美国国家公共电台 NPR Some Towns Treat Bikes As Trendy, But In Reading, Pa., They're Tools

Some Towns Treat Bikes As Trendy, But In Reading, Pa., They're Tools 

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A lot of cities tout² themselves as bike-friendly as a way to attract affluent³ outsiders, millennials, sustainability advocates, pro⁴ cyclists. But the city of Reading, Pa., is taking a different approach, catering⁵ to its existing residents, many of whom bike because they have to. Marielle Segarra from WHYY's Keystone Crossroads has more.

MARIELLE SEGARRA, BYLINE⁶: Harrison Walker is standing⁷ outside a bike shop in Reading. He's 54, a bulky guy wearing glasses and a black T-shirt. He has a metal chain with a bike lock slung⁸ over the back of his neck.

SEGARRA: Walker just got out of prison. And he's living in a halfway⁹ house. He can't afford a car. So he bikes everywhere.

HARRISON WALKER: I do my errands about town. Sometimes, I'll ride as far as Wal-Mart. It's a nice ride.

SEGARRA: In Reading, the unemployment rate is several points higher than the national average. And about 14 percent of workers don't have a car. Here's Dani Motze from ReDesign Reading, a nonprofit group that's trying to revitalize the city.

DANI MOTZE: Reading's poor. And a lot of the people who live here are poor. So riding a bike is how they get from place to place.

SEGARRA: It's hard to say exactly how many people in Reading bike. According to census¹⁰ data, only about half a percent of the city's workers commute¹¹ by bicycle. In other U.S. cities known for biking, it can be more like 6 or 7 percent.

But a lot of people in Reading don't work. What is clear is that biking in Reading isn't easy. The city has no bike lanes, signs or street markings, which Harrison Walker says can make riding feel dangerous.

WALKER: You're riding. And I hear, like, a screeching¹² of tires or sudden acceleration¹³. Sometimes, you know, I'll be on my toes.

SEGARRA: A few years ago, when Craig Peiffer became Reading zoning administrator¹⁴, he was shocked that the city was so far behind other municipalities when it came to support for biking.

CRAIG PEIFFER: As a planner in - here in Pennsylvania - I've seen smaller towns - significantly smaller towns - where they were already putting in designated bike lanes.

SEGARRA: Peiffer and a colleague decided¹⁵ to take action. Their goal - make Reading a safer, cheaper and more convenient place to bike. That started with Reading's first bike shop. It sells used bikes and affordable¹⁶ parts. Russell Eckert is a volunteer.

RUSSELL ECKERT: There's a lot of people in the city that can't afford to go buy a new bike. And they come in here and buy the bikes from us.

SEGARRA: The shop also holds bike safety workshops and lets local riders borrow tools. Harrison Walker came to borrow a wrench¹⁷.

WALKER: If I were to go buy the tool, I'd have to go to Sears. And it'd probably cost upwards¹⁸ of $20 just for this one wrench.

SEGARRA: After the bike shop, the city launched a bike share program and installed a repair station downtown. The local transportation authority also added bike racks to all of its buses. Now Reading's getting grant money to paint white arrows for bikes on the street in a section of the city. And it's eyeing other streets for bike lanes. Craig Peiffer says all these efforts are meant to help Reading's residents.

PEIFFER: Where we're seeing the largest number of cyclists are the people that live here.

SEGARRA: This is a different way of looking at biking, compared to other cities. Here's Brian Kelly from the non-profit ReDesign Reading.

BRIAN KELLY: Other cities have used biking 'cause biking is cool and hip¹⁹. And that's fine. There's nothing wrong with that.

SEGARRA: But in Reading, it's just not the point. For NPR News, I'm Marielle Segarra.

(SOUNDBITE OF TRAFFIC)

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 tout   

v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱

参考例句：

• They say it will let them tout progress in the war.他们称这将有助于鼓吹他们在战争中的成果。
• If your case studies just tout results,don't bother requiring registration to view them.如果你的案例研究只是吹捧结果，就别烦扰别人来注册访问了。

3 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

4 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

5 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 slung   

抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。
• He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。

9 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

10 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

11 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

12 screeching   

v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫

参考例句：

• Monkeys were screeching in the trees. 猴子在树上吱吱地叫着。
• the unedifying sight of the two party leaders screeching at each other 两党党魁狺狺对吠的讨厌情景

13 acceleration   

n.加速，加速度

参考例句：

• All spacemen must be able to bear acceleration.所有太空人都应能承受加速度。
• He has also called for an acceleration of political reforms.他同时呼吁加快政治改革的步伐。

14 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

15 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

16 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

17 wrench   

v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受

参考例句：

• He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
• It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。

18 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

19 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。