西雅圖20英里的街道不久將永久禁止大多數(shù)汽車通行

西雅圖20英里的街道不久將永久禁止大多數(shù)汽車通行

Seattle, a city well-known for its embrace of sustainable transportation initiatives, is moving to permanently close 20 miles of streets to nonessential traffic. The move, expected to take effect at the end of May, is the next phase for neighborhood roads already temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

西雅圖是一座以推行可持續(xù)交通計劃而聞名的城市，該市將永久關(guān)閉20英里長的街道，禁止非必要的交通。這一舉措預(yù)計將于5月底生效，是因2019冠狀病毒大流行而暫時關(guān)閉的社區(qū)道路的下一個階段。

During the pandemic, Seattle closed streets in eight neighborhoods, with vehicular access permitted only for residents, delivery drivers, garbage and recycling workers, and emergency responders. (Photo: Nick Falbo [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Flickr)

"Our rapid response to the challenges posed by COVID-19 have been transformative in a number of places across the city," SDOT Director Sam Zimbabwe told the Seattle Times. "Some of the responses are going to be long lasting, and we need to continue to build out a transportation system that enables people of all ages and abilities to bike and walk across the city."

“我們對COVID-19帶來的挑戰(zhàn)的快速反應(yīng)已經(jīng)在城市的許多地方產(chǎn)生了變革，”SDOT主任Sam Zimbabwe告訴《西雅圖時報》。“一些反應(yīng)將會持續(xù)很長時間，我們需要繼續(xù)建立一個交通系統(tǒng)，讓所有年齡和能力的人都能騎自行車和步行穿過城市。”

In an effort to promote social distancing and allow people to exercise and enjoy the outdoors during the pandemic, Seattle shuttered streets in eight city neighborhoods, with vehicular access permitted only for residents, delivery drivers, garbage and recycling workers, and emergency responders. Called the "Stay Healthy Streets" initiative, officials say the positive response to the closures signals a potential shift in how the city will reduce traffic and encourage biking, walking, and public transportation in the future.

為了促進社交距離，讓人們在流感大流行期間鍛煉和享受戶外活動，西雅圖關(guān)閉了8個城市社區(qū)的街道，車輛只允許居民、送貨司機、垃圾和回收工人以及應(yīng)急響應(yīng)人員進入。被稱為“保持健康街道”的倡議，官員們說，對關(guān)閉這些街道的積極回應(yīng)預(yù)示著一個潛在的轉(zhuǎn)變，即城市未來將如何減少交通，鼓勵騎自行車、步行和公共交通。

The rise of 'open streets'

“開放街道”的興起

An 'open streets' event in Minneapolis in 2018. (Photo: Fibonacci Blue [CC by 2.0]/Flickr)

Seattle's decision to permanently close miles of streets comes as other cities around the country are experimenting with similar closures. New York City, which in May shuttered 9 miles of roads to nonessential vehicles as part of its Open Streets initiative, recently announced it was adding an additional 12 miles of closures. In Oakland, California, officials there shuttered 74 miles, about 10% of the city's streets, to vehicles.

在西雅圖決定永久關(guān)閉數(shù)英里長的街道之際，美國其他城市也在嘗試關(guān)閉類似的街道。紐約市在5月份關(guān)閉了9英里長的非必要車輛通行的道路，這是其“開放街道”計劃的一部分。該市最近宣布將再關(guān)閉12英里的道路。在加州奧克蘭，當(dāng)?shù)毓賳T關(guān)閉了74英里(約占該市街道的10%)的車輛。

Like Seattle, the initiatives are designed to give pedestrians and cyclists room to maintain proper social distancing while enjoying the outdoors during the pandemic. Whether others will follow in Seattle's footsteps to make the moves permanent is questionable, but it's clear that a more sustainable U.S. will need to embrace fewer cars on the road. The pause during the pandemic is offering a kind of proof-of-concept that might otherwise have taken many more years to implement.

與西雅圖一樣，這些舉措旨在為行人和騎自行車的人提供空間，讓他們在流感大流行期間享受戶外活動的同時保持適當(dāng)?shù)纳缃痪嚯x。其他城市是否會采取西雅圖的做法，讓這些舉措永久化還有待商榷，但很明顯，一個更可持續(xù)的美國需要減少道路上的汽車。大流行期間的暫停提供了一種概念驗證，否則可能需要許多年才能實現(xiàn)。

"In that shift, urbanists see a chance to save city dwellers not just from the sweep of a pandemic, but from the auto-centric culture that has dominated urban life for decades," writes Alex Davies for Wired. "They want to prioritize the movement of people — pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and their ilk — over cars.

“在這種轉(zhuǎn)變中，城市規(guī)劃專家們看到了一個機會，不僅可以拯救城市居民免受流行病的侵襲，還可以讓他們擺脫主導(dǎo)城市生活幾十年的以汽車為中心的文化，”《連線》雜志的亞歷克斯·戴維斯寫道。“他們希望優(yōu)先考慮行人、騎自行車的人、使用公共交通的人以及他們的同類車輛。”

To that end, Seattle is also making changes to how pedestrians move about downtown. The city recently adjusted nearly 800 traffic signals to reduce the time people need to wait to cross. They've also reprogrammed a majority of walk signals to show automatically without the need to press a button.

為此，西雅圖也在改變行人在市區(qū)的行走方式。該市最近調(diào)整了近800個交通信號，以減少人們等待過馬路的時間。他們還重新編寫了大多數(shù)步行信號的程序，使其無需按下按鈕就能自動顯示。

"Just like we must each adapt to a new normal going forward, so, too, must our city and the ways in which we get around," said Seattle Department of Transportation Director Sam Zimbabwe. "That is why we're announcing a nimble, creative approach towards rapidly investing in a network of places for people walking and people biking of all ages and abilities and thinking differently about our traffic signals that make pedestrians a greater priority.

西雅圖運輸部主任薩姆·津巴布韋說:“就像我們每個人都必須適應(yīng)新的常態(tài)一樣，我們的城市和我們出行的方式也必須適應(yīng)。”“這就是為什么我們宣布一種靈活、有創(chuàng)意的方式，迅速投資于一個場所網(wǎng)絡(luò)，讓所有年齡和能力的人都可以步行和騎自行車，并以不同的方式思考我們的交通信號，讓行人成為更優(yōu)先考慮的對象。”

"Despite the many challenges we face, 2020 will remain a year of thoughtful, forward progress as we build a safer, more livable Seattle for all."

“盡管我們面臨許多挑戰(zhàn)，但2020年仍將是經(jīng)過深思熟慮、向前邁進的一年，我們將為所有人建設(shè)一個更安全、更宜居的西雅圖。”