挪威首都奥斯陆减排放“大招” 市中心禁私家车

AS IT IS 2015-10-25 As Oslo Parks Its Cars, Will Other Cities Jump on Bikes? 挪威首都奥斯陆减排放“大招” 市中心禁私家车

Looking to buy a used car?

Oslo, Norway will soon be a good buyer’s market.

It’s the first European capital to permanently¹ ban cars from the city center. The plan will start no later than 2019, according to the Reuters news agency.

About 350,000 car owners will need to sell or relocate their vehicles to comply with the ban.

Oslo only has 600,000 residents. Until now, “car culture” was alive and well in Norway.

City governments around the world are already banning cars from downtowns for special events. This will be the first permanent ban by a major city.

Philadelphia asked downtown residents to move their cars for four days when Pope Francis visited in late September. Other streets were closed to incoming traffic.

But cyclists and pedestrians² traveled with few restrictions³.

Residents were happy with their temporarily congestion⁴-free city. A group called “Open Streets Philly” asked officials to ban cars during summer weekends in 2016.

Other cities, like Barcelona, Spain and Bogota, Colombia, host “car-free” days. London encourages public transportation by charging congestion fees on car commuters.

Oslo is getting attention this week, but Madrid announced an even more ambitious plan last year. The Spanish capital will ban more cars from the city starting in 2020.

Philadelphia residents felt more relaxed, and children were free to play in the streets.

But there are more compelling reasons to limit cars in cities.

Car pollution affects air quality throughout the world. Drivers waste time looking for parking spots. Pedestrians and cyclists also feel safer without cars.

Engineers study pedestrians and crosswalks all the time. The Transportation Research Board proposed in 1972 that crosswalks provide pedestrians with a false sense of security.

A 2013 study by doctors in New York City said pedestrians are more likely to be hit by a car while in a crosswalk. There’s no doubt cars are a threat to pedestrians and cyclists. So logic⁶ follows that more trips will end safely if cars are removed.

Car-free cities may not be a fantasy if Oslo’s experience provides a strong example.

“The world will be watching and seeing how it goes,” Paul Steely White told Tech Insider. Mr. White is the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, an organization that supports car-free cities.

Oslo and Madrid will give New York and London a road map if they want to go car-free. In Norway, the plan includes at least 60-kilometers of new bike lanes. They will invest in the bus and tram network, too.

Some cities in the U.S. already have bike-sharing programs. Capital Bikeshare serves Washington, D.C. and Citi Bike is in New York City. But they are in their early stages and would need to expand. 

White says car-free cities can happen only if the infrastructure⁷ is there. And that means more bike lanes, sidewalks, buses and subways.

In Oslo, the Green Party is part of the city council. Its advocates are celebrating.

"We want to make it better for pedestrians, cyclists. It will be better for shops and everyone," a spokesperson told Reuters.

Words in This Story

commute⁵ – n. the journey that you make when you travel to or from a place that you go to regularly (such as the place where you work)

sidewalk – n. a usually concrete path along the side of a street for people to walk on

comply – v. to do what you have been asked or ordered to do

congestion – adj. too full or crowded with something (such as vehicles or people)

fantasy – n. something that is produced by the imagination : an idea about doing something that is far removed from normal reality

1 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

2 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

5 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。

6 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

7 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。