解決交通壅塞有完美的方案。但人類就是不用。：英語精讀講義

Stuck at an intersection,

塞在十字路口時，

you always watch unfold the fundamental problem of traffic.

你總能看到交通的根本問題在眼前展開。

On green,

綠燈一亮，

the first car accelerates

第一輛車加速，

and then the next and then the next

接著是下一輛，再下一輛，

and then the next and then you,

然後又一輛，最後是你，

only to catch the red. 文法

結果卻只趕上了紅燈。

Had the cars accelerated simultaneously, 文法

如果所有車能同時加速，

you would have made it through.

你本可以順利通過的。

Coordination, not cars, 表達脈絡

協調，而不是車，

is the problem

才是問題所在，

because we are monkey drivers

因為我們是像猴子一般的駕駛，

with slow reaction times

反應遲鈍，

and short attention spans.

注意力不集中。

Even if we tried getting everyone

即使我們試圖讓所有人

to press the pedal on 3 2 1 now

在倒數 3、2、1 後同時踩下油門，

would be challenging.

也是一項挑戰。

This discoordination limits

這種不協調限制了

how many cars can get through an intersection

能通過十字路口的車輛數量，

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

當一個路口的車陣一直回堵到下一個路口時，

that's when city-sized gridlock cascades happen,

就會發生城市規模的連鎖壅塞，

taking forever to clear. 片語搭配

需要極長的時間才能疏通。

In general, more intersections

總的來說，十字路口越多，

equals more discoordination,

意味著不協調越多，

which equals more traffic.

也就意味著越塞車。

This is the motive behind big highways. 片語搭配

這就是修建大型高速公路的初衷。

No intersections,

沒有十字路口，

splits and merges, yes,

只有分流和匯流，

intersections, no.

絕沒有十字路口。

No stopping,

不用停車，

no coordination problems,

沒有協調問題，

no traffic.

就沒有壅塞。

Well, that's the theory anyway. 語氣意圖

嗯，至少理論上是這樣。

Intersections outside

高速公路外的十字路口

of a highway will back up onto it, again,

會再次回堵到高速公路上，

because human reaction times limit

因為人類的反應時間限制了

how many cars can escape the off-ramp

能有多少車駛出交流道，

when the light changes.

在紅綠燈變化時。

But, even without intersections, 文法

但是，即使沒有十字路口，

there would still be traffic on the highway.

高速公路上依然會塞車。

Traffic can just appear.

塞車就是會憑空出現。

Take a one-lane highway 表達脈絡

想像一條單線道高速公路，

with happy cars flowing

車流原本順暢地行駛著，

until a chicken crosses the road.

直到一隻雞穿越馬路。

The driver who sees it brakes a little,

看到牠的駕駛稍微踩了下煞車，

the driver behind him doesn't notice immediately

後面的駕駛沒能立刻注意到，

and brakes a little harder than necessary. 文法

於是踩得比需要的更重了點。

The driver behind him does the same

再後面的駕駛也是如此，

until someone comes to a complete stop. 片語搭配

直到有人完全停了下來。

And oh, look.

然後噢，看吧。

Cars approaching at highway speeds

以高速公路速度駛來的車輛

must now stop as well.

現在也必須停下。

Though the chicken is long gone, 片語搭配

儘管那隻雞早就跑沒影了，

it left a phantom intersection on the highway.

卻在高速公路上留下了一個幽靈十字路口。

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

這就是為什麼你在車陣中塞了好幾個小時，

thinking there must be a deadly pile-up ahead

以為前面肯定發生了嚴重的連環車禍，

and then suddenly the traffic's over

結果突然路況暢通了，

with no wreckage in sight. 片語搭配

卻連一點車輛殘骸都沒看到。

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

如果你是個好人，你會感到慶幸，

and mild annoyance if you aren't.

如果不是，則會感到有些惱火。

You just passed through a phantom intersection,

你剛剛通過的，就是一個幽靈十字路口，

the cause of which is long gone. 文法

而它的起因早已不在。

And this phantom intersection moves.

並且這個幽靈十字路口是會移動的。

It's really a traffic snake 慣用語

它其實是一條交通貪食蛇，

slithering down the road

在道路上蜿蜒前行，

eating oncoming cars at one end

在一端吞噬迎面而來的車輛，

and pooping them out the other.

又從另一端把它們排泄出去。

On a ring road,

在環狀道路上，

a single car slowing down

單單一輛車減速

will start an Ouroboros of traffic 文化背景

就會引發一條銜尾蛇般的車潮，

that will last forever,

它將永遠持續下去，

even though there's no problem with the road.

儘管道路本身沒有任何問題。

If the drivers could coordinate 文法

如果駕駛們能夠協調

to accelerate and separate simultaneously,

做到同時加速和拉開距離，

easy driving would return.

順暢的交通就會回來。

But they can't, so traffic eternal.

但他們做不到，所以塞車永無止境。

On highways, traffic snakes grow

在高速公路上，交通貪食蛇會變長，

if cars are eaten faster than excreted 文法

如果車輛被吞噬的速度快於排出的速度，

and they shrink if excreted faster than eaten,

而如果排出的速度快於吞噬的速度，它就會縮短，

dying when the last car accelerates away

當最後一輛車加速離開

before the next car must stop.

且下一輛車還未被迫停下時，它就會消散。

Now, in multi-lane highways,

現在，在多線道高速公路上，

there needs be no chicken to start gridlock.

甚至不需要有雞就能引發大塞車。

A driver crossing lanes quickly

一名駕駛快速變換車道，

with cars too close behind

且後方車輛跟得太近，

is enough to birth a traffic snake 慣用語

就足以誕生一條交通貪食蛇，

that lives for hours and leagues.

存活數小時並綿延數哩。

It's this quick crossing 文法

就是這種快速變換車道

that causes drivers behind to overbrake

導致後方駕駛過度煞車，

and begin a chain reaction. 慣用語

並引發連鎖反應。

But we can make traffic snakes less likely

但我們可以讓交通貪食蛇發生的機率降低，

by changing the way we drive.

只要改變我們的駕駛方式。

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

你作為駕駛的目標是，始終保持

from the car ahead

與前車的距離

as from the car behind at all times.

和與後車的距離一樣。

Tailgating is trouble, 用詞

緊跟前車是個麻煩，

not just because it makes accidents more likely, 文法

不僅因為它會增加發生事故的機率，

but because you as the tailgater

更因為作為緊跟前車的人，

can start a traffic snake

你可能會引發一條交通貪食蛇，

if the driver ahead brakes.

如果前方的駕駛煞車。

Always in the middle.

永遠保持在中間。

This gives you the most time to prevent overbraking,

這為你爭取了最多時間來避免過度煞車，

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

同時也為你後方的駕駛爭取了最多時間。

And when stuck in traffic,

而當困在車陣中時，

this rule would get all cars

這個規則將使所有車輛

to pull apart the snake faster.

更快地瓦解這條蛇。

That's the simple solution to traffic,

這就是解決塞車的簡單方法，

getting humans to change their behavior,

讓人類改變他們的行為，

perhaps by sharing this video

或許可以透過分享這部影片，

to show how and why traffic happens,

來展示塞車是如何及為何發生的，

why tailgaters are trouble,

為什麼緊跟前車是個麻煩，

and how we can work together

以及我們如何共同努力

to make the roads better for all.

讓每個人的道路變得更好。

The end.

劇終。

Except, yeah.

除了，對。

Wishing upon a star 慣用語

對著星星許願

that people are better than they are

期望人們比現實中更守規矩

is a terrible solution every time.

每次都是個糟糕的解決方案。

Instead, what works 表達脈絡

相反的，真正有效的是

is a structurally systematized solution,

一個結構化的系統性解決方案，

which is exactly what self-driving cars are.

而這正是自動駕駛汽車的本質。

Self-driving cars can just be programmed

自動駕駛汽車可以直接被寫入程式，

to stay in the middle and accelerate simultaneously.

保持在中間並同時加速。

They'll just do it.

它們就是會照做。

The more self-driving cars at an intersection, 文法

在十字路口的自動駕駛汽車越多，

the more efficient the intersection gets.

十字路口的效率就越高。

A solid lane of self-driving cars

一整排的自動駕駛汽車

vastly increases throughput. 用詞

將大幅增加車流量。

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

嗯，其實，如果你禁止人類上路，

which we should totally do anyway, 語氣意圖

這本來就是我們完全應該做的，

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

你就可以完全擺脫十字路口。

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

畢竟，紅綠燈只是一個工具，

for drivers on one road

讓一條路上的駕駛

to communicate with drivers on another,

與另一條路上的駕駛溝通，

poorly and coarsely. 用詞

而且既低效又粗糙。

Red equals don't go now,

紅燈等於現在別走，

we are coming through the intersection.

我們正在通過十字路口。

Green equals good to go. 慣用語

綠燈等於可以走了。

But self-driving cars can talk to each other

但自動駕駛汽車可以互相交流，

at the speed of light. 慣用語

以光速進行。

With that kind of coordination,

有了那種協調能力，

no traffic light necessary. 文法

根本不需要紅綠燈。

Just as with the highway, 表達脈絡

就像高速公路一樣，

the best intersection is no intersection.

最好的十字路口就是沒有十字路口。

Humans will never drive this precisely.

人類永遠無法如此精準地駕駛。

At the intersection,

在十字路口，

the fundamental problem with traffic

你所看到展開的

that you watch unfold,

交通根本問題，

as with everything, is people.

就像所有事情一樣，問題在於人。

So the real simple solution

因此，真正簡單的解決方案

to traffic is no more monkeys driving cars. 慣用語

來解決塞車，就是別再讓猴子開車了。