“道路瘦身”使交通更通畅

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 on a 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 campaign to improve road safety across the country. One of the things DOT plans to do is create a guide to "road diets" that it will distribute to communities and local governments.
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 29 percent, and that in some smaller towns the design approach can cut crashes nearly 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 peer cities 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。

（中国日报网英语点津 丁一）