盧森堡成爲全球首個公共交通免費國家大綱

爲緩解日益加劇的交通擁堵問題，盧森堡成爲全球首個乘坐公共交通免費的國家。雖然盧森堡人口只有60多萬，但每天有超過20萬外來人員從德國、比利時和法國到盧森堡上班，其中多數駕車，造成交通擁堵。

With a population of 602,000, Luxembourg is one of Europe's smallest countries -- yet it suffers from major traffic jams.

盧森堡有60.2萬人口，是歐洲最小的國家之一，但也面臨嚴重的交通堵塞。

But that could be about to change. As of March 1, 2020 all public transport -- trains, trams and buses -- in the country is now free.

但這種情況可能即將改變。從2020年3月1日起，盧森堡所有公共交通——火車、電車和公共汽車——會免費運營。

The government hopes the move will alleviate heavy congestion and bring environmental benefits, according to Dany Frank, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works.

交通與公共工程部發言人丹尼·弗蘭克表示，政府希望此舉能緩解嚴重的交通擁堵，並有益於環保。

國家雖小，擁堵嚴重

Landlocked Luxembourg is one of the richest countries in Europe, with the highest per capita GDP in the European Union.

地處內陸的盧森堡是歐洲最富裕的國家之一，人均GDP居歐盟之首。

landlocked [ˈlændlɒkt]：adj.內陸的

Taking up 2,586 square kilometers, Luxembourg is roughly the size of Rhode Island. From the capital of Luxembourg City, Belgium, France and Germany can all be reached by car in half an hour.

盧森堡佔地2586平方公里，面積和美國羅德島差不多大。盧森堡的首都盧森堡市距離比利時、法國和德國車程都在半小時內。

High housing costs, especially in Luxembourg City, mean more than 180,000 of its workforce commute from those neighboring countries every day.

該國，尤其是盧森堡市，高昂的住房成本意味着每天有超過18萬員工從這些鄰國通勤上班。

"Luxembourg is a very attractive place for jobs," explains Geoffrey Caruso, a professor at the University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research specializing in land use and transportation.

盧森堡大學和盧森堡社會經濟研究所專門從事土地利用和交通研究的教授傑弗裏•卡魯索解釋說：“盧森堡是一個非常有吸引力的就業目的地。”

But its "booming economy" and high concentration of jobs have led to congestion issues, he says.

但他表示，盧森堡“蓬勃發展的經濟”和就業的高度集中導致了交通擁堵問題。

In 2016, Luxembourg had 662 cars per 1,000 people, and driving is a "primary means of transportation" for commuters, according to a 2017 report by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure.

根據可持續發展和基礎設施部2017年的一份報告，2016年，盧森堡每1000人擁有662輛汽車，駕駛是通勤者的“主要交通方式”。

That year, drivers in Luxembourg City spent an average of 33 hours in traffic jams. It fared worse than European cities Copenhagen and Helsinki, which have comparable population sizes to all of Luxembourg -- yet drivers in both only spent an average of 24 hours in traffic.

當年，盧森堡市的司機平均在交通堵塞中花費33個小時。盧森堡市的擁堵情況比哥本哈根和赫爾辛基等歐洲城市更糟，這兩個城市的人口規模相當於整個盧森堡，但司機堵在路上的時間平均僅爲24小時。

免費公共交通

Luxembourg's public transport system covers the whole country and costs $562 million per year to run. Each year, it generates around $46 million in ticket sales, according to the ministry.

盧森堡的公共交通系統覆蓋全國，每年的運營費用爲5.62億美元（約合人民幣39.2億美元）。據交通與公共工程部統計，每年的公共交通售票收入約爲4600萬美元。

The government is putting up the cost of making it free, Frank says. "The country at this very moment is in really good shape. We, the government, want the people to benefit from the good economy."

弗蘭克說，政府會承擔公共交通免費的成本。“盧森堡目前經濟運行良好。政府希望人民從中受益。”

Caruso is concerned that making transport free may unintentionally deter people who would normally walk or cycle in urban areas. "Rather than walking 500 meters, you see a bus coming and you say, 'I (can) get on and travel 500 meters because it's free,'" he says.

卡魯索擔心，免費的公共交通可能會無意中讓那些通常在城區步行或騎車的人放棄之前的習慣。他說：“平時走500米的路，現在看到一輛公交車開過來，你會說，‘這段路我可以搭公交，因爲公交免費。’”

He adds, however, that the new scheme can signal important changes ahead when it comes to Luxembourg's reliance on driving.

但他補充說，就盧森堡對駕駛的依賴而言，新計劃可能預示着將來會出現重大變化。

"(The government) might say, 'It's important that you ditch your car, and look, we made public transport free' -- and maybe this is helpful given the immense cultural shift we need."

“（政府）可能會說，‘棄車出行很重要，看，我們讓公共交通免費了’。考慮到我們需要的巨大文化轉變，這或許是有幫助的。”