Will China's 'elevated bus' really work? 中國的空中巴士未來真的有可行性嗎？
The test
run of a futuristic elevated bus cruising over the top of cars in China has
generated a lot of buzz. But can it really work?
在中國，能夠從車子上方運行的未來空中巴士首次運行造成一陣轟動，但是，這個真的可行嗎？
Experts
say the massive vehicle faces a raft of challenges, and even if they're
overcome it will be many years before any of the country's congested cities
adopts the new transportation system.
專家說大型的交通工具會面臨許多的挑戰，而且就算他們真的有辦法克服這些挑戰，也需要等到多年以後任何一個人口稠密的城市採用這個新的交通系統才能真正的實行。
"This
is a unique idea to encourage people to improve the quality of
transportation," said Daizong Liu, China transport program director at the
World Resources Institute. "But there are many related concerns."
中國世界資源研究所中國交通項目主任劉岱宗表示：「這是一個很獨特的點子，它能夠鼓勵人們改善交通工具的品質，但同時也存在著許多讓人擔心的地方。」
"Safety
is the most important," he said. "How would cars drive and turn under
the bus? If there is an accident, how would you move passengers and vehicles
out from underneath?"
「安全是最重要的，」他說，「車輛要怎麼在巴士下面行駛或是轉彎？如果發生意外，你要如何將乘客和車輛從巴士下方撤離呢？」
Designed
by TEB Technology, the electric bus would straddle a highway over two lanes,
allowing cars to pass underneath. It's meant to help China alleviate massive
congestion and pollution in its cities.
由巴鐵科技發展有限公司（TEB Technology，以下簡稱TEB）所設計，電動巴士將會跨過高速公路的兩個車道，讓車輛能從其底下通過，這項設計能夠幫助中國城市改善擁擠還有污染的情況。
The
technology exists, but experts say fitting such a giant contraption into the
urban environment will be tough.
雖然這項科技存在著，但是專家表示要將像這樣巨大的新科技裝置融入都市環境會很困難。
It might
mean demolishing old buildings and felling trees in order to lay down track for
the vehicle, Liu said. That could make it "more suitable for a newer city
that is in the early stages of planning," he added.
劉岱宗說，為了建造讓車輛行駛的軌道，可能會砍樹或是破壞老舊建築，這樣的交通工具可能「更適合目前處於早期計劃階段的新城市」，他補充。
The bus
stands 4.8 meters high so that cars have room to drive underneath. The current
height limit on Chinese roads is 4.5 meters (15 feet), according to state
media. And with hundreds of passengers traveling on top, it could be too heavy
for the roads.
巴士離地4.8公尺，留下能夠讓車子在底下行駛的空間，根據官方媒體的資訊，近期中國道路的高度限制事4.5公尺（15英尺），然而若有數百人在上面，重量對道路來說可能太勉強了。
A
spokeswoman for TEB wasn't able to comment Friday on the potential challenges
the project faces.
星期五的時候，TEB的發言人針對此計劃可能會面臨的挑戰無法做出回覆。
The idea
was originally unveiled in China in 2010. But it's not the first time a huge
road-straddling vehicle has been proposed, said Peter Newman, professor of
sustainability at Australia's Curtin University.
澳洲科廷大學永續性發展專家彼得·紐曼（Peter Newman）表示，這個想法最初是2010年在中國被公開，但這並不是人們第一次提出巨型高架車輛這樣的想法。
A pair of
architects proposed a similar idea for New York City in 1969, he said. The
"Landliner" would have run between Washington and Boston, offered a
range of entertainment options on board and glided at 200 mph. The concept was
featured as the cover story of New York magazine at the time.
他說，在1969年，兩個建築師曾經在紐約提出類似的想法，Landliner可以來回運行華盛頓和波士頓，在上面提供很多娛樂的選擇，且運行速度為每小時200英里，這個該年當時登上了紐約雜誌的封面。
That idea
faded into history. And the jury is still out on whether any city will get its
own elevated bus.
那個點子漸漸消逝成為歷史，而輿論始終沒有決定到底哪個城市應該擁有屬於自己的高架巴士。
"It's
a bit early to say if something like this has the chance of being
successful," said Scott Cain, chief business officer of Future Cities
Catapult, a U.K. network aimed at developing new products and services. "But
given the amount of lost productivity and personal frustration from time spent
in traffic jams, it's an agenda that city governments and private firms are
looking at."
未來城市發展機構（一家以發展新商品和服務為目標的英國網路公司）商務總監Scott Cain表示：「現在要說這樣的東西成功與否有些過早了，但是耗費的生產力以及人們在塞車時所耗費時間的挫折感，將會是城市政府和私人公司需要面對的。」
原文網址：http://goo.gl/ODcGD8
