Opinion: Transportation choices matter in the fight against climate change

时评：交通选择在应对气候变化中至关重要

As Austin continues to explode in growth, so do the number of cars on our roads. Based on U.S. Census data, 184 people are moving to Austin each day and the growth is not expected to slow anytime soon. To combat this congestion, Austin voters passed two mobility propositions last November. Both of these propositions financially support Project Connect, an all-encompassing transportation project that includes a new rail system, a downtown transit tunnel that makes everyone's trip faster, an expanded bus system and a transition to an all-electric fleet.

随着奥斯汀的人口持续呈现爆炸性增长，我们道路上的汽车数量也在不断增加。根据美国人口普查数据，每天有184人迁居至奥斯汀，而且预计在短期内，增势不会放缓。为了应对城市的拥挤现象，奥斯汀的立法者在去年十一月通过了两个迁移法案。这两个法案都在财政上大力支持道路连接工程。它是一个包罗万象的交通运输工程，不仅包括建立新的轨道体系和在市中心建立交通隧道以便出行，并且着力于扩展公交车系统，并将公交车能源系统改为全电力系统。

While promising, its immediate impact is limited because construction will take at least nine years to complete. Project Connect is also limited because Austin is a car-dependent city. In a recent survey among Austin college students, the St. Edward’s University Civics Lab found that over 60% of students use cars as their sole means of transportation. This is a problem and it is not limited to just college students.

因为工程的建设至少需要九年的时间，所以当我们展望这个项目的前景时，它的即时影响是非常有限的。由于奥斯汀是一个对汽车极度依赖的城市，道路的连接同样也不能一蹴而就。在最近一项针对奥斯汀大学生的调查中，圣爱德华大学公民研究院发现超过百分之六十的学生把汽车当作唯一的交通工具。这是一个巨大的问题，并且不仅限于大学生。

If I have a car, why would I want to take public transportation? The Civics Lab has a few good reasons for taking public transportation:

如果我有车，为什么我会想要乘坐公共交通呢？公民研究院针对为什么乘坐公共交通给出了几点答案：

The first is efficiency. We all experience Austin traffic frustration. Taking the bus alleviates a lot of that frustration. A few weeks ago, the Civics Lab rode the bus from St. Edward’s to downtown Austin. I was expecting the bus to be delayed and take up much more time. With timeliness and dedicated bus lanes, we approached downtown Austin smoothly and quickly.

第一点便是效率。我们所有人都体会过开车时沮丧的感觉。乘坐公交车将很大程度上缓解这种沮丧的情绪。几星期之前，公民研究院的研究人员把一辆公交车从圣爱德华大学开到了市中心。我以为公交车会比轿车花费更多的时间。然而，因为公交车专用车道的存在，我们迅速并且顺畅地抵达了市中心。

The second is affordability. Bus passes may be the cheapest option for St. Edward's students. The university offers free bus passes for students living on campus. For commuter students, there is a 35 percent discount. On top of that, you can also pay for the bus pass with a Topper Tender debit account.

第二点原因便是花费。公交车出行对于圣爱德华大学的学生来说是最经济的出行方式。学校会为住宿生提供免费的公交车服务，对于走读生仅收取百分之六十五的费用。除此之外，他们还可以通过Topper Tender借记账户来支付费用。

The last is sustainability. The climate crisis is nothing new to our generation. We have been handed a world that is facing significant challenges. It is our job to make choices that consider the planet and future generations. This means rethinking how we get around. A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Cities with substantial public transit can reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons yearly, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

最后一点原因是可持续发展的要求。气候危机对我们这一代来说已经耳熟能详。我们面对的是一个面临着重大挑战的世界。做出关切地球与未来人类重大决定的责任落到了我们肩上。这就要求我们重新思考我们如何应对目前的挑战。根据美国环境署的相关数据，一辆普通的客运车辆每年排放4.6公吨二氧化碳。而根据气候变化与能源解决中心的相关数据，一个拥有充足公共交通资源的城市每年可以减少3700万公吨的二氧化碳排放。

The Civics Lab is asking you to rethink your relationship with transportation in terms of its efficiency,affordability, and sustainability. We think it’s time for Austinites to get serious about our own transportation choices.

公民研究院催促人们从效率、经济成本与可持续性的角度，重新思考你与交通工具之间的关系。我们认为，现在是奥斯汀人严肃对待交通选择的时候了。

This week, we are challenging Austin residents to keep the car in the garage and take an alternative form of transportation, at least one time. When you do, post a picture of that trip to Twitter or Instagram and tag us with #toppertransit, so that we can work together and take more responsibility in this fight against climate change.

本周，我们向奥斯汀市民发起了一个挑战：把你的车停在车库里并且尝试一种替代交通工具至少一次。如果你真的做了，把这次出行的照片发布在推特或者照片墙上，并且带上#toppertransit的标签，以便我们能够携手前行，在应对气候变化的斗争之中做出更多努力。

                                                                                                                                                     来源：Austin American-Statesman

                                                  原文发布时间：2021.11.14

                          作者：David Thomason and Desi Tsacalis

                          检索：代晶

                          翻译：缪辉

                          审校：张芳腾