このページはフレーム対応ブラウザ用に作成されています。下のリンクは非フレーム使用ページですのでそちらをご覧ください。
この記事をプリントする
隠やかな気持ちで欧州ドライブ
穏やかな気持ちでドライブ
祖国スイスを含めた欧州各国を旅行し、
ドライブを楽しんでいた筆者は
欧州と日本の道路事情を比べて
日本がいかに車優先であるかを実感した。
All Is Calm On the Western Roads
By DAVID ZOPPETTI
One of the great advantages of freelancing is that you don't need to spend lots of time arguing with your boss to get your
summer holidays. I am writing these lines during a long month of leisurely driving through Switzerland, France and Italy
with my family.
Roads in Japan always appear to me as terrifying stretches of concrete where cars and trucks are almighty, and
pedestrians are left to fight for survival. In Europe, roads are being transformed into elaborately designed areas of
cohabitation for vehicles and pedestrians.
Improving road infrastructure as a way to reduce traffic accidents started 20 years ago, with the Netherlands,
Denmark and Germany leading the way.
Now, when approaching a school district, one invariably runs into speed humps, often combined with a change of road
surface (such as cobblestones). At the entrance of villages, a digital speed indicator lets you know how fast you are
driving. Within localities, trees and flowerbeds are planted alternately on both sides of the road thus creating
"chicanes" and are a welcome change from the gloomy grey of asphalt.
Central islands narrow the width of the carriageway and provide refuge for pedestrians. Roundabouts reduce the
speed of cars going through intersections and the risk of traffic light-related accidents. Cities are enforcing 30
kilometer per hour zones, and bicycle lanes are common almost everywhere.
The philosophy behind this is known as "traffic calming." These measures don't only physically reduce vehicle
speeds and provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists, but also provide a visual signal that the motorist is only a
"guest" and that pedestrians have priority. Of course, compared to traditional stop signs and traffic lights, these
devices require a lot more alertness and courtesy on the part of the driver.
But they are effective. Studies have shown that traffic calming reduces accidents by up to 40 percent and has a
significant impact on reducing the severity of accidents. Air pollution and noise levels can also be greatly reduced
through these measures.
In Japan, outrageously ex
pensive toll roads crisscross the country, but road restructuring projects are practically nonexistent. The reasons
evoked are usually lack of space, lack of budget or that such restructuring is "car-unfriendly"!
When I hear of a lorry ramming into a group of schoolchildren (a type of accident somehow quite common in Japan), or of
youngsters killing themselves driving too fast, I always feel indescribable sadness.
When I realize that the only measures taken after such tragedies is to put up a panel indicating that "In this spot a
fatal accident occurred," my sadness turns into anger, frustration and rage.
Japan invests huge sums of money every year in usually unnecessary, often environmentally unfriendly and always
highly controversial "kokyo-jigyo" public works, such as dams or "rindo" forest highways. If the government really
wishes to spend so much on domestic development projects, I suggest it invest more in traffic calming measures. This would
not only create jobs and give the economy a boost, but also help save precious lives.
One of the great advantages of freelancing is that you don't need to spend lots of time arguing with your boss to get your
summer holidays. I am writing these lines during a long month of leisurely driving through Switzerland, France and Italy
with my family.
Roads in Japan always appear to me as terrifying stretches of concrete where cars and trucks are almighty, and
pedestrians are left to fight for survival. In Europe, roads are being transformed into elaborately designed areas of
cohabitation for vehicles and pedestrians.
Improving road infrastructure as a way to reduce traffic accidents started 20 years ago, with the Netherlands,
Denmark and Germany leading the way.
Now, when approaching a school district, one invariably runs into speed humps, often combined with a change of road
surface (such as cobblestones). At the entrance of villages, a digital speed indicator lets you know how fast you are
driving. Within localities, trees and flowerbeds are planted alternately on both sides of the road thus creating
"chicanes" and are a welcome change from the gloomy grey of asphalt.
Central islands narrow the width of the carriageway and provide refuge for pedestrians. Roundabouts reduce the
speed of cars going through intersections and the risk of traffic light-related accidents. Cities are enforcing 30
kilometer per hour zones, and bicycle lanes are common almost everywhere.
The philosophy behind this is known as "traffic calming." These measures don't only physically reduce vehicle
speeds and provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists, but also provide a visual signal that the motorist is only a
"guest" and that pedestrians have priority. Of course, compared to traditional stop signs and traffic lights, these
devices require a lot more alertness and courtesy on the part of the driver.
But they are effective. Studies have shown that traffic calming reduces accidents by up to 40 percent and has a
significant impact on reducing the severity of accidents. Air pollution and noise levels can also be greatly reduced
through these measures.
In Japan, outrageously ex
pensive toll roads crisscross the country, but road restructuring projects are practically nonexistent. The reasons
evoked are usually lack of space, lack of budget or that such restructuring is "car-unfriendly"!
When I hear of a lorry ramming into a group of schoolchildren (a type of accident somehow quite common in Japan), or of
youngsters killing themselves driving too fast, I always feel indescribable sadness.
When I realize that the only measures taken after such tragedies is to put up a panel indicating that "In this spot a
fatal accident occurred," my sadness turns into anger, frustration and rage.
Japan invests huge sums of money every year in usually unnecessary, often environmentally unfriendly and always
highly controversial "kokyo-jigyo" public works, such as dams or "rindo" forest highways. If the government really
wishes to spend so much on domestic development projects, I suggest it invest more in traffic calming measures. This would
not only create jobs and give the economy a boost, but also help save precious lives.
Shukan ST: July 16, 1999
(C) All rights reserved
- freelancing
- 自由契約(フリーランス)で仕事をすること
- terrifying stretches of concrete
- 恐ろしいコンクリートの広がり
- almighty
- 圧倒的な力を持つ
- pedestrians
- 歩行者
- are left to 〜
- 〜 させられる
- are being transformed into 〜
- 〜 に変えられている
- elaborately designed
- 入念に作られた
- cohabitation
- 共存
- road infrastructure
- 道路施設
- traffic accidents
- 交通事故
- Netherlands
- オランダ
- school district
- 通学区域
- invariably
- 常に
- speed humps
- 道路を横切って作ってある隆起
- cobblestones
- 鉄道・道路用の丸石
- digital speed indicator
- デジタル表示の速度計
- Within localities
- 地方自治体などでは
- flowerbeds
- 花壇
- alternately
- 交互に
- "chicanes"
- 減速・徐行させるために設けた急角度の曲がり角、またコースの上に設けられた人工障害物、シケイン
- gloomy
- 陰気な
- Central islands
- 車道内の安全島、中央分離帯
- narrow
- 狭くする
- carriageway
- 車道
- refuge
- 安全地帯
- Roundabouts
- ロータリー、環状交差路
- intersections
- 交差点
- traffic light-related
- 信号がらみの
- are enforcing
- 実施している
- philosophy behind this
- 以上のことの根底にある見解
- "traffic calming"
- 車のスピード抑制措置の行使(道幅を狭くする、路面に凹凸をつけるなど)
- measures
- 処置
- physically
- 物理的に
- priority
- 優先権
- stop signs
- 一時停止標識
- devices
- しかけ
- alertness
- 注意深さ
- courtesy
- マナー
- on the part of 〜
- 〜 の方で
- reduces 〜 by up to 〜
- 〜 を最大 〜 減らす
- severity
- ひどさ
- Air pollution
- 大気汚染
- outrageously expensive
- 法外に高い
- toll roads
- 有料道路
- crisscross
- 交差する
- are practically nonexistent
- ほとんど存在しない
- 〜 evoked
- 引き合いに出される 〜
- budget
- 予算
- "car-unfriendly"
- 車にとって都合の悪い
- lorry
- トラック
- ramming into 〜
- 〜 に突入する
- indescribable
- 言いようのないほどの
- fatal accident
- 致命的な事故
- rage
- 激怒
- huge sums of 〜
- 巨額の 〜
- environmentally unfriendly
- 環境に悪い
- highly controversial
- 激しい論議を呼んでいる
- public works
- 公共の事業
- give the economy a boost
- 景気をあおる
- precious
- 尊い