Gary Lauder's new traffic sign: Take Turns

譯者: Marie Wu 審譯者: Terry Lin

I only have three minutes

我只有三分鐘

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

所以我打算講得快一點

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

你們得專心一點，因為你很難再同時做別的事情了

So, 27 years ago I got a traffic ticket

27年前我收到一張交通罰單

that got me thinking.

這讓我開始想一些事情

I've had some time to think it over.

我仔細地想了又想

And energy efficiency is more than just

發覺提昇能源效能這件事

about the vehicle --

不只和汽車的性能有關

it's also about the road.

也和道路狀況有關

Road design makes a difference, particularly intersections,

道路的設計非常重要，尤其是在十字路口

of which there are two types: signalized

有二種交通號誌：一種是紅綠燈號

and unsignalized, which means stop signs.

一種是標誌，也就是“停”這個標誌

Fifty percent of crashes happen at intersections.

有50%的車禍發生在十字路口

Roundabouts are much better.

圓環就沒有這麼多車禍

A study of 24 intersections

一項針對24個十字路口所做的研究發現

has found crashes drop 40 percent

把十字路口改成圓環後

from when you convert a traffic light into a roundabout.

車禍發生率降低了40%

Injury crashes have dropped 76 percent,

有人受傷的車禍案件下降了76%

fatal crashes down 90 percent.

致命的車禍則下降了90%

But that's just safety.

但這只考慮到行車安全而已

What about time and gas?

我們所浪費的時間和汽油又怎麼計算？

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

若交通一路順暢，就表示減少了煞車的機率

which means less accelerating, less gas and less pollution,

也減少了踩油門的機率，同時減少了汽油用量、減少空氣污染

less time wasted,

減少時間的浪費

and that partly accounts for Europe's better efficiency

這多少要歸功於歐洲的優良設計

than we have in the United States.

我們美國做得就沒有這麼好

So, unsignalized intersections,

所以，沒有紅綠燈號的十字路口

meaning stop signs, they save many lives,

通常都設有“停”這個標誌，確保行車平安

but there's an excessive proliferation of them.

但是似乎設置得太過浮濫

Small roundabouts are starting to appear.

所以小型的圓環就開始出現了

This is one in my neighborhood. And they are

這是我住家附近的一個圓環

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

我覺得比紅綠燈好，也比四向都設“停”這個標誌來得好

They're expensive to install,

設置這些圓環的成本不低

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

但是不設置卻會付出更高的代價，讓我們看看以下的分析

But they are not applicable in all situations.

這個分析並不適用於每一種狀況

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

所以我舉三岔路口為例

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

在次幹道要進入主幹道的路口上

on the minor road entering the major.

設置“停”這個標誌是很合理

But the other two are somewhat questionable.

但另外二個就還有一點討論空間

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

所以這裡有一個，那裡還有一個

Cars rarely appear on that third road.

但是車子卻很少從次幹道出現

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

所以我想到一個問題，我們到底為這些標誌付出多少成本？

That intersection I looked at had about 3,000

我所研究的路口，每天每一個方向

cars per day in each direction,

約有3千輛車經過

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

每輛車需要2盎司的汽油才能再從停止狀態加速啟動

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

油錢大約是五分美金，乘上每天有3千輛車

that's $51,000 per year.

一年大約就要花掉美金5萬1千元

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

這只是油錢而已，還有空氣污染

wear on the car, and time.

汽車零件和時間等等

What's that time worth?

時間要怎麼換算成金錢？

Well, at 10 seconds per 3,000 cars,

3千輛車每輛車花個10秒

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

一天下來就累積出8.3個小時

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

美國的平均薪資是每小時20美金，一年下來就是6萬美金

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

再把油錢加上去，每年我們因為“停”這個標誌

just for that sign in each direction.

在一個方向的車流上就花掉11萬2千美金

Discount that back to the present, at five percent:

我們再用5%的年利率折現成現值

over two million dollars

在一個路口為雙向車流各設置一個“停”的標誌

for a stop sign, in each direction.

要花超過二百萬美金

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

如果你看看鄰近土地的價值

you could actually buy the property,

你大可以用這二百萬買下一塊地

cut down the shrubbery to improve the sight line,

砍掉附近的灌木叢改善一下視野

and then sell it off again.

再脫手一次

And you'd still come out ahead.

你都還有賺頭

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

這不禁讓人想問：“為什麼要這樣做？”

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

我的意思是，為什麼要在每一個方向都設置一個“停”的標誌？

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

就因為安全考量嗎？有沒有什麼別的方法可以達成這個目的？

The answer is to enable cars

答案是我們該確保從次幹道出來的車子

to come in from that side road safely.

安全地通過

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

因為有許多人可能住在裡面

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

若主幹道的車子都不減速

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

那這些車子可能就會等上很久才能通過

Can that be accomplished with existing signs?

我們是否能用既有的交通標誌來解決這個問題呢？

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

我們可以考慮一下有悠久歷史的“停”和“讓”這二個標誌

Stop signs were invented in 1915,

“停”這個標誌是在1915年問世

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

“讓”這個標誌則是在1950年，我們只有這二個選擇

So, why not use a yield sign?

我們是否可以選擇使用“讓”這個標誌？

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

讓的意思是：你必須禮讓用路的權利

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

也就是說，若有五輛車已經等在那裡了

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

你必須等到他們都離開後，你才能走

of alternating, or taking turns,

這裡面缺少了輪流的概念

and it's always on the minor road,

而且次幹道的用路人永遠必須

allowing the major one to have primacy.

禮讓主幹道的用路人先行

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

所以用既有的標誌很難表達出新的意義

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

你不能突然對大家說：還記得原來

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

“讓”這個標誌的涵義嗎？現在有不同的解釋哦

That would not work.

這樣是行不通的

So, what the world needs now

所以我們需要的

is a new type of sign.

是一個全新的交通標誌

(Applause)

(掌聲)

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

下面還有一段小說明

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

讓那些從來不關心政府公告的人可以參考

And it merges the stop sign and yield signs.

這個標誌結合了“停”和“讓”這二個標誌

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

形狀就像個“T”，教大家要輪流通過

And uncertainty results in caution.

而且在不確定的狀況下會讓人更加小心

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

當你看到一個不熟悉的標誌，又不知道該怎麼辦的時候

they slow down.

你就會減速下來

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

現在，你們都是“道路專家”了

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

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

不必等政府採用這個新標誌，因為改變沒有這麼快

But you all are members of communities,

但是每一個人都是社區的一員

and you can exercise your community influence

你可以運用你的影響力

to create more sensible traffic flows.

讓你的社區擁有更合理的交通秩序

And you can have more impact on the environment

而且你只要讓社區改變一些事情

just getting your neighborhood to change these things

就可以改變整個環境

than by changing your vehicle. Thank you very much.

而不必更換你的汽車，謝謝大家

(Applause)

(掌聲)