Cycling in Asia: Opening New Roads to Sustainability1

文/梅迪琳·马尼博 译/方雅龄 审订/钱多秀

Cycling in Asia: Opening New Roads to Sustainability1

文/梅迪琳·马尼博 译/方雅龄 审订/钱多秀

Asia’s rising middle class may be driving the increase in car ownership, leading to traf fi c congestion2congestion阻塞；拥挤。and air pollution in the region’s cities,but this status symbol3status symbol社会地位象征（指能表示某种身份的器物、生活作风等）。may be slowly giving way to an old love―cycling.

[2]More Asians are jumping on a bicycle for fresh air and to lead a more environmentally-friendly and active lifestyle in recent years as staying sedentary4sedentary久坐的；固定不动的。inside a car for hours on end could take a toll on5take a toll on sth造成损坏。one’s health, and be hard on the wallet because of the high cost of fuel and maintenance.

[3]In a new study of vehicle ownership in 44 countries and regions by Pew Research Center6皮尤研究中心，美国一家独立性民调机构，总部设于华盛顿特区。, households around the world own bicycles more than motorcycles and cars. Japan and Thailand rank second and third in terms of bike ownership globally, although these two countries also rank high in car ownership, with 81 per cent and 51 per cent of their populations owning at least one vehicle.

[4]Despite growing car ownership in China, only 17 per cent of households have cars, while 65 per cent have a bicycle, according to the Pew survey.China is also leading the world in the number of bike-sharing7bike-sharing共享单车，指企业在校园、地铁站点、公交站点、居民区、商业区、公共服务区等提供的自行车共享服务。schemes,with about 170 bike-sharing systems operating in the country.

[5]In Southeast Asia, Singapore,which is known for its efficient public transport system but has no established culture of cycling as a transport option,is one of the countries now keen to change that. It is spending S$43 million on bike lanes and cycling facilities as part of a national cycling plan.

[6]Meanwhile, in Thailand, where 74 per cent of residents own a bike based on the Pew study, the government has promised to increase bike lanes by 10 kilometres in capital Bangkok from the current 232 kilometres to include other areas that do not have cycling routes.

[7]Seventy-eight percent of households in Japan are bicycle owners, the second highest in the world after Germany.

Stumbling blocks8 stumbling block 绊脚石。

[8]Ku Manahan, a resident of Quezon City in Metro Manila and a photographer by profession, has been cycling about 42 kilometres daily to and from work for three years now. He says bike lanes would be highly beneficial for cyclists like him, as he has encountered problems with motorists,who often disregard9disregard不顾；忽视。cyclists, putting their lives in danger.

[9]“The pollution is also a major problem, because since we are usually breathing heavily due to aerobic activity, we are breathing in more of the pollutants, causing respiratory10respiratory呼吸的；与呼吸有关的。problems. Even a few feet away from traf fi c would make a huge difference in the pollution that we are breathing in,”he tellsEco-Business.

[10]As for companies, bicycle parking and a shower and locker room would help encourage employees to cycle to work, Manahan explains.

Zero emissions11 emission排放。 transport

[11]ADB12=Asian Development Bank亚洲开发银行，简称“亚行”，是亚洲、太平洋地区的区域性政府间国际金融机构。is looking at including bicycles as part of a public transport network in some cities in Southeast Asia through bike-sharing schemes.Many cities around the world including Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Taipei have shown the successful integration of bike-sharing programmes in public transport systems.

[12]The bank plans to finance bikesharing projects in three Southeast Asian cities: Davao in Philippines,Vientiane in Laos and a yet to be determined city in Indonesia.

[13]YouBike13微笑单车，台北市政府联合台湾捷安特公司推出的租赁用公共自行车服务。, the most popular bike-sharing scheme in Taiwan,China, which is being implemented in partnership with Taipei’s city government, proves that ef fi ciency can make a huge difference. Its operator,Giant14捷安特，中国台湾的一个自行车品牌，全球自行车生产及行销最具规模的公司之一。, attributes the success of the programme to the firm’s round-theclock15round-the-clock全天的；全天候的。management system, efficient data management and a customer service call center.

[14]In another form of bike-sharing,cycling has also become a solution to help poor students in rural communities access bicycles as a form of sustainable transport. Non-profit group16non-profit group运营目标不以获取利润为目的团体。Bike for the Philippines17菲律宾自行车项目协会。该协会通过为孩子提供自行车帮助他们建立自尊，改善在校表现；其宗旨为促进学习、改善健康和生活、保护清新空气。are lending bicycles for free to help poor students in the country who still need to walk three kilometres to school because of lack of access to public transport or who have no ability to pay for its high costs.

Pedalling18 pedal用脚踏动；踩踏板。 for tourism

[15]Bike lanes are also essential to encourage a booming new industry that attracts tourists to Southeast Asian countries. United States-based tour operator Bicycle Adventures19骑车冒险旅行社，一家倡导自行车旅行的美国旅行社。, which launched a cycling tour this year in Taiwan, China, says a well-established cycling network creates an opportunity to increase tourism in the region.

[16]Taiwan’s commitment to cycling is very clear in the easy-to-access bike routes designed to showcase the island’s stunning20stunning令人震惊的。natural landscapes, including a 30-60 kilometre river bike path.

[17]Although many countries still do not have a similar established bike network, a growing number of tour operators worldwide are finding lucrative21lucrative获利的。opportunities in providing privately guided cycling tours across Southeast Asia―from Hanoi in Vietnam to Luang Prabang in Laos; from Siem Reap in Cambodia to as far as the island of Koh Kood in the gulf of Thailand; or simply a trip from Singapore to Penang,Malaysia.

[18]United Kingdom-based Bamboo Travel22英国旅行社，提供自选旅游路线，旅游目的地包括中国、泰国、越南、柬埔寨、老挝等地。says their clients are increasingly interested in cycling tours when they plan their trips to Asia. “In the last few years we have seen demand for cycling excursions23excursion远足；短途旅行。grow quickly. And we find a lot of our clients now request some time cycling in places where before they used to do sightseeing by car. Clients of all ages have become more health and environmentally conscious in recent years and cycling has grown as a result,”said Ewen Moore, sales director at Bamboo Travel. “It’s a fun and healthy way to do some sightseeing.” ■

在亚洲，不断壮大的中产阶级也许促进了私家车的增长，带来了亚洲城市的交通堵塞和空气污染，但是这种地位标志也许正逐渐被一种旧爱所取代——骑行。

[2]近年来，越来越多的亚洲人愿意骑上自行车呼吸新鲜空气，享受更加环保、更多运动的生活，这是因为连续数小时坐在汽车里不动有害健康，高昂的燃油成本和维修费用也会使钱包越来越瘪。

[3]皮尤研究中心的最新研究对44个国家和地区的车辆拥有量展开了调查。研究表明，世界各地的家庭拥有的自行车多过摩托车和汽车。日本和泰国在汽车拥有量的排名中位居前列，其中日本约81%的人拥有至少一辆车，泰国为51%，但是在全球自行车拥有量的排名中，日本和泰国仍然分别位居第二和第三。

[4]皮尤调查显示，虽然中国私家车的数量不断增长，但也只有17%的家庭拥有汽车，而65%的家庭有自行车。而且，中国的共享单车项目在数量上引领全球，大约有170个共享单车系统在中国运行。

[5]在东南亚，新加坡高效的公交系统闻名天下，却还没有形成将骑行作为一种交通方式的文化氛围。但是现在，新加坡已成为热衷于改变这一形势的国家之一。作为全国骑行计划的部分内容，新加坡正投资4300万新加坡元（约2.1亿元人民币）建设自行车道及骑行设施。

[6]与此同时，皮尤研究还显示，泰国74%的居民拥有自行车。该国政府承诺将首都曼谷的自行车道延长10公里，将目前232公里长的自行车道扩展至没有骑行道路的其他地区。

[7]日本78%的家庭拥有自行车，在全球自行车拥有量中排名第二，仅次于德国。

绊脚石

[8]马尼拉都会区奎松市的居民库·马纳汉是一名职业摄影师，每天骑行42公里上下班，如今已坚持三年。他认为自行车道的建设对于像他这样的自行车族非常有益，因为与驾车族同道行驶已经产生一些问题，后者常常无视自行车族，威胁他们的生命安全。

[9]他告诉《生态商业》杂志：“污染也是一个大问题。因为在进行有氧运动时，通常我们会大口呼吸，吸入更多的污染物，从而导致呼吸道问题。自行车道尽管离汽车交通只有几英尺远，但却会大大减少我们吸入的污染物。”

[10]马纳汉解释道，对公司而言，建设自行车停靠点、淋浴间和更衣室会帮助鼓励员工骑车上班。

零排放交通工具

[11]通过共享单车计划，亚洲开发银行正准备将共享单车项目纳入到东南亚部分城市的公交网络之中。世界上很多城市，包括阿姆斯特丹、哥本哈根以及台北，都已经向世人展示了共享单车项目与公交系统的成功融合。

[12]亚洲开发银行计划资助东南亚三个城市的共享单车项目：菲律宾的达沃、老挝的万象以及目前尚未确定的一个印度尼西亚的城市。

[13]与台北市政府合作推行的微笑单车是中国台湾最流行的共享单车计划，该计划证明效率的作用巨大。其运营商捷安特将这一项目的成功归结于公司的24小时管理系统、高效的数据管理以及客户服务热线中心。

[14]共享单车也帮助了农村社区的贫困学生，让他们有机会用上自行车这种可持续交通工具。非营利团体菲律宾自行车项目协会为该国的贫困学生提供免费租借自行车的服务，由于缺乏公共交通或负担不起其高昂费用，这些学生现在仍需步行3公里去上学。

骑行旅游业

[15]自行车道对于促进新兴产业的发展也十分重要，这一产业可以吸引游客到东南亚旅游。总部位于美国的骑行冒险旅行社今年在中国台湾推出了骑行旅游项目，并声称业已完善的骑行网络为发展该地区的旅游业提供了机遇。

[16]为展现绝美的自然风光，台湾专门开发了便利的骑行路线，包括一段30—60公里的沿河骑行路线，这清楚地表明台湾在骑行方面做出的努力。

[17]尽管很多国家还没有类似成型的自行车网络，但是世界上越来越多的旅行社正提供配备私人导游的跨东南亚骑行旅游项目，借此赢利，该路段包括从越南的河内到老挝的琅勃拉邦、从柬埔寨的吴哥窟一直远到泰国湾的狗骨岛，或者就从新加坡到马来西亚的槟城。

[18]总部位于英国的竹子旅行社称，他们的客户在计划亚洲行时，对骑行旅游越来越感兴趣。“近几年，我们发现骑行远游的需求增长迅猛，很多客户要求在原来开车观光的地带骑行一段时间。近年来，各年龄段的客户越来越注重健康和环保，于是骑行便流行起来。”该旅行社的销售总监尤恩·穆尔说，“骑行很受欢迎，是一种健康又有趣的观光旅游方式。” □

骑行在亚洲：开辟可持续发展新道路

ByMedilyn Manibo

1 sustainability可持续性。

（译者单位：北京航空航天大学外国语学院）