VOA常速英语2014--Bike Trains Roll Past Los Angeles Traffic 骑自行车上班在洛杉矶越来越受欢迎

Bike Trains Roll Past Los Angeles Traffic 骑自行车上班在洛杉矶越来越受欢迎

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles is notorious for traffic jams and aggressive drivers. Devon Fitzgerald, a cyclist, is familiar with both.

“A lot of LA folks are in a rush," he said, "and it’s very easy for them to prioritize their speed over your safety.”

洛杉矶 — 洛杉矶以汽车多出名。这座城市占地广阔。公共交通缓慢，而且不足。结果，当地人去哪里都得开车。导致几乎每天到处塞车。现在一群爱好骑自行车的人开始努力改变洛杉矶爱开车的习惯。这群人自称洛杉矶自行车链。

The city is known for its car culture because Los Angeles is spread out and public transportation is either slow or limited. As a result, people drive everywhere, causing congestion 1 almost any time of day.

洛杉矶的塞车远近闻名。开车人的凶悍也很有名。费扎罗常骑自行车，他对这些都很熟悉。

But even with an intimidating 2 commute 3, Fitzgerald would still want to ride his bicycle to work.

尽管骑车上班路上有点危险，费扎罗还是宁愿骑自行车上班。

“I like the fact that it simplifies a lot of the aspects of travel," Fitzgerald said. "For instance, I don’t have to worry about parking, ever.”

洛杉矶市民费扎罗说：“很多市民都是整天忙着跑来跑去。他们很容易把速度置于安全之上。”

他说：“我觉得，骑车把旅途的很多方面都简化了。比如，我从来不必为停车费脑筋。”

However, Roger Rosas, who drives, says bicycles are dangerous for the cyclist and the driver.

市民罗萨斯说，对骑车人和开车人来说，让人们骑车都太危险。

“You always have to make sure you look to the other side because you’re going to dodge 4 this guy cause you don’t want to do a hit and run," he said. "You can also get in a car crash as a result of that.”

开车人罗萨斯说：“开车时你必须先看清两边都没有自行车。因为你不想撞了人就跑。有时为了躲避骑车人，你可能会出车祸。”

To make cycling safer, some bicyclists in Los Angeles, who live and work near each other, are commuting 5 together in what's called a “bike train.” 

 为了保障安全，洛杉矶有些骑车人组成这样的骑车链，一起上班。他们把住址和工作地点靠近的人们组织起来。

“You’re a big enough group that cars don’t have the same behaviors as if you are just one person," said Nona Varnado, who co-founded L.A. Bike Trains. "And you’re also with an experienced cyclist.”

洛杉矶骑车链的创始人瓦纳多说：“如果你们是一群人一起骑车，开车的人对你们就不像对待一个单身骑车的人。而且骑车链的组织者一般会有更多骑车经验。”

L.A. Bike Trains launched in May 2013 and the number of participants and routes around the city has been growing.

洛杉矶骑车链组织是2013年建立的。现在不但参加集体骑车的人数多了，而且他们骑行的路线也增加了。

“We specifically design each route so we avoid problem intersections,” Varnado said.

瓦纳多说：“我们特别设计每一条路线，避免可能出现问题的路口。”

The routes range from 7 to almost 32 kilometers long. That makes L.A. Bike Trains unique compared to other cities, says Herbie Huff, a transportation expert at University of California Los Angeles.

骑行的路程长度从7公里到32公里不等。骑车链使洛杉矶跟别的城市截然不同。霍夫是加州大学洛杉矶分校的交通专家。

She says, in recent years, urban planners in L.A. have been considering more bike lanes.

她说，近年来，城市规划者在努力鼓励人们骑车。

“The city has added more bike lanes in the last two fiscal 6 years than in the previous 30 fiscal years combined,” Huff said.

交通专家霍夫说：“过去两个财政年度，洛杉矶市增加了骑车专用线。增加幅度超过过去30年的总和。”

Varnado, of L.A. Bike Trains, prefers separated or elevated bike lanes. “I think that we should have far greater infrastructure 7 than a few little paint lines on the street,” she said.

洛杉矶骑车链的创始人瓦纳多说：“我觉得，我们应该扩大现有设施。不光在街上划几条线，标明专用线而已。”

Huff says bike lanes provide the flexibility 8 a bike train doesn't have.

霍夫说，专用线提供的灵活性是骑车链所不具备的。

“With anything that runs on a fixed 9 schedule whether it’s a bike train or a train, there are only so many people that can make that schedule,” Huff said.

霍夫说：“专用线的一个好处是，人们可以随时使用。普通的骑车链和通勤列车，都是有固定时间的。而且只有固定的一群人参加而已。”

Varnado, of L.A. Bike Trains, says bike trains can do what a bike lane cannot.

瓦纳多设立跟汽车道隔离或者高于汽车道的脚踏车线路。但是她说，骑车链具有骑车专线不具备的优点。

“We want people to develop that mental sense of security and confidence by riding together in a group,” she said.

瓦纳多说：“我们希望大家通过集体骑车培养心理安全感和信心。”

Her aim is to make it so that bike trains are an ingrained part of Los Angeles culture, where people can hop 10 on and off, just as they would when traveling on a bus.

她的目的是让骑车链融入洛杉矶。人们可以随时参加，就像使用工交巴士一样。