get on your bike. And any cyclist with road sense will have a relaxed attitude towards highways regulations. It is absurd to give dog-like obedience to a red light when your eyes and ears tell you it is safe to go. The bike has always pedalled individual freedom forward. The Lady Cyclists’ Association, founded in 1892, knew that it not only gave women an escape from home and husband, but also a reason to throw off constricting dresses. Many lady cyclists, for practical reasons, made cause with the Rational Dress Society who opposed “the introduction of any fashion in dress that either deforms the figure or impedes the movement of the body”. The car is no longer a symbol of freedom, so if you want to feel free, go on two wheels.
Respuestas
Cycling is considered such an efficient method of transportation, and it is one of the best choices if you have to cover short or medium distances in big cities.
Bicycles have advantages compared to motor vehicles: no emissions, easier parking, no traffic congestion and the physical exercise involved in cycling, just to name a few. On the other hand, they also have some disadvantages: almost no protection on crashes, it’s hard fitting them into the traffic a big city so they can circulate properly, they sometimes slow down traffic, vulnerability to weather conditions, difficulty in transporting passengers…
All these facts lead on different demands to public authorities depending on who you are (pedestrian, driver or cyclist), each one wants a regulation that fits it’s needs, and it is here where the key point is, we must fo towards a traffic model that provides a solution to the sustainable transport issue, that encourages low emission vehicles circulation and provides a frame in which we all can move efficiently and quickly.
PRUEBA DE SELECTIVIDAD MADRID CONVOCATORIA SEPTIEMBRE 2014-2015 INGLES