托福词汇之“道路瘦身road diet”

　　如今，随着机动车数量的增多，为了避免拥堵，人们不多增加行车道，结果却造成更多混乱。很多人对此都存在一个误区：认为道路越宽，通行量越大。其实，合理规划才是关键，有时适当为道路“瘦身减肥”，反而使其更加通畅。

　　Road diet refers to a reduction in the number of travel lanes available ona road, usually by converting one or more existing travel lanes into turn lanes,bike lanes, or street parking.

　　“道路瘦身”是指道路上可用车道数量减少，通常是将现有的一个或多条车道变成转弯车道、自行车道或路边停车道。

　　在道路规划方面，欧美都经验丰富，几年前便已引入这种理念。

　　The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced an 18-month campaignto improve road safety across the country. One of the things DOT plans to do iscreate a guide to "road diets" that it will distribute to communities and localgovernments.

　　美国交通部公布了一项历时18个月，旨在改善全美道路安全的活动。美国交通部计划要做的其中一件事就是制作一本“道路瘦身”指南，并将其分发给各个社区和地方政府。

　　DOT says that road diets can reduce traffic crashes by an average of 29percent, and that in some smaller towns the design approach can cut crashesnearly in half.

　　美国交通部公布称，道路瘦身可使平均交通事故发生量降低29%。在一些小型城市，这种设计方法可将事故数量减半。

　　Road diets have long been practiced in Europe and are more popular in peercities like San Francisco and Seattle.

　　据悉，欧洲一直在进行道路瘦身，在洛杉矶和西雅图等新贵城市该规划更受欢迎。