西雅图20英里的街道不久将永久禁止大多数汽车通行

西雅图20英里的街道不久将永久禁止大多数汽车通行

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.

西雅图是一座以推行可持续交通计划而闻名的城市，该市将永久关闭20英里长的街道，禁止非必要的交通。这一举措预计将于5月底生效，是因2019冠状病毒大流行而暂时关闭的社区道路的下一个阶段。

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."

“我们对COVID-19带来的挑战的快速反应已经在城市的许多地方产生了变革，”SDOT主任Sam Zimbabwe告诉《西雅图时报》。“一些反应将会持续很长时间，我们需要继续建立一个交通系统，让所有年龄和能力的人都能骑自行车和步行穿过城市。”

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.

为了促进社交距离，让人们在流感大流行期间锻炼和享受户外活动，西雅图关闭了8个城市社区的街道，车辆只允许居民、送货司机、垃圾和回收工人以及应急响应人员进入。被称为“保持健康街道”的倡议，官员们说，对关闭这些街道的积极回应预示着一个潜在的转变，即城市未来将如何减少交通，鼓励骑自行车、步行和公共交通。

The rise of 'open streets'

“开放街道”的兴起

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.

在西雅图决定永久关闭数英里长的街道之际，美国其他城市也在尝试关闭类似的街道。纽约市在5月份关闭了9英里长的非必要车辆通行的道路，这是其“开放街道”计划的一部分。该市最近宣布将再关闭12英里的道路。在加州奥克兰，当地官员关闭了74英里(约占该市街道的10%)的车辆。

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.

与西雅图一样，这些举措旨在为行人和骑自行车的人提供空间，让他们在流感大流行期间享受户外活动的同时保持适当的社交距离。其他城市是否会采取西雅图的做法，让这些举措永久化还有待商榷，但很明显，一个更可持续的美国需要减少道路上的汽车。大流行期间的暂停提供了一种概念验证，否则可能需要许多年才能实现。

"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.

“在这种转变中，城市规划专家们看到了一个机会，不仅可以拯救城市居民免受流行病的侵袭，还可以让他们摆脱主导城市生活几十年的以汽车为中心的文化，”《连线》杂志的亚历克斯·戴维斯写道。“他们希望优先考虑行人、骑自行车的人、使用公共交通的人以及他们的同类车辆。”

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.

为此，西雅图也在改变行人在市区的行走方式。该市最近调整了近800个交通信号，以减少人们等待过马路的时间。他们还重新编写了大多数步行信号的程序，使其无需按下按钮就能自动显示。

"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.

西雅图运输部主任萨姆·津巴布韦说:“就像我们每个人都必须适应新的常态一样，我们的城市和我们出行的方式也必须适应。”“这就是为什么我们宣布一种灵活、有创意的方式，迅速投资于一个场所网络，让所有年龄和能力的人都可以步行和骑自行车，并以不同的方式思考我们的交通信号，让行人成为更优先考虑的对象。”

"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."

“尽管我们面临许多挑战，但2020年仍将是经过深思熟虑、向前迈进的一年，我们将为所有人建设一个更安全、更宜居的西雅图。”