伦敦奥运通道很混乱:到底是通道还是挡道？

Located in central London, this road is one of the key routes for competitors and officials looking to get to the Olympic Stadium.

奥运通道坐落于伦敦市中心，是专为运动员和相关官员设计的通向奥运主场馆的主干道之一。

But just when motorists thought the designated Olympic lanes couldn't get any more confusing, they face an even harder time working out how to drive along here.
然而，这条名为奥运通道的路线却给行车人带来了不小的麻烦。司机们得费劲脑筋，思考在这条道上怎么才能开好车。

As this picture shows, motorists travelling along Southampton Row face three options - and all are illegal.
如图所示，想要开往南安普顿的司机们有三条道可供选择：可是开哪条都得吃罚单。

They can either travel in the bus lane, the Olympic lane or on the wrong side of the road.
公交车道，奥运通道或者是反方向车道，他们都能开。

Obviously no driver would want to travel on the wrong side of the road. But motorists caught travelling in either a bus lane or Olympic lane during operational hours face a £130 fine.
不过显然没有司机会开到反向车道去，只是要是没注意上规定的时间就上了公交车道或者奥运通道，他们就不得不面临130英镑的罚单了。

The Olympic lanes are part of the Olympic Route Network which is a series of roads linking all competition venues and other key sites.It is hoped they will ensure that all athletes and officials get to events on time.
奥运通道并不止这一条，他们是连接不同竞技场馆和重要地标的交通枢纽干道。这一切都是为了保证运动员和相关官员在比赛期间能按时到达赛场而特别建造的。

But the new regulations led to confusion on the A4 and the A40, where Olympic driving restrictions are yet to come into force.
可是随着奥运期间限行条例的出台生效，针对A4和A40的新规定给广大司机带来了的无限烦恼。

Pictures showed motorists battling to get out of the lanes as traffic queued to enter the capital.
从图中我们可以看到众多车辆挤作一团，等候进入伦敦市。

Charging began on the M4 today because the first athletes were arriving in London to prepare for the Games, which start on July 27.
鉴于首批运动员已经抵达伦敦为奥运会进行准备，M4道路的处罚措施今天起已经实行。

The traffic problems were first reported by Sky News to be on the M4, but further enquiries established that the tailback images it broadcast were from the A4.
M4的道路问题是由天空新闻首先报道的，不过在A4公路的车辆堵塞照片曝光后伦敦奥运通道引起更多的社会争议。

Ironically, the Highways Agency said few problems were reported on the M4 itself.
可笑的是，高速公路司方面称A4本身没有任何问题反馈。

As we get closer to the Games roads will become exceptionally busy and our advice to motorists is clear – avoid driving in central London, around the ORN and Games venues but if a journey is absolutely essential be sure to plan ahead by visiting get ahead of the games.com and allow extra time.
高速公路司方面表示：“奥运通道会越来越繁忙，我们对司机朋友们的建议是，尽量不要选择伦敦中心、奥运主场及其他竞技场馆作为路线。如果您的路线非经过这里不可，请提前查询好线路，并预留出堵车时间。”

Motorists are heeding that advice and we have already seen a 10 per cent reduction in traffic levels in central London.'
“司机逐渐接受了我们的意见，我们也看到伦敦中心的车流压力已经减少了10%”。