欧洲考虑出台电动滑板车新规

    From Paris to Berlin, European cities are searching for ways to deal with a trend that is affecting cities worldwide: Electric scooters.
    从巴黎到柏林,欧洲城市都在想办法应对一种影响全球城市的趋势:电动滑板车。

    Supporters say scooters are a jump into the future and a fun way to travel without creating pollution.
    支持者称,滑板车是一种跨入未来的有趣出行方式,还不会产生污染。

    Critics, on the other hand, note growing numbers of injuries and even deaths involving e-scooters.
    而另一方面,批评者指出,电动滑板车卷入的伤亡事故越来越多。

    Scooters in Europe
    滑板车在欧洲

    European countries are dealing with scooters in different ways.
    欧洲国家开始以不同的办法应对滑板车。

    Paris has many e-scooter companies, and France's capital has at least 20,000 scooters traveling on its streets.
    巴黎有很多电动滑板车公司,首都街头至少有2万辆电动滑板车在行驶。

    This week, the French government met with the victims of scooter accidents as it prepares new rules.
    本周,法国政府在制定新规定之际会见了滑板车事故的受害者。

    The rules, expected in September, will likely place speed limits of about 20 kilometers an hour in most areas, and eight kilometers an hour in areas where many people walk.
    该规定预计于9月份出台,它可能会在大多数地区限速20公里每小时,在行人众多的地区限速8公里每小时。

    Nationwide, fines for speeding could go up to $1,680.
    在法国范围内的超速罚款最高可达1680美元。

    Berlin, Germany's capital, legalized electric scooters two months ago. The government quickly realized it needed new rules.
    德国首都柏林两个月前将电动滑板车合法化。德国政府很快意识到需要出台新的规定。

    Last week, city officials announced plans for parking areas for scooters, which riders often leave on sidewalks.
    上周,市政官员宣布了滑板车停放区域的计划,骑车人经常把滑板车停在人行道上。

    In southeastern Europe's Balkan countries, e-scooters are still operating in a legal gray zone -- except for Slovenia.
    在欧洲东南部的巴尔干国家,电动滑板车仍然在法律的灰色地带下运营,除了斯洛文尼亚以外。

    The country is working on legislation that will restrict the devices to pedestrian areas and bicycle lanes.
    斯洛文尼亚正在立法,将该设备限制在步行区和自行车道上。

    The rules will restrict speeds to 25 kilometers an hour, but in pedestrian areas, electric scooters will have to stay at the speed of a walking person.
    该规定将会限速25公里每小时,但是在步行区,电动滑板车必须保持与行人同等的速度。

    Scooters will be subject to the same rules as bicycles. And underage scooter riders will be required to have to have lights and helmets.
    滑板车还将遵守与自行车相同的规则。还会要求未成年骑手必须安装警示灯和佩戴头盔。

    Scooters in the United States
    滑板车在美国

    Europe is not the only area struggling with how to deal with scooters.
    欧洲并非唯一一个苦于如何应对滑板车的地区。

    They are increasingly becoming an issue of debate in the United States.
    电动滑板车也越来越成为美国争论的焦点。

    Scooter companies, in many cases, deployed the devices throughout major American cities without permission or permits.
    在很多情况下,滑板车公司未经批准在美国主要城市部署这种设备。

    A recent report by the National Association of City Transportation Officials noted that in 2018, Americans took 38.5 million trips on shared electric scooters.
    全美城市交通官员协会最近的一份报告指出,2018年美国人骑行共享滑板车的次数达到了3850万次。

    However, the future of rules for scooters in the U.S. remains an open question.
    然而,美国未来对电动滑板车的规定仍然是个未知数。

    I'm John Russell.
    我是约翰·罗塞尔。(51VOA.COM原创翻译,禁止转载,违者必究!)