苏格兰新规禁止在人行道上停车 然而……

为治理停车乱象，苏格兰近日通过了一项新法案，禁止在人行道上停车。这对于行人尤其是行动不便的人来说本来是件好事，但是这项法案有一个例外，让禁令的效果大打折扣。

One would think this would be obvious, that sidewalks are for people, not cars.

你可能会觉得人行道上不准停车是理所当然的，人行道是给行人走的，而不是停车用的。

In Japan, you are not allowed to buy a car unless you can prove that you have a place to park it off-street. In New York City, 140,000 cars have placards and park wherever they want. When I was in Scotland last year, I took particular note of how many people parked their cars on sidewalks, or this even more egregious half-in-sidewalk, half-in-bike lane. It was everywhere. As Living Streets Scotland notes, this is a serious problem: "Pavement parking is a pain for everyone, but it’s particularly an issue for those with mobility problems, parents with pushchairs and older people, who may fear leaving their homes as they feel unsafe."

在日本，除非你能证明自己在街道以外有停车的地方，否则不许你买车。在纽约市，14万辆有牌照的汽车随地停车。去年在苏格兰时，我特别注意了有多少人把汽车停在人行道上，或者更可恶的是，一半在人行道上，一半在自行车道上。这种情况到处都是。苏格兰生活街道组织指出，这是一个严重的问题：“把车停在人行道上给大家都造成了困扰，尤其是那些行动不便者、推婴儿车的父母和老年人，这些人可能会因为担心不安全而不敢出门。”

egregious[ɪˈɡriːdʒiəs]: adj. 惊人的；过分的；恶名昭彰的

But at least they are trying to do something about it. The Scottish Parliament just passed a bill banning parking on the sidewalk, or as they call it, the footway.

但是至少苏格兰试图采取行动来改变这一现状。苏格兰议会刚刚通过了一项法案，禁止在人行道上停车（苏格兰人把人行道称为footway）。

Stuart Hay, director of Living Streets Scotland, is happy: "People in wheelchairs, parents with pushchairs and older adults who are currently forced into oncoming traffic when faced with vehicles blocking their path will now be able to enjoy a new freedom. It also stands to offer huge savings to cash-strapped councils currently charged with fixing footways damaged by vehicles parking on them."

苏格兰生活街道组织的负责人斯图亚特·海伊对此感到高兴：“被人行道上停的车堵住路而不得不走到拥挤马路上的坐轮椅的人、推婴儿车的父母和老年人现在可以享受到一种新的自由了。这也可以为资金紧缺的地方议会省下一大笔钱，此前由于停车对人行道造成了损害，他们必须承担修理费。”

There is an exemption that will be a problem; delivery vehicles are allowed to stop for up to 20 minutes, which is a very long time.

不过这项禁令有一个例外：允许送货车在人行道上停留20分钟，这是相当长的一段时间，而这也会成为一个问题。

Hay complains: "Our concern around the blanket 20-minute exemption for delivery vehicles remains. This clause undermines the goals of preventing obstruction and pavement damage, whilst the enforcement of a waiting time is incredibly impractical."

海伊抱怨说：“送货车获准在人行道上停留20分钟，这仍然让我们感到担忧。这一条款破坏了预防人行道堵塞和受损的目标，规定的等待时间也非常不切实际。”

He's right; trucks and delivery vehicles are often the worst sidewalk and bike lane blockers. The police aren't going to stand around with a stopwatch for 20 minutes. Besides, the drivers all say, "I'll just be a minute," and meanwhile, cyclists and parents with strollers are forced out into traffic. There shouldn't be any exceptions.

他说的没错；卡车和送货车通常是堵住人行道和自行车道的“重犯”。警察不会拿着计时器等上20分钟。此外，所有的司机都会说：“我一会儿就走。”与此同时，骑车的人、推婴儿车的父母被迫走到车来车往的马路上。这一禁令就不该有任何例外。