成為單車友善城市

本文原刊載於Taipei Times 2008年6月4日
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2008/06/04/2003413730

Getting bike-friendlier
成為單車友善城市

Your article on cycling in Taiwan highlights some of the problems
cyclists are confronted with ("NGOs say Taiwan's cities not convenient
for cycling," June 2, page 2).
你那篇關於騎單車的文章指出腳踏車騎士遭遇的問題(對照六月二日第二頁的文章"NGO團體認為台灣不便單車通勤")。

Although the government deserves some credit for the construction of
bike paths around Taiwan in recent years, these bike paths are mostly
for recreational purposes and fail to solve the problems of cycling in
urban areas.
雖然近年來政府積極建設自行車專用道值得嘉許，然而那些自行車道多半為休閒用途，壓根兒無法解決都市的自行車交通問題。

Plans to construct bike paths on major roads such as Dunhua Road in
Taipei City may be well intended, but are not necessarily the best way
to spend government money. A poorly designed and little used bike path
would only create negative perceptions among motorists and cyclists.
(台北市交通局交通管制工程處)要在台北市主要幹道建設自行車通勤示範道(例：敦化南路)的計畫也許是基於善意，但那不是必須支出的政府經費(人民稅金)，亦非消耗資金的好方法。設計不良、使用率又低的自行車道，只會增加自行車與摩托車騎士(對自行車道)的負面印象。

One major problem cyclists face is the lack of suitable locations to
park their bikes when they arrive at their destination. Where bike
parking does exist it is often poorly designed and doesn't properly
protect bikes from damage or theft. The double-decker bike racks like
those near the Gongguan MRT station are the only well-designed racks I
have seen in Taiwan. Yet they have only been installed at a few MRT
stations and nowhere else in the city.
自行車騎士通勤時面臨的一大難題便是缺乏足夠與適當的停車空間。雖然自行車停放設施確實存在，但普遍設計不良，而且缺乏管理，無法避免被竊或遭破壞的風險。公館捷運站附近的自行車停放架，是我在台灣見過唯一設計較佳的自行車停放架，然而這樣的自行車停放架卻只設置在少數捷運車站，市內其他地方都沒有。

Most importantly, governments need to introduce measures that actively
reduce the number of cars and motorcycles on roads. This will make the
roads safer and create the space that cyclists need. It would also
have the added benefits of reducing pollution and traffic accidents.
最重要的是，政府必須更積極實施汽機車減量政策，如此一來，道路才會更安全，也才能創造自行車騎士需要的騎乘空間，而且，此舉也能同時減少(空氣與噪音)污染，以及交通意外事故，一舉數得。

It would also be very helpful if politicians and government officials
spent more time riding bicycles, as it would allow them to make
better-informed decisions about the needed infrastructure.
如果政治人物和政府官員願意花更多時間騎單車，將有助於他們做出更符合民意的施政決定。

David Reid
魏大衛
Xindian, Taipei County
台北縣新店市

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作者的話：我希望郝龍斌和周錫瑋能看這篇文章！

Also see: Somewhere to park a bike