解决交通拥堵有完美的方案。但人类偏不用。：英语精读讲义

Stuck at an intersection,

堵在十字路口时，

you always watch unfold the fundamental problem of traffic.

你总能看到交通的根本问题在眼前展开。

On green,

绿灯一亮，

the first car accelerates

第一辆车加速，

and then the next and then the next

接着是下一辆，再下一辆，

and then the next and then you,

然后又一辆，最后是你，

only to catch the red. 語法

结果却只赶上了红灯。

Had the cars accelerated simultaneously, 語法

如果所有车能同时加速，

you would have made it through.

你本可以顺利通过的。

Coordination, not cars, 表達脈絡

协调，而不是车，

is the problem

才是问题的核心，

because we are monkey drivers

因为我们是像猴子一样的驾驶员，

with slow reaction times

反应迟钝，

and short attention spans.

注意力无法持久。

Even if we tried getting everyone

即使我们试图让所有人

to press the pedal on 3 2 1 now

在倒数3、2、1后同时踩下油门，

would be challenging.

也是一项挑战。

This discoordination limits

这种不协调限制了

how many cars can get through an intersection

能通过十字路口的车辆数量，

and when one backs up to the next, 短語動詞

当一个路口的车队一直堵到下一个路口时，

that's when city-sized gridlock cascades happen,

就会发生城市规模的连锁拥堵，

taking forever to clear. 短語搭配

需要极长的时间才能疏通。

In general, more intersections

总的来说，十字路口越多，

equals more discoordination,

意味着不协调越多，

which equals more traffic.

也就意味着越拥堵。

This is the motive behind big highways. 短語搭配

这就是修建大型高速公路的初衷。

No intersections,

没有十字路口，

splits and merges, yes,

只有分流和并道，

intersections, no.

绝没有十字路口。

No stopping,

不用停车，

no coordination problems,

没有协调问题，

no traffic.

就没有拥堵。

Well, that's the theory anyway. 語氣意圖

嗯，至少理论上是这样。

Intersections outside

高速公路外的十字路口

of a highway will back up onto it, again,

会再次倒灌到高速上，

because human reaction times limit

因为人类的反应时间限制了

how many cars can escape the off-ramp

能有多少车驶出匝道，

when the light changes.

在红绿灯变化时。

But, even without intersections, 語法

但是，即使没有十字路口，

there would still be traffic on the highway.

高速公路上依然会堵车。

Traffic can just appear.

拥堵就是会凭空出现。

Take a one-lane highway 表達脈絡

想象一条单车道高速公路，

with happy cars flowing

车流原本欢快地行驶着，

until a chicken crosses the road.

直到一只鸡穿过马路。

The driver who sees it brakes a little,

看到它的司机稍微踩了下刹车，

the driver behind him doesn't notice immediately

后面的司机没能立刻注意到，

and brakes a little harder than necessary. 語法

于是踩得比需要的更重了点。

The driver behind him does the same

再后面的司机也是如此，

until someone comes to a complete stop. 短語搭配

直到有人完全停了下来。

And oh, look.

然后哦，看吧。

Cars approaching at highway speeds

以高速公路速度驶来的车辆

must now stop as well.

现在也必须停下。

Though the chicken is long gone, 短語搭配

尽管那只鸡早就跑没影了，

it left a phantom intersection on the highway.

却在高速公路上留下了一个幽灵十字路口。

This is what's happened when you are stuck in traffic for hours

这就是为什么你在车流中堵了几个小时，

thinking there must be a deadly pile-up ahead

以为前面肯定发生了严重的连环车祸，

and then suddenly the traffic's over

结果突然路况畅通了，

with no wreckage in sight. 短語搭配

却连一点车辆残骸都没看到。

To your relief, if you're a good person, 短語搭配

如果你是个好人，你会感到庆幸，

and mild annoyance if you aren't.

如果你不是，则会感到有些恼火。

You just passed through a phantom intersection,

你刚刚通过的，就是一个幽灵十字路口，

the cause of which is long gone. 語法

而它的起因早已不在。

And this phantom intersection moves.

并且这个幽灵十字路口是会移动的。

It's really a traffic snake 習語

它其实是一条交通贪吃蛇，

slithering down the road

在道路上蜿蜒前行，

eating oncoming cars at one end

在一端吞噬迎面而来的车辆，

and pooping them out the other.

又从另一端把它们排泄出去。

On a ring road,

在环形公路上，

a single car slowing down

只要有一辆车减速，

will start an Ouroboros of traffic 文化背景

就会引发一场咬尾蛇般的拥堵，

that will last forever,

它将永远持续下去，

even though there's no problem with the road.

尽管道路本身没有任何问题。

If the drivers could coordinate 語法

如果司机们能够协调

to accelerate and separate simultaneously,

做到同时加速和拉开距离，

easy driving would return.

顺畅的交通就会回来。

But they can't, so traffic eternal.

但他们做不到，所以拥堵永无止境。

On highways, traffic snakes grow

在高速公路上，交通贪吃蛇会变长，

if cars are eaten faster than excreted 語法

如果车辆被吞噬的速度快于排出的速度，

and they shrink if excreted faster than eaten,

而如果排出的速度快于吞噬的速度，它就会缩短，

dying when the last car accelerates away

当最后一辆车加速离开，

before the next car must stop.

且下一辆车还未被迫停下时，它就会消散。

Now, in multi-lane highways,

现在，在多车道高速公路上，

there needs be no chicken to start gridlock.

甚至不需要有鸡就能引发大拥堵。

A driver crossing lanes quickly

一名司机快速变道，

with cars too close behind

且后方车辆跟得太近，

is enough to birth a traffic snake 習語

就足以诞生一条交通贪吃蛇，

that lives for hours and leagues.

存活数小时并绵延数英里。

It's this quick crossing 語法

正是这种快速变道

that causes drivers behind to overbrake

导致后方司机过度刹车，

and begin a chain reaction. 習語

并引发连环反应。

But we can make traffic snakes less likely

但我们可以降低交通贪吃蛇发生的概率，

by changing the way we drive.

只要改变我们的驾驶方式。

Your goal as a driver is to stay the same distance 語法

作为司机，你的目标是始终保持

from the car ahead

与前车的距离

as from the car behind at all times.

和与后车的距离一样。

Tailgating is trouble, 用詞

紧跟前车是个麻烦，

not just because it makes accidents more likely, 語法

不仅因为它会增加发生事故的概率，

but because you as the tailgater

更因为作为紧跟前车的人，

can start a traffic snake

你可能会引发一条交通贪吃蛇，

if the driver ahead brakes.

如果前方的司机刹车。

Always in the middle.

永远保持在中间。

This gives you the most time to prevent overbraking,

这为你争取了最多时间来避免过度刹车，

but also gives the driver behind you the most time as well.

同时也为你后方的司机争取了最多时间。

And when stuck in traffic,

而当困在车流中时，

this rule would get all cars

这个规则将使所有车辆

to pull apart the snake faster.

更快地瓦解这条蛇。

That's the simple solution to traffic,

这就是解决拥堵的简单方法，

getting humans to change their behavior,

让人类改变他们的行为，

perhaps by sharing this video

也许可以通过分享这个视频，

to show how and why traffic happens,

来展示拥堵是如何及为何发生的，

why tailgaters are trouble,

为什么紧跟前车是个麻烦，

and how we can work together

以及我们如何共同努力

to make the roads better for all.

让每个人的道路变得更好。

The end.

剧终。

Except, yeah.

除了一点，对。

Wishing upon a star 習語

对着星星许愿，

that people are better than they are

指望人们比现实中更守规矩，

is a terrible solution every time.

每次都是个糟糕的解决方案。

Instead, what works 表達脈絡

相反，真正有效的是

is a structurally systematized solution,

一个结构化的系统性解决方案，

which is exactly what self-driving cars are.

而这正是自动驾驶汽车的本质。

Self-driving cars can just be programmed

自动驾驶汽车可以直接被编程为

to stay in the middle and accelerate simultaneously.

保持在中间并同时加速。

They'll just do it.

它们就是会照做。

The more self-driving cars at an intersection, 語法

在十字路口，自动驾驶汽车越多，

the more efficient the intersection gets.

十字路口的效率就越高。

A solid lane of self-driving cars

一整排的自动驾驶汽车

vastly increases throughput. 用詞

将大幅增加通行量。

Hmm, actually, if you ban humans from the road,

嗯，其实，如果你禁止人类上路，

which we should totally do anyway, 語氣意圖

这本来也是我们完全应该做的，

you can get rid of the intersection entirely. 短語動詞

你就可以完全摆脱十字路口。

After all, a traffic light is just a tool 表達脈絡

毕竟，红绿灯只是一种工具，

for drivers on one road

让一条路上的司机

to communicate with drivers on another,

与另一条路上的司机沟通，

poorly and coarsely. 用詞

而且既低效又粗糙。

Red equals don't go now,

红灯等于现在别走，

we are coming through the intersection.

我们正在通过十字路口。

Green equals good to go. 習語

绿灯等于可以走了。

But self-driving cars can talk to each other

但自动驾驶汽车可以互相交流，

at the speed of light. 習語

以光速进行。

With that kind of coordination,

有了那样的协调能力，

no traffic light necessary. 語法

根本不需要红绿灯。

Just as with the highway, 表達脈絡

就像高速公路一样，

the best intersection is no intersection.

最好的十字路口就是没有十字路口。

Humans will never drive this precisely.

人类永远无法如此精准地驾驶。

At the intersection,

在十字路口，

the fundamental problem with traffic

你在眼前看到的

that you watch unfold,

交通根本问题，

as with everything, is people.

就像所有事情一样，问题在于人。

So the real simple solution

因此，真正解决拥堵的简单方案

to traffic is no more monkeys driving cars. 習語

就是别再让猴子开汽车了。