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Cycling in London
騎行在倫敦
Wheel ambition
車輪上的野心
Gradually, the capital is becoming a better place for cyclists
漸漸地，首都變成了一個(gè)更適宜騎行的地方
TWO things are commonly seen atop the head of Boris Johnson, London's mayor: a mop of unruly, peroxide-blond hair and a cycling helmet. Since coming to office in 2008 Mr Johnson has tried to make London a better city for two-wheeled transport. He has been only partly successful. But on February 4th Transport for London, the city's road and rail authority, signed off on two “cycle superhighways” that will be the mayor's most visible legacy to his city.
倫敦市長(zhǎng)鮑里斯·約翰遜頭上總頂著兩樣?xùn)|西：染過(guò)的蓬亂金發(fā)和自行車頭盔。自從2008年上任以來(lái)，約翰遜就試圖讓倫敦成為一個(gè)更適宜兩輪交通的城市。他僅成功了一部分。但在2月4號(hào)，該市的道路鐵路當(dāng)局—倫敦交通局同意建設(shè)兩條“自行車超級(jí)高速公路”，這將是市長(zhǎng)為該市留下的最顯而易見(jiàn)的饋贈(zèng)。
Cycling in London is less pleasant than in many European cities. Main roads teem with lorries; winding back streets are hard to navigate. The number of bicycle journeys has nonetheless doubled since 2000. Nationally, just 2% pedal to work. In Hackney, in London's East End, fully 9% do. But the capital's cyclists mostly seem to resemble Mr Johnson. Only 2% of women cycle to work in London, compared with 5% of men. Blacks and other ethnic minorities are reluctant to do it, too.
在倫敦騎行和許多歐洲城市相比，并沒(méi)那么愉快。主要大道上擠滿了卡車；里弄小巷又很難導(dǎo)航。盡管如此，騎自行車出行的次數(shù)自2000年以來(lái)還是翻倍了。就全國(guó)而言，僅有2%的人騎自行車上班。在倫敦東部的哈克尼區(qū)，有近9%的人這樣做。但首都的自行車騎行者貌似大多數(shù)都和約翰遜相似。在倫敦僅2%的女性騎行上班，與之相比男性有5%。黑人和其他的少數(shù)族裔也不愿騎行。
The mayor oversaw the introduction of a bike-hiring scheme, which was started by his predecessor but quickly became known as the “Boris bike”. He pushed for bright blue cycle paths on some busy roads. But the new cycle highways are far more ambitious and permanent. One will run east-west through the City and the West End. Another will run two miles from Elephant and Castle in the south to Farringdon in north London.Four existing routes will also be improved, while around 30 of the city's busiest junctions will be made a bit less perilous.
市長(zhǎng)監(jiān)督著自行車租借計(jì)劃的引進(jìn)，這是由他的前任開(kāi)啟的，但后來(lái)很快就被稱為了“鮑里斯自行車”。他積極推進(jìn)在一些繁忙道路上建設(shè)寶藍(lán)色的自行車通道。但新的自行車高速公路要更具有野心也更持久。一條將東西橫穿整個(gè)城市和倫敦西區(qū)。另一條從南邊的象堡到北倫敦的法靈頓，延伸兩英里。四條已存的道路也將升級(jí)，與此同時(shí)該市約30個(gè)最繁忙的交叉路口將被整頓，變得沒(méi)那么危險(xiǎn)。
The new superhighways ought to be much safer than London's existing cycle lanes. A raised pavement will keep cyclists away from cars and lorries. Junctions will be redesigned and some parking bays—including a few for the disabled—will be removed. Cars will be prevented from turning down certain streets. Similar schemes exist elsewhere: since 2007 around 30 miles of protected cycle lanes have been created in New York. In Amsterdam, where lanes have existed for decades, old people and women are far more inclined to cycle.
新的超級(jí)高速公路應(yīng)該比倫敦現(xiàn)存的自行車道更安全。高于一般路面的自行車道將使騎行者與汽車和卡車保持距離。交叉路口將會(huì)被重新設(shè)計(jì)，一部分包括少量殘障人士專用的停車位將被移除。在某些特定街道汽車不允許掉頭。類似的計(jì)劃在其他地方也可以看到：自2007年，紐約建造了約30英里的受到保護(hù)的自行車道。在阿姆斯特丹，自行車道已存在了數(shù)十年，老人和女性尤其傾向于騎自行車出行。
Greens have long lobbied for cycle paths on the grounds that moving people out of cars cuts air pollution. A series of highly publicised accidents, including one involving a newspaper journalist, and several deaths in the city have also put pressure on the mayor to make London safer.
環(huán)保主義者基于人們不開(kāi)汽車可以減少空氣污染的觀點(diǎn)，很早就在游說(shuō)要建設(shè)自行車道。包括一名新聞?dòng)浾咭约皫灼鹚劳鍪鹿试趦?nèi)的一系列受到大眾關(guān)注的交通事件也給市長(zhǎng)施加了壓力，要使倫敦變得更安全。
And the social transformation of the capital has encouraged officials to smile on cyclists. The population of inner London is rebounding as affluent folk move in (see article). The new inhabitants want cleaner streets and fewer cars, which are viewed as suburban. Cycling was once a means of transport for the poor. But it has become an important marker of an affluent world city, argues Isabel Dedring, the deputy mayor for transport. “There's more pressure on cities to be nice places to live,” she says.
倫敦的社會(huì)變革也促使政府官員對(duì)騎行者展露笑顏。隨著富人的搬入，倫敦中心的人口數(shù)正在回升。新的居民想要更干凈的街道和更少的汽車，這看起來(lái)更像郊區(qū)。騎自行車曾是窮人的交通方式。但這已變成了富裕的國(guó)際都市的一個(gè)重要標(biāo)志，交通部副部長(zhǎng)伊莎貝爾·黛德林如是說(shuō)。她表示：“城市面臨的更大壓力是如何變得更宜居。”譯者：王穎 校對(duì)：胡雅琳
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