作业Aparkalypse now停车启示录

Aparkalypse now停车启示录

The average car moves just 5% of the time.To improve transport and cities,focus on the other 95%

汽车平均只有5%的时间在移动，改善交通发展城市，就要关注其余95%的时间

In Ireland people ask St Anthony to help them find parking spaces.In Chicago,if you shovel(['ʃʌv(ə)l]vt. 铲除；用铲挖；把…胡乱塞入, )the snow from a space,it belongs to you.In Shanghai people beg their parents to reserve spaces by sitting in them.Everywhere parking is a big reason law-abiding people pay fines to the government and a cause of screaming(['skriːmɪŋ]adj. 尖叫的；使人惊叹的；使人捧腹大笑的) rows(n. 行，排；划船；街道；吵闹) between strangers.More important,it profoundly shapes cities-usually for the worse.

在爱尔兰，人们祈求圣安东尼保佑他们找到停车位。在芝加哥，如果你把一个车位上的雪铲干净，这个车位就归你了。在上海，有人央求自己的父母蹲守在停车位上占位子。在世界各地，停车都是平时遵纪守法的人向政府缴纳罚款的一大原因，也是令陌生人大吵大闹的一大导火索。更重要的是，它深刻地塑造了城市，且通过都是拖后腿。

Parking spaces seem innocuous（[ɪ'nɒkjʊəs],adj. 无害的；无伤大雅的），just a couple of lines painted on asphalt(['æsfælt; -əlt]n. 沥青；柏油).Multiplied and mismanaged,though,they can create traffic jams,worsen air pollution and force cities to sprawl([sprɔːl]vi. 蔓延；伸开手足躺；无计划地扩展).The cost and availability of parking affects people’s commuting habits more than the rapid buses and light-rail([reɪl]n. 铁轨；扶手；横杆；围栏) lines that cities are so keen to build(see briefing).Next to other worthy policies like congestion（[kən'dʒestʃ(ə)n]n. 拥挤；拥塞；淤血）-charging and road-tolling,parking is also easy to change.The fast-growing metropolises（[mɪ’trɒp(ə)lɪs]） of Africa and Asia,especially,need to get it right,before they repeat the West’s debilitating（[dɪ'bɪlɪteɪtɪŋ]adj. 使衰弱的） mistakes.

停车位看似并无危害，不过是在沥青地面上画几条线。但如果它们成倍增加且管理不善，就会造成交通堵塞、空气污染加重，还会迫使城市扩张。比起各个城市如此热衷建造的快速公交和轻轨，停车的成本和便利性对人们出行方式的影响更大。和其他有价值的政策差不多，如拥堵收费和路桥收费，停车状况也很容易改变。非洲和亚洲快速发展中的大都市尤其需要正确处理这一问题，避免再犯西方那些削弱城市活力的错误。

In many cities people can park on the street for nothing,or a pittance(['pɪt(ə)ns]n. 少量；小额施舍；少量津贴).In Boston most parking meters(停车记时器) charge just $1.25 an hour;in Chennai the rate is 20 rupees(n. 卢比)(30 cents) a day.Because the number of people who would take advantage of such terrific deals,rather than pay a market rate to park in a garage,exceeds supply,drivers end up circling the block.Researchers have found that much traffic consists of drivers looking for spaces.The record is held by the German city of Freiburg-in one study 74% of cars were on the prowl([praʊl]n. 徘徊，潜行；悄悄踱步).

在很多城市，人们可以免费或者花很少的钱将车停在路边。在波士顿，大部分停车计费器每小时只收1.25美元；在印度金奈，一天的停车费是20卢比。太多人都想占这个大便宜而不像按市场价把车停进车库里，结果路边停车位供不应求，车主们最终只能在街上兜圈。研究人员发现很大一部分交通流量都是由在路上找车位的司机造成的。这方面的记录由德国的弗莱堡保持，一项调查显示，该市74%的车辆都在路上徘徊。

Having concluded that the chaos on their streets is the result of a shortage of parking spaces,many cities have set about creating more.Countries including Australia,China,India and the Philippines require developers to create parking spaces whenever they put up a new building.In America these schedules have become ludicrously（['lu:dikrəsli]adv. 滑稽地；荒唐地） exact.St Paul,in Minnesota,demands four spaces for every hole on a golf course and one space for every three nuns（[nʌn] n. 修女，尼姑）in a convent（['kɒnv(ə)nt]n. 女修道院）.It is because of these requirements that,in many office developments and shopping centers,more space is given over to cars than to people.

很多城市推断道路拥堵时停车位短缺所致，于是着手创造更多车位。澳大利亚、中国、印度、菲律宾等国家要求开发商在建造新大楼时提供停车位。在美国，这类规定已经精确到滑稽可笑的地步。明尼苏达州的圣保罗要求为高尔夫球场上的每个洞提供四个车位，为修道院的每三位修女提供一个车位。正是因为有了这样的规定，在很多写字楼和购物中心，给车预留的空间比给人的还多。

Europeans often take a different approach to scarce（[skeəs] adj. 缺乏的，不足的；稀有的）parking,by reserving many spaces for residents who pay almost nothing.Around the Economist tower in London,parking costs $6.10 an hour-with the result that most of us cycle or join the public-transport crush（n. 粉碎；迷恋；压榨；拥挤的人群）.Locals,who are not obviously in need of charity,pay just $145 a year to park in the same streets.A public resource is being allocated highly inefficiently.

欧洲人通常会采取另一种方法来解决车位的短缺：为住户保留很多车位，而且几乎是免费供他们使用。伦敦《经济学人》办公大厦附近的停车费为每小时6.1美元，所以我们大部分人都骑自行车或挤公共交通上下班。而并不明显需要救济的当地人在同一街区停车每年只需要付145美元。如此分配公共资源，效率非常低下。

That everybody is used to these arrangements does not mean why they make sense.Flooding cities with parking works,in that finding a space becomes easier.But the overall cost is enormous.Because parking is so plentiful,it is free,and because it is free,people invariably（[ɪn'veərɪəblɪ] adv. 总是；不变地；一定地）oversee（vt. 监督；审查；俯瞰；偷看到，无意中看到） it.One study of Washington,DC,found that the availability of free parking is associated with a 97% chance somebody will drive to work alone.Generous（['dʒen(ə)rəs]adj. 慷慨的，大方的；宽宏大量的；有雅量的） parking requirements create asphalt （['æsfælt; -əlt]n. 沥青；柏油）deserts,sapping（vt. 使衰竭，使伤元气；挖掘以破坏基础） cities of vigor and beauty.The money and land wasted on car parks make life costlier for everyone,even those who do not drive.Parking adds 67% to the cost of building a shopping centre in Los Angeles-and a lot more if the spaces are underground.

人人都习惯了这些安排并不意味着他们就合理。让停车位遍布城市的确管用，因为人们更容易找到地方停车了。但这样做话费的总成本巨大。因为停车位充足，所以免费，因为免费，人们必然会滥用。华盛顿特区的一项调查表明，如果有免费停车位，人们就有97%的可能单独开车上班，过多的停车位要求产生了沥青沙漠，削弱了城市的活力和美感。在停车上浪费的资金和土地让每个人的生活都变得更昂贵，包括那些不开车的人。停车位使得在洛杉矶建造一座购物中心的成本增加了67%，如果车位在低下，花费还要更多。

Cities should stop trying to increase the supply of parking and rigging([rɪg]vt. 操纵；装配；装扮；装上索具) the market in favour of homeowners.Instead,they should raise prices until the streets and the car parks are nearly,but not quite,full-and charge everybody.Residents will complain about the loss of their privileges.But if they live in an area of high demand,the revenues from the streets will be enormous.Local governments could spend the money on whatever they like,from beautiful gardens to security guards.

城市不应再努力增加车位供应，也不应继续操纵市场让有房子的人受益。相反，它们应当提价，至到街道和停车场接近饱和但未完全停满，并且还应向所有人收费。居民会抱怨自己失去了特权。但如果它们住在一个对停车位需求很大的区域，街道上便会产生巨额收入。当地政府可以任意支配这些收入，无论是建造美丽的花园，加强安保，还是其他。

Lovely Rita,meter maid

可爱的停车监管员丽塔

Another reason to charge fully for parking is that it will speed a welcome transport revolution.If self-driving cars are eventually allowed to trundle（['trʌnd(ə)l]vi. 滚动；移动） around by themselves,picking up and dropping off person after person,they might render（vt. 致使；提出；实施；着色；以…回报） many car parks unnecessary.That would be wonderful.But this future will arrive more quickly if government raise the price of parking.Autonomous（[ɔː'tɒnəməs]adj. 自治的；自主的；自发的） vehicles will be nice for everyone,because they will let people get on with something worthwhile as they travel.But another big advantage is that they need not be parked-which is only a boon（[buːn]n. 恩惠；福利；利益） where parking costs money.

建议对停车全面收费的另一个原因是这会加速一场受人欢迎的交通革命。如果自动驾驶汽车最终获批自行上路并逐个接送客人，可能很多停车场就会因此而变得多余。那可真是太好了。不过如果政府提高停车费，这样的未来会来得更快些。自动驾驶汽车对每个人来说都是好事，因为它们能让人在履行途中做一些有意义的事。而另一个巨大的优势是它们可以一直开着而无需停车位，这只有在停车要花费时才算得上是福利。

Many Western cities have already been bent out of shape by excessive,poorly priced parking.But it is not too late for the African and Asian cities that could be this century’s great metropolises（[mɪ'trɒp(ə)lɪs]n. 大都市；首府；重要中心）.In most,driving is not yet so widespread that motorists can dictate（[dɪk'teɪt]vt. 命令；口述；使听写） planning rules,and residents are not used to free parking.So roll out the meters and the wardens（['wɔːd(ə)n]n. 区长；看守人；典狱官；学监）.Cities should be for people,not for stationary metal boxes.

很多西方城市都因过多的低价停车场而让人苦不堪言。但对可能成为本世纪伟大都市的非洲和亚洲城市来说为时未晚。在大多数这样的城市中，驾车出行还不是非常普遍，因而车主还不足以影响规划，另外居民也未习惯免费停车。所以，推行停车计费器和监管员吧。城市应为人而建，而不是那些趴着不动的金属盘子。