評(píng)論
打印
n. 暴行，侮辱，憤怒
vt. 凌辱，激怒
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Their contempt for the law is breathtaking. They routinely ignore red traffic lights, menacing pedestrians crossing the road when it ought to be safe. They cycle the wrong way along one-way streets, notably outside our local primary school where they play dodge ’em with the parents and children every morning. They race over pedestrian crossings and along the pavements whenever it suits them, the more aggressive of them screaming abuse at anyone who gets in their way. Yet heaven help anyone, car driver or pedestrian, who strays even momentarily into a cycle lane.
這要緊嗎？當(dāng)然要緊。顯然，騎車族公然藐視法律，對(duì)公眾安全是一種威脅。另外，這也影響了倫敦的生活質(zhì)量。騎車族不僅把步行變成一種極不愉快、有時(shí)甚至嚇人的經(jīng)歷，還給人一種無法無天、混亂無序的感覺。
Does it matter? Yes, very much. Obviously, cyclists’ flagrant disrespect for the law is a threat to public safety. It also affects the quality of life in London, not just by making walking unpleasant and sometimes even frightening, but by contributing to a sense of lawlessness and disorder.
更重要的是，如果某個(gè)特定的馬路使用群體認(rèn)為自己可以凌駕于法律之上，那可是件非常糟糕的事兒。而更糟糕的是，政府和警察默許這種行為。為什么騎車族可以隨意做出違反交通法規(guī)的危險(xiǎn)舉動(dòng)？而大批警察、交通管理員和私人承包商卻要借助監(jiān)視攝像頭和其它技術(shù)，隨時(shí)準(zhǔn)備撲向開汽車的人？并因?yàn)樽钗⒉蛔愕赖倪`規(guī)行為，罰他們的錢，沒收他們的車、甚至加以更重的懲罰？
More important, it is bad enough that a particular group of road users should regard themselves as above the law; it is much worse that the government and police should connive in it. Why should cyclists be allowed to commit dangerous traffic offences at will while vast numbers of police, traffic wardens and private sector contractors, assisted by spy cameras and other technology, are ready to pounce on car drivers for even the most trivial violations and punish them with heavy fines, the confiscation of their vehicles or worse?
倫敦早該整治一下騎車族的行為了。我無意阻止人們騎車，可我確實(shí)希望騎車族能夠認(rèn)識(shí)到，頭盔上環(huán)繞的綠色光環(huán)，并不能讓他們成為不用遵守交通法規(guī)的特殊群體，就像不能因?yàn)轵T自行車去超市就有權(quán)偷東西而不受罰一樣。
It is time London cracked down on cyclists’ behaviour. I do not want to stop people cycling but I do want them to realise that the green halo hovering over their helmets does not put them in a special category of road users to whom no laws apply, any more than cycling to the supermarket gives them the right to shoplift with impunity.
我知道，這么做有困難。目前，很難懲罰違規(guī)的騎車人。警察攔下一個(gè)騎車闖紅燈的人，騎車人留下個(gè)假名、假地址就走了，依舊在單行路上逆行，誰也沒辦法。
I realise the difficulty. At present, it is difficult to punish cyclists for breaking the law. The police stop a cyclist for jumping a red light, she gives them a false name and address and off she goes, the wrong way up a one way street. There is nothing much anyone can do.
其實(shí)，還是有辦法的。現(xiàn)在，應(yīng)該對(duì)自行車頒發(fā)牌照。所有16歲以上使用公共道路的騎車人，都應(yīng)該持有牌照。他們并不用通過考試獲得牌照，但這個(gè)制度必須自負(fù)盈虧，讓申請(qǐng)者出錢。如果不出錢的話，騎車族就是在馬路基建上揩油的人。目前，馬路使用費(fèi)主要是由汽車使用者交納的。如果你想到這點(diǎn)，就知道我這個(gè)要求并不過分。
Except, there is. It is time to introduce cyclist licensing. All cyclists over the age of 16 using public roads should be required to hold a licence. They would not need to pass a test to obtain one but the system would have to be self-financing, requiring applicants to pay a fee. This is not asking much when you consider that cyclists are otherwise freeloaders on road infrastructure that is overwhelmingly paid for by motorists.
發(fā)放牌照可以改變執(zhí)法，騎自行車的人要隨身攜帶牌照，以此提供身份證明。如果違規(guī)人不能出示牌照，那么就在當(dāng)事人出示牌照之前，把其自行車沒收。與開汽車的人一樣，如果騎車族危及行人或其它道路使用者安全，就要在其牌照上做個(gè)記錄，違規(guī)三次就要加以取締。
Licensing would transform enforcement. Cyclists would be required to carry their licences with them at all times, providing proof of their identity. Those stopped for an offence who failed to produce one would have their cycles confiscated until they did so. As with motorists, cyclists endangering pedestrians or other road users would have their licences endorsed, with three offences leading to a ban.
如今，騎車族上人行道要罰款30英鎊。這種微不足道的罰款也應(yīng)大幅提高。只有這樣，執(zhí)法才能在財(cái)政上自給自足。與開汽車的人一樣，倫敦各個(gè)區(qū)政府可以雇用一些交通管理員，對(duì)騎自行車違規(guī)者加以追究和罰款，也可以把這項(xiàng)工作外包給私人承包商。
Today’s piffling fines – ￡30 for riding on the pavement – should also be drastically raised. Then, enforcement could become self-financing. As with motorists, local authorities could employ teams of wardens to hunt down and penalise errant cyclists, or else turn the job over to private contractors.
我知道，不是所有的騎車人都不好。就在幾個(gè)月前，我還看見一位騎車人在紅燈處停了下來。不過，如果我們對(duì)騎車族的厭惡少一些，那些好的騎車人也可以從上述措施中受益。這就是我要改變的事情。我主張，現(xiàn)在就對(duì)自行車實(shí)施牌照制度，以塑造一個(gè)更安全，更公平，總而言之，更文明的社會(huì)。
I realise not all cyclists are bad; just a few months ago, I saw one stop at a red light. But the good ones will benefit from these measures if the rest of us hate cyclists less. So that is what I would change. I would introduce cyclist licensing now, for a safer, fairer and altogether more civil society
| 重點(diǎn)單詞 | 查看全部解釋 | |||
| outrage | ['autreidʒ] |
想一想再看 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| aggressive | [ə'gresiv] |
想一想再看 adj. 侵略的，有進(jìn)取心的，好斗的 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| disorder | [dis'ɔ:də] |
想一想再看 n. 雜亂，混亂 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| trivial | ['triviəl] |
想一想再看 adj. 瑣碎的，不重要的 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| identity | [ai'dentiti] |
想一想再看 n. 身份，一致，特征 |
||
| benefit | ['benifit] |
想一想再看 n. 利益，津貼，保險(xiǎn)金，義賣，義演 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| saddle | ['sædl] |
想一想再看 n. 鞍，車座，山脊，拖具 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| impunity | [im'pju:niti] |
想一想再看 n. 不受懲罰，免罰 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| superior | [su:'piəriə] |
想一想再看 n. 上級(jí)，高手，上標(biāo) |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| pedestrian | [pi'destriən] |
想一想再看 adj. 徒步的，缺乏想像的 |
聯(lián)想記憶 |
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