世界上大多數(shù)城市日益嚴重的交通堵塞和空氣污染可以直接歸因于私家車的快速增加。為了扭轉城市生活質量下降的趨勢,必須努力鼓勵人們少開車,多乘坐公共交通工具。
討論鼓勵使用公共交通工具的可能方法。
Model Answer:
Anyone who lives in a city is aware of the increasing number of cars on the road and the kinds of problems this creates: traffic jams, air pollution and longer commuting periods. As economies grow and access to cars spreads to increasing numbers of people, this trend is likely to worsen. The solution, it would seem, is for governrnment to encourage the use of public transport in urban areas, thus decreasing dependence on the car.
任何生活在城市的人都知道路上的汽車越來越多,以及由此產生的各種問題:交通堵塞、空氣污染和通勤時間延長。隨著經濟的增長和越來越多的人擁有汽車,這一趨勢可能會惡化??雌饋?,解決辦法是政府鼓勵在城市地區(qū)使用公共交通,從而減少對汽車的依賴。
One way to stimulate public transport use is to make private car use more expensive and inconvenient. The introduction of tolls along urban motorways has been successfully employed in many cities. Other such measures are high-priced permits for parking in urban areas and the restriction of parking to a limited number of cars. Faced with high costs or no place to park, commuters would perhaps be more willing to abandon their cars in favour of buses or trains.
刺激公共交通使用的一個方法是提高私家車的使用成本和不便程度。城市高速公路收費的引入在許多城市都取得了成功。其他這類措施包括在城市地區(qū)停車的高價許可證和將停車限制在一定數(shù)量的汽車。面對高成本或沒有停車的地方,通勤者可能更愿意放棄他們的汽車,而選擇公共汽車或火車。
There are also less punishing ways of spurring public transport use. The construction of free car parks at suburban train stations has proven successful in quite a number of countries. This allows commuters to drive part of the way, but take public transport into the central, most congested, urban areas.
刺激公共交通使用的懲罰措施也較少。郊區(qū)火車站免費停車場的建設已在許多國家證明是成功的。這使得通勤者可以在一定程度上駕車,但乘坐公共交通工具進入最擁堵的市中心城區(qū)。
Indeed, making public transport more comfortable and convenient should work to attract more commuters and decrease traffic congestion. Public transport that is convenient and comfortable retains its passengers, much like any business that satisfies its customers. The more commuters committed to taking public transport, the less congestion on city streets.
事實上,讓公共交通更舒適和方便應該能吸引更多的通勤者,減少交通堵塞。便利舒適的公共交通留住了乘客,就像任何讓顧客滿意的企業(yè)一樣。乘坐公共交通的通勤者越多,城市街道上的擁堵就越少。