以堵治堵——缓解交通有妙招
Treating congestion with congestion: A smart way to relieve traffic burden
StartReading
Treating congestion with congestion: A smart way to relieve traffic burden
38 new words
缓解huǎnjiěto alleviate, to ease up
可是就业和居住地点之间的距离不断拉大，许多人不得不开车；单靠劝说很难缓解压力。
But the distance between jobs and homes has kept growing, so many people have no choice but to drive; persuasion alone can hardly ease the pressure.
招zhāo(r)trick, move, method
劝说这一招既然不管用，政府便考虑推出一项改革：在最拥挤的时段进入核心地带的车辆须付一笔路费。
The government therefore considers a reform: this is not a short-term trick, but a measure requiring vehicles entering the central area at the busiest times to pay a road charge.
繁荣fánróngprosperous, thriving
一座大城市的商业地带往往体现出繁荣，不过在上下班的时段，道路拥挤屡见不鲜。
体现tǐxiànto manifest, to reflect
一座大城市的商业地带往往体现出繁荣，不过在上下班的时段，道路拥挤屡见不鲜。
拥挤yōngjǐcrowded, congested
一座大城市的商业地带往往体现出繁荣，不过在上下班的时段，道路拥挤屡见不鲜。
家常便饭jiāchángbiànfàndaily life of a family; common occurrence
面对这种情况，有人干脆说：“家常便饭。”
面积miànjīarea, space
车流挤在面积不大的路口，原本很宽的人行道也被临时停车占去，行人只好绕行。
宽kuānwide, broad
车流挤在面积不大的路口，原本很宽的人行道也被临时停车占去，行人只好绕行。
主观zhǔguānsubjective
有人把堵车归咎于司机的主观选择，认为只要大家少开车就能根治。
Some people blame congestion on drivers' subjective choices and believe that traffic could be cured if everyone simply drove less.
扩大kuòdàto enlarge, to expand, to broaden
最终方案经批准后先小范围实行，同时取消几处长期占道的停车点，扩大行人区，并让广场周围保留必要的装卸时间。
根治gēnzhìto cure once and for all
有人把堵车归咎于司机的主观选择，认为只要大家少开车就能根治。
Some people blame congestion on drivers' subjective choices and believe that traffic could be cured if everyone simply drove less.
不妨bùfángmight as well
与其把政策看成一次胜负，不妨把它当成一次共同学习：让街道更适合生活，也让繁荣更长久。
Rather than treating policy as a single contest, we might regard it as shared learning: making streets more liveable and prosperity more lasting.
展开zhǎnkāito launch, to set off, to carry out
这个想法一公布，市民便展开讨论。
Once the idea was announced, residents began discussing it.
归纳guīnàto infer, to sum up
工作人员虚心听取居民的经验，再归纳关于安全、效率和公平的主要问题。
Staff listened modestly to residents' experience, then summarised the main questions about safety, efficiency, and fairness.
虚心xūxīnopen-minded, modest
工作人员虚心听取居民的经验，再归纳关于安全、效率和公平的主要问题。
Staff listened modestly to residents' experience, then summarised the main questions about safety, efficiency, and fairness.
咨询zīxúnto consult, to seek advice
政府在本月中旬开始公开咨询，并把欧洲多国的公开交通数据列入阅读清单。
In the middle of the month, the government began public consultations and included public material from the European Environment Agency on its reading list.
中旬zhōngxúnmiddle ten days of a month
政府在本月中旬开始公开咨询，并把欧洲多国的公开交通数据列入阅读清单。
In the middle of the month, the government began public consultations and included public material from the European Environment Agency on its reading list.
照常zhàochángas usual
有人担心小商店和大厦里的商务活动会受影响，也有人说附近广场的停车位应该照常免费。
Some worried that shops and business activity in office buildings would be affected, while others argued that parking near the square should remain free as usual.
健身jiànshēnto keep fit, to work out
一位家长提出，若收费后车辆改走学校旁的小路，孩子和正在健身的老人走在路上会更不安全。
One parent pointed out that if charged vehicles diverted onto a road beside the school, children and older people exercising would be less safe on the road.
图túto covet, to be after
不同意见提醒决策者，政策不能只看一张交通图。
These differing views remind decision-makers that policy cannot rely on a single traffic map.
受shòu(shāng)to be hurt, to be injured
有人担心小商店和大厦里的商务活动会受影响，也有人说附近广场的停车位应该照常免费。
Some worried that shops and business activity in office buildings would be affected, while others argued that parking near the square should remain free as usual.
保险bǎoxiǎninsurance
另一些人则询问：因改道发生事故时，保险和赔偿由谁负责？
Others asked who would be responsible for insurance and compensation if an accident occurred after a diversion.
赔偿péichángto compensate, to indemnify
另一些人则询问：因改道发生事故时，保险和赔偿由谁负责？
Others asked who would be responsible for insurance and compensation if an accident occurred after a diversion.
政府zhèngfǔgovernment
劝说这一招既然不管用，政府便考虑推出一项改革：在最拥挤的时段进入核心地带的车辆须付一笔路费。
The government therefore considers a reform: this is not a short-term trick, but a measure requiring vehicles entering the central area at the busiest times to pay a road charge.
批准pīzhǔnto ratify, to approve
最终方案经批准后先小范围实行，同时取消几处长期占道的停车点，扩大行人区，并让广场周围保留必要的装卸时间。
改革gǎigéto reform
劝说这一招既然不管用，政府便考虑推出一项改革：在最拥挤的时段进入核心地带的车辆须付一笔路费。
The government therefore considers a reform: this is not a short-term trick, but a measure requiring vehicles entering the central area at the busiest times to pay a road charge.
取消qǔxiāoto cancel, to call off
最终方案经批准后先小范围实行，同时取消几处长期占道的停车点，扩大行人区，并让广场周围保留必要的装卸时间。
行人xíngrénpedestrian
车流挤在面积不大的路口，原本很宽的人行道也被临时停车占去，行人只好绕行。
广场guǎngchǎngsquare, plaza
有人担心小商店和大厦里的商务活动会受影响，也有人说附近广场的停车位应该照常免费。
Some worried that shops and business activity in office buildings would be affected, while others argued that parking near the square should remain free as usual.
商务shāngwùbusiness affairs
有人担心小商店和大厦里的商务活动会受影响，也有人说附近广场的停车位应该照常免费。
Some worried that shops and business activity in office buildings would be affected, while others argued that parking near the square should remain free as usual.
大厦dàshàlarge building, mansion
有人担心小商店和大厦里的商务活动会受影响，也有人说附近广场的停车位应该照常免费。
Some worried that shops and business activity in office buildings would be affected, while others argued that parking near the square should remain free as usual.
自愿zìyuànvoluntary
商户可自愿申请短时通行证，不必每天办理手续。
难怪nánguàito be understandable, to be reasonable
最初公交不够准时、道路也谈不上安全，难怪不少司机一开始不满意：他们担心收费后，若仍要开车，除了汽油钱还得多付一笔费用。
At first buses were not punctual enough and roads were not yet safe enough, so it was no wonder that many drivers were unhappy: they worried that if they still had to drive after the charge began, they would have to pay an extra fee on top of petrol.
与其yǔqí(would rather...) than, rather than
与其把政策看成一次胜负，不妨把它当成一次共同学习：让街道更适合生活，也让繁荣更长久。
Rather than treating policy as a single contest, we might regard it as shared learning: making streets more liveable and prosperity more lasting.
汽油qìyóugasoline
最初公交不够准时、道路也谈不上安全，难怪不少司机一开始不满意：他们担心收费后，若仍要开车，除了汽油钱还得多付一笔费用。
At first buses were not punctual enough and roads were not yet safe enough, so it was no wonder that many drivers were unhappy: they worried that if they still had to drive after the charge began, they would have to pay an extra fee on top of petrol.
明确míngquèclear and definite, explicit
收费不是为了惩罚谁，而是让使用公共空间的成本更明确，所得资金用于改善公交和自行车道。
The charge is not meant to punish anyone, but to make the cost of using shared space clearer and to fund better buses and cycle lanes.
期待qīdàito look forward to
政府明确表示会定期公布结果，也期待居民继续提出批评；没有持续调整，任何好措施都可能失去作用。
解放jiěfàngto liberate, to free
改革的目标并不是让所有汽车消失，而是解放被堵车占去的时间。
Listen to the text
一座大城市的商业地带往往体现出繁荣，不过在上下班的时段，道路拥挤屡见不鲜。面对这种情况，有人干脆说：“家常便饭。”车流挤在面积不大的路口，原本很宽的人行道也被临时停车占去，行人只好绕行。
yī zuò dà chéng shì de shāng yè dì dài wǎng wǎng tǐxiàn chū fánróng， bù guò zài shàng xià bān de shí duàn， dào lù yōngjǐ lǚ jiàn bù xiān。 miàn duì zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng， yǒu rén gàn cuì shuō：“ jiāchángbiànfàn。” chē liú jǐ zài miànjī bù dà de lù kǒu， yuán běn hěn kuān de rén xíng dào yě bèi lín shí tíng chē zhàn qù， xíngrén zhǐ hǎo rào xíng。
A large city's commercial districts often express its prosperity. Yet during commuting hours, road congestion is common. Faced with it, some people simply say, ‘It is routine.’ Traffic packs into small junctions, and even broad pavements are taken over by temporary parking, leaving pedestrians to take detours.
有人把堵车归咎于司机的主观选择，认为只要大家少开车就能根治。可是就业和居住地点之间的距离不断拉大，许多人不得不开车；单靠劝说很难缓解压力。
yǒu rén bǎ dǔ chē guī jiù yú sī jī de zhǔguān xuǎn zé， rèn wèi zhǐ yào dà jiā shǎo kāi chē jiù néng gēnzhì。 kě shì jiù yè hé jū zhù dì diǎn zhī jiān de jù lí bù duàn lā dà， xǔ duō rén bù dé bù kāi chē； dān kào quàn shuō hěn nán huǎnjiě yā lì。
Some people blame congestion on drivers' subjective choices and believe that traffic could be cured if everyone simply drove less. But the distance between jobs and homes has kept growing, so many people have no choice but to drive; persuasion alone can hardly ease the pressure.
劝说这一招既然不管用，政府便考虑推出一项改革：在最拥挤的时段进入核心地带的车辆须付一笔路费。收费不是为了惩罚谁，而是让使用公共空间的成本更明确，所得资金用于改善公交和自行车道。
quàn shuō zhè yī zhāo jì rán bù guǎn yòng， zhèngfǔ biàn kǎo lǜ tuī chū yī xiàng gǎigé： zài zuì yōngjǐ de shí duàn jìn rù hé xīn dì dài de chē liàng xū fù yī bǐ lù fèi。 shōu fèi bù shì wèi le chéng fá shuí， ér shì ràng shǐ yòng gōng gòng kōng jiān de chéng běn gèng míngquè， suǒ dé zī jīn yòng yú gǎi shàn gōng jiāo hé zì xíng chē dào。
The government therefore considers a reform: this is not a short-term trick, but a measure requiring vehicles entering the central area at the busiest times to pay a road charge. The charge is not meant to punish anyone, but to make the cost of using shared space clearer and to fund better buses and cycle lanes.
这个想法一公布，市民便展开讨论。有人担心小商店和大厦里的商务活动会受影响，也有人说附近广场的停车位应该照常免费。不同意见提醒决策者，政策不能只看一张交通图。
zhè gè xiǎng fǎ yī gōng bù， shì mín biàn zhǎnkāi tǎo lùn。 yǒu rén dān xīn xiǎo shāng diàn hé dàshà lǐ de shāngwù huó dòng huì shòu yǐng xiǎng， yě yǒu rén shuō fù jìn guǎngchǎng de tíng chē wèi yīng gāi zhàocháng miǎn fèi。 bù tóng yì jiàn tí xǐng jué cè zhě， zhèng cè bù néng zhǐ kàn yī zhāng jiāo tōng tú。
Once the idea was announced, residents began discussing it. Some worried that shops and business activity in office buildings would be affected, while others argued that parking near the square should remain free as usual. These differing views remind decision-makers that policy cannot rely on a single traffic map.
政府在本月中旬开始公开咨询，并把欧洲多国的公开交通数据列入阅读清单。工作人员虚心听取居民的经验，再归纳关于安全、效率和公平的主要问题。
zhèngfǔ zài běn yuè zhōngxún kāi shǐ gōng kāi zīxún， bìng bǎ ōu zhōu duō guó de gōng kāi jiāo tōng shù jù liè rù yuè dú qīng dān。 gōng zuò rén yuán xūxīn tīng qǔ jū mín de jīng yàn， zài guīnà guān yú ān quán、 xiào lǜ hé gōng píng de zhǔ yào wèn tí。
In the middle of the month, the government began public consultations and included public material from the European Environment Agency on its reading list. Staff listened modestly to residents' experience, then summarised the main questions about safety, efficiency, and fairness.
一位家长提出，若收费后车辆改走学校旁的小路，孩子和正在健身的老人走在路上会更不安全。另一些人则询问：因改道发生事故时，保险和赔偿由谁负责？
yī wèi jiā zhǎng tí chū， ruò shōu fèi hòu chē liàng gǎi zǒu xué xiào páng de xiǎo lù， hái zi hé zhèng zài jiànshēn de lǎo rén zǒu zài lù shàng huì gèng bù ān quán。 lìng yī xiē rén zé xún wèn： yīn gǎi dào fā shēng shì gù shí， bǎoxiǎn hé péicháng yóu shuí fù zé？
One parent pointed out that if charged vehicles diverted onto a road beside the school, children and older people exercising would be less safe on the road. Others asked who would be responsible for insurance and compensation if an accident occurred after a diversion.
最终方案经批准后先小范围实行，同时取消几处长期占道的停车点，扩大行人区，并让广场周围保留必要的装卸时间。商户可自愿申请短时通行证，不必每天办理手续。
zuì zhōng fāng àn jīng pīzhǔn hòu xiān xiǎo fàn wéi shí xíng， tóng shí qǔxiāo jǐ chù zhǎng qī zhàn dào de tíng chē diǎn， kuòdà xíngrén qū， bìng ràng guǎngchǎng zhōu wéi bǎo liú bì yào de zhuāng xiè shí jiān。 shāng hù kě zìyuàn shēn qǐng duǎn shí tōng xíng zhèng， bù bì měi tiān bàn lǐ shǒu xù。
After approval, the final plan began on a small scale. It removed several long-standing kerbside parking spots, enlarged the pedestrian area, and preserved necessary delivery times around the square. Businesses could voluntarily apply for short-term access permits rather than do paperwork every day.
最初公交不够准时、道路也谈不上安全，难怪不少司机一开始不满意：他们担心收费后，若仍要开车，除了汽油钱还得多付一笔费用。不过调查显示，若公交更准时、道路更安全，很多人愿意改变出行方式。
zuì chū gōng jiāo bù gòu zhǔn shí、 dào lù yě tán bù shàng ān quán， nánguài bù shǎo sī jī yī kāi shǐ bù mǎn yì： tā men dān xīn shōu fèi hòu， ruò réng yào kāi chē， chú le qìyóu qián hái dé duō fù yī bǐ fèi yòng。 bù guò diào chá xiǎn shì， ruò gōng jiāo gèng zhǔn shí、 dào lù gèng ān quán， hěn duō rén yuàn yì gǎi biàn chū xíng fāng shì。
At first buses were not punctual enough and roads were not yet safe enough, so it was no wonder that many drivers were unhappy: they worried that if they still had to drive after the charge began, they would have to pay an extra fee on top of petrol. Yet surveys showed that many people would change how they travel if buses became more punctual and roads safer.
改革的目标并不是让所有汽车消失，而是解放被堵车占去的时间。政府明确表示会定期公布结果，也期待居民继续提出批评；没有持续调整，任何好措施都可能失去作用。
gǎigé de mù biāo bìng bù shì ràng suǒ yǒu qì chē xiāo shī， ér shì jiěfàng bèi dǔ chē zhàn qù de shí jiān。 zhèngfǔ míngquè biǎo shì huì dìng qī gōng bù jié guǒ， yě qīdài jū mín jì xù tí chū pī píng； méi yǒu chí xù diào zhěng， rèn hé hǎo cuò shī dōu kě néng shī qù zuò yòng。
The reform does not aim to make every car disappear; it aims to free time lost to congestion. The government made clear that it would publish results regularly and expected residents to keep offering criticism. Without continued adjustment, even a good measure can lose its effect.
城市交通没有简单答案。收费、公共服务和个人选择要互相配合，才能真正缓解拥挤。与其把政策看成一次胜负，不妨把它当成一次共同学习：让街道更适合生活，也让繁荣更长久。
chéng shì jiāo tōng méi yǒu jiǎn dān dá àn。 shōu fèi、 gōng gòng fú wù hé gè rén xuǎn zé yào hù xiāng pèi hé， cái néng zhēn zhèng huǎnjiě yōngjǐ。 yǔqí bǎ zhèng cè kàn chéng yī cì shèng fù， bùfáng bǎ tā dāng chéng yī cì gòng tóng xué xí： ràng jiē dào gèng shì hé shēng huó， yě ràng fánróng gèng zhǎng jiǔ。
Urban transport has no simple answer. Charges, public services, and personal choices must work together to truly ease congestion. Rather than treating policy as a single contest, we might regard it as shared learning: making streets more liveable and prosperity more lasting.
Tap a marked word for its meaning. Tap a line to see the English.
Grammar
有人担心小商店和大厦里的商务活动会受影响，也有人说附近广场的停车位应该照常免费。Some worried that shops and business activity in office buildings would be affected, while others argued that parking near the square should remain free as usual.
照常+ Verb
照常. Adverb or Verb. As usual.
詹森照常提前出门去交通部。
Zhānsēn zhàocháng tíqián chūmén qù jiāotōngbù.
Jensen went out early to the Department of Transportation as usual.
最初公交不够准时、道路也谈不上安全，难怪不少司机一开始不满意：他们担心收费后，若仍要开车，除了汽油钱还得多付一笔费用。At first buses were not punctual enough and roads were not yet safe enough, so it was no wonder that many drivers were unhappy: they worried that if they still had to drive after the charge began, they would have to pay an extra fee on top of petrol.
难怪+ Statement
难怪. Verb or Adverb. No wonder, it's understandable.
这也难怪，与其堵在路上，倒不如乘公交出行。
Zhè yě nánguài, yǔqí dǔ zài lùshàng, dǎobùrú chéng gōngjiāo chūxíng.
This is not surprising. Rather than being stuck on the road, it is better to switch to public transport.
与其把政策看成一次胜负，不妨把它当成一次共同学习：让街道更适合生活，也让繁荣更长久。Rather than treating policy as a single contest, we might regard it as shared learning: making streets more liveable and prosperity more lasting.
与其A +不如B
与其. Conjunction. Rather than...
与其说是采访，不如说是向他学习。
Yǔqí shuō shì cǎifǎng, bùrú shuō shì xiàng tā xuéxí.
Rather than calling it an interview, it's more like learning from him.
Which word means “might as well”?
Culture
交通问题与城市化 - Traffic Problems and Urbanization in China
Urbanization brings work and services, but it also puts greater pressure on roads. Solving traffic problems requires reliable public transport, walking space, and sensible planning. Policies should hear residents' views and adjust in time. In the passage, the charging plan improves buses and bicycle lanes and goes through public discussion and limited trial use, showing the importance of cooperation among many sides.
Write the new characters
0 of 12 written
缓 from 缓解 · to alleviate, to ease up
Practice
8 questions · about 4 minutes
Pick the meaningListenFill the gapMatchWord order
Finish
Finish the practice to complete this lesson.