Gary Lauder's new traffic sign: Take Turns

翻译人员: Wang Qian 校对人员: Chaoran Yu

I only have three minutes

我只有三分钟

so I'm going to have to talk fast, and it will

所以我得说快点

use up your spare mental cycles, so multitasking may be hard.

这有点劳神，因为一心多用挺累人的

So, 27 years ago I got a traffic ticket

我于27年前收到一张罚款单

that got me thinking.

这使我陷入沉思

I've had some time to think it over.

我想了又想

And energy efficiency is more than just

节约能源不单是

about the vehicle --

改造交通工具的问题

it's also about the road.

也是改造道路问题

Road design makes a difference, particularly intersections,

道路设计，尤其是交叉路口设计尤为重要

of which there are two types: signalized

交叉路口无非就两种：有交通信号灯的路口

and unsignalized, which means stop signs.

和没交通信号灯但有路标的路口

Fifty percent of crashes happen at intersections.

近一半的事故发生在没交通信号灯的路口

Roundabouts are much better.

环状交叉路的情况好一些

A study of 24 intersections

研究表明

has found crashes drop 40 percent

当被测的24个交叉路口在改造成环状交叉路后

from when you convert a traffic light into a roundabout.

车祸事故发生率下降了40%

Injury crashes have dropped 76 percent,

伤亡事故率下降了76%

fatal crashes down 90 percent.

恶性致命事故率下降了90%

But that's just safety.

不过这只是从安全角度考虑

What about time and gas?

时间和燃油呢？

So, traffic keeps flowing, so that means less braking,

只要交通流畅，司机就不会踩急刹车

which means less accelerating, less gas and less pollution,

也就不会加速，也就不会浪费燃油污染环境

less time wasted,

也不会浪费时间

and that partly accounts for Europe's better efficiency

欧洲就是这样提高能源效率的

than we have in the United States.

他们比美国做的好

So, unsignalized intersections,

没信号灯的交叉路口

meaning stop signs, they save many lives,

只有信号牌，这可事关人命

but there's an excessive proliferation of them.

但于欧洲，信号牌可是成倍的增长

Small roundabouts are starting to appear.

小型环状交叉路也开始出现

This is one in my neighborhood. And they are

这是我住的小区

much better -- better than traffic lights, better than four-way stop signs.

这些环状交叉路可比信号灯和指示牌好使多了

They're expensive to install,

但价格却不菲

but they are more expensive not to. So, we should look at that.

要是没有它们，我们会损失惨重，所以还是考虑一下吧

But they are not applicable in all situations.

但不是所有路口都可以改造成环状交叉路

So, take, for example, the three-way intersection.

譬如说，三岔路

So, it's logical that you'd have one there,

在次干道和主干道交会处安装

on the minor road entering the major.

三岔路是明智之举

But the other two are somewhat questionable.

但对于另外两个次干道来说这方法不怎么可行

So, here's one. There's another one which I studied.

我研究过这个

Cars rarely appear on that third road.

车辆很少会从第三个路口开过来

And so, the question is, what does that cost us?

这意味着什么呢？

That intersection I looked at had about 3,000

我研究的交叉路口每天各个方向大约有

cars per day in each direction,

3000辆车驶过

and so that's two ounces of gas to accelerate out of.

每踩一次油门会多消耗2盎司燃油

That's five cents each, and times 3,000 cars per day,

每盎司耗费5美分，那么每天3000辆车

that's $51,000 per year.

那每年就多花费51000美元

That's just the gasoline cost. There is also pollution,

这只不过是油钱，我还没算

wear on the car, and time.

车排放的尾气和浪费的时间

What's that time worth?

那到底浪费了多少时间呢

Well, at 10 seconds per 3,000 cars,

每一辆车要耗费10秒钟，3000辆车就是--

that's 8.3 hours per day. The average wage in the U.S.

每天八个半小时

is $20 an hour. That is 60,000 per year.

美国平均每小时工资为20美元，年工资是6万美元

Add that together with the gas, and it's $112,000 per year,

再加上油钱就是11万2千美元

just for that sign in each direction.

这就是交通路标的耗资

Discount that back to the present, at five percent:

再加上近年来的5%的通货膨胀

over two million dollars

总额超过200万

for a stop sign, in each direction.

这就是在每个方向安装一个路标的成本

Now, if you look at what that adjacent property is worth,

再看看路口周围的地价

you could actually buy the property,

你基本上可以拿这200万买下周围的地皮

cut down the shrubbery to improve the sight line,

砍掉灌木丛开阔一下视野

and then sell it off again.

然后转手卖出

And you'd still come out ahead.

还小有盈利

So, it makes one wonder, "Why is it there?"

我们不禁想：为什么？

I mean, why is there that stop sign in each direction?

为什么要在每个方向装路标呢？

Because it is saving lives. So, is there a better way to accomplish that goal?

因为救人要紧。那有没有更好的方法呢？

The answer is to enable cars

答案就是确保车辆

to come in from that side road safely.

安全地从另一边驶出

Because there are a lot of people who might live up there

因为那边有很多住户

and if they're waiting forever a long queue could form

车多了难免会排成一条长龙

because the cars aren't slowing down on the main road.

因为主干道上的车速较快

Can that be accomplished with existing signs?

现有的条件下能做到这一点吗？

So, there is a long history of stop signs and yield signs.

交通路标的历史悠久

Stop signs were invented in 1915,

标志“停”于1915年问世

yield signs in 1950. But that's all we got.

标志“让”出现在1950年。我们就只有这两种路标

So, why not use a yield sign?

为什么不用“让”呢？

Well the meaning of yield is: You must yield the right-of-way.

因为“让”意味着离开主线

That means that if there are five cars waiting, you have to wait

就是说，要有5辆车等，你也得等

till they all go, then you go. It lacks the notion

直到那5辆车开了，你才能走，

of alternating, or taking turns,

没什么换道啊，转弯啊

and it's always on the minor road,

通常主干道有

allowing the major one to have primacy.

优先权

So, it's hard to create a new meaning for the existing sign.

所以，现行的交通指示牌很难衍生出新意思

You couldn't suddenly tell everyone, "OK, remember

没人能突然宣布：

what you used to do at yield signs? Now do something different."

看到“让”是不要“让”

That would not work.

这可不行

So, what the world needs now

所以我们需要的是

is a new type of sign.

新型信号

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

So, you'd have a little instruction below it,

对于那些不看公共服务告示的人

you know, for those who didn't see the public service announcements.

新型路标下面还带有指示

And it merges the stop sign and yield signs.

是“停”和“让”的综合体

It's kind of shaped like a T, as in taking turns.

是"T"字形的

And uncertainty results in caution.

司机一旦不确定，就会提高警惕

When people come to an unfamiliar situation they don't know how to deal with

人们在不熟悉的环境下不确定时

they slow down.

会减速慢行

So, now that you are all "Road Scholars" ...

那大家现在都是道路专家了

(Laughter)

（笑）

don't wait for that sign to be adopted, these things don't change quickly.

但别指望这会很快实现，这个过程总是漫长的

But you all are members of communities,

作为社区的一员

and you can exercise your community influence

每人都有义务

to create more sensible traffic flows.

确保交通的合理顺畅

And you can have more impact on the environment

你我皆能为环境保护作出贡献

just getting your neighborhood to change these things

只需以身作则，影响身边的人

than by changing your vehicle. Thank you very much.

大家一起行动来改善交通工具吧。谢谢

(Applause)

（鼓掌）