Dealing with Traffic|解决塞车大作战

by Owain Mckimm

All big cities have problems with traffic jams.

Being stuck in a traffic jam is perhaps the worst thing that can happen at the end of a long day. It's a problem that affects commuters in major cities all over the world. In some of the worst affected cities, commuters spend two to three hours each day traveling to and from work. Motorists on China National Highway 110 were even jammed for two weeks in August of 2010. Needless to say, there has been no shortage of methods aimed at solving traffic jams.

London has one of the world's most comprehensive schemes for reducing traffic going into the city's bustling central district. In 2003, a congestion charge was introduced for vehicles entering the city center between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM on weekdays. The charge is equal to NT$500 per day, and motorists can pay monthly via an automated system which detects how many times their cars enter the congestion zone and deducts the fees from their registered accounts. They hope that the traffic would be reduced substantially as people relied more on public transportation. However, even though the congestion dropped 30 percent during the first three years, the current level is back to what it was before the scheme was implemented.

The Netherlands, with one of the most congested traffic zones in Europe, is planning to put into practice a pay-per-kilometer scheme, where motorists will be monitored by GPS and charged according to the distances they drive. In Beijing, a monthly lottery issuing a limited number of new vehicle license plates to hopeful car owners attempts to keep the capital free of congestion. Traffic jams are here to stay, but cities are working on ways to reduce them.

1.  What problem did Chinese motorists face in August of 2010?

(A) A 30 percent increase in gas prices.

(B) A traffic jam that lasted 14 days on a major highway.

(C) A suspension of Beijing's monthly lottery for new license plates.

(D) A charge on all vehicles entering the capital.

2.  What did London do to reduce traffic?

(A) Banned all use of private cars on the weekdays.

(B) Held a lottery for those wanting to enter the city during the week.

(C) Gave each resident a free bicycle to encourage cycling to work.

(D) Introduced a special daily charge for driving a car into the city.

3.  Which of the following statements is true?

(A) It costs NT$500 to drive a car into Beijing.

(B) Only in Asia and Europe are traffic jams a problem.

(C) The Netherlands has one of Europe's most congested traffic areas.

(D) London's congestion charge has had a lasting effect on its traffic problem.

解决塞车大作战

所有大城市都面临塞车问题。

　　在漫长的一天后，或许没有比卡在车阵中更糟的情况了。这个问题影响着全世界各大城市的通勤族。在一些塞车最严重的城市中，通勤者每天上下班得花上 2 到 3 个小时。在中国，2010年 8 月开车上 110 国道的驾驶人甚至塞了整整 2 个星期。不用说，各地方无不绞尽脑汁想解决塞车问题。

　　为减少繁忙市中心区的交通拥塞，伦敦有着全世界最全面的方案之一。该市在 2003 年推行塞车费，凡在平日早上 7点到晚上 6 点进入市中心的车辆都要缴交这项费用。每天的塞车费折合新台币 500 元，驾驶人可以采月缴制，由自动化系统侦测车辆进入拥塞区的次数，再从驾驶人登记的账户中扣款。伦敦希望当人们较常搭乘大众交通工具后，交通情况会大幅改善。不过，即使前 3 年交通拥塞减少了百分之三十，但目前的交通又回到方案实行前的情况。

　　荷兰有着全欧洲最拥塞的交通区之一，该国计划实行里程课税方案，驾驶人将会受到 GPS 监控，并根据驾驶的里程数课税。在北京，针对想购车的民众，每个月会抽出一定数量的新车牌，希望能让当地免于塞车之苦。塞车会一直是个问题，但各个城市正在努力解决。

答案：1. (B)2. (D)3. (C)

国土面积不大、人口密集的新加坡为解决交通拥挤问题，针对自用车采取诸多限制措施。私人购车必须首先竞标取得数量有限的拥车证，1张拥车证的价格就已经相当于 1 辆普通进口轿车的价格，而且拥车证的有效期只有 10 年。此外，新加坡也是全球第一个采用电子道路收费系统的国家。由于购买私家车的成本太高，再加上完善、方便的公共交通网络，使得大多数新加坡人选择不购买汽车，这也有效地解决了其他都市普遍存在的交通堵塞问题。（数据源：维基百科）