There are a lot of cars in Nanjing, getting on for three million now. That’s one for every three people, these days a small family. So with much of the city now on their own four wheels and more arriving on the streets every day, just how does a megalopolis such as Nanjing cope?
南京有很多汽车，现在要300万。 那是每三个人一个，现在是一个小家庭。 因此，现在城市的大部分地区都开着自己的四轮车，每天都有更多的人到达街上，像南京这样的大都市如何应对呢？
It’s an argument as old as the concept of roads comprising multiple lanes itself. As more cars arrive on the roads, simply add more lanes to accommodate them. That’s the conventional wisdom, which these days seems actually far from wise.
这是一个与道路本身由多车道组成的概念一样古老的论点。 随着越来越多的汽车到达道路上，只需增加更多的车道来容纳它们。 这就是传统智慧，如今似乎远非明智。
It’s also far from practical in the case of roads in a congested urban space such as Nanjing, especially in the downtown area. There is simply no space for any extra lanes.
在像南京这样拥堵的城市空间，特别是在市中心，道路也远非实用。 根本没有空间放任何额外的车道。
Hence other solutions need be sought. And this is one field in which Nanjing truly deserves the descriptor, “innovative”.
因此，需要寻求其他解决方案。 这是南京真正值得描述“创新”的一个领域。
But before we get to the good news, Nanjing first had to learn from its mistakes. And our city has made some whoppers in its time.
但在我们得到好消息之前，南京首先必须从错误中吸取教训。 我们的城市在当时已经制作了一些whoppers。
Take Xuanwu Lake Tunnel as an example. At either end of the Tunnel, multiple roads converge, meaning that somehow or another, as many as eight lanes of traffic need to find their way into three. And that’s a piece of division which doesn’t work, especially in Nanjingers’ brains fried after a long day of work.
以玄武湖隧道为例。 在隧道的两端，多条道路汇合，这意味着以某种方式，多达八条车道的交通需要找到通往三条车道的路。 這是一種行不通的分裂，尤其是南京人在漫長的一天工作後大腦被炸了。
Then there is the legend that is Kazi Men beside Ikea. The morning traffic jam going into town here is so well known in the local lexicon that when this correspondent made fun of it to the city’s then Party Secretary, video of the encounter went viral.
然后是宜家旁边的Kazi Men的传说。 早上进城的交通堵塞在当地词典中是众所周知的，当这位记者取笑该市当时的党委书记时，这次遭遇的视频走红了。
Kazi Men’s problem stems from the fact that this is not just a part of the city where many roads converge. It’s that those same roads then diverge another hundred metres further on.
Kazi Men的问题源于这样一个事实，即这不仅仅是许多道路交汇的城市的一部分。 那些相同的道路进一步分道扬，再往另一百米。
The result? A morning rush hour with many drivers who have no other choice but to cross four or five lanes of traffic, in order to be in the right place just down the road.
结果？ 早上的高峰时段，许多司机别无选择，只能穿过四、五条车道，以便在路的正确位置。
From left to right and right to left they come; in Kazi Men, there can hardly be a worse example of road layout anywhere. But that all said, even China was likely not prepared for the sheer number of cars headed its way, presenting us with the next problem, one largely peculiar to roads in China.
他们从左到右，从右到左来；在Kazi Men中，几乎没有任何地方更糟糕的道路布局的例子。 但话虽如此，即使是中国也可能没有准备好迎接朝它驶来的大量汽车，这给我们带来了下一个问题，这在很大程度上是中国道路特有的问题。
Therein we find a strategy that has been surprisingly successful in addressing the problem of Chinese drivers refusing to “let them in”. Being the competitive bunch that they are, it’s quite the loss of face for another driver to get ahead.
在那里，我们发现一种策略在解决中国司机拒绝“让他们进入”的问题方面取得了惊人的成功。 作为竞争激烈的一群人，对于另一个车手来说，领先是相当的面子损失。
Don’t. Ever. Let. Them. In.
不要。 曾经。 让。 他们。 在。
Rolled out during the past year, many of the city’s key choke points now have large, numbered yellow squares painted in the lanes as they approach the point where they merge. It’s a simple concept; vehicles “take a number” as they approach and merge into the single lane ahead, in their assigned order.
在过去一年中推出，该市的许多关键瓶颈点现在在接近合水点时，在车道上画了大而编号的黄色方块。 这是一个简单的概念；车辆在接近时“取一个数字”，并按照分配的顺序并并入前方的单车道。
The incredible thing is, the concept actually works (most of the time).
令人难以置信的是，这个概念确实有效（大多数时候）。
Then there are they who must be Nanjing’s most-loved policemen. These are the cops charged with keeping the traffic flowing smoothly during rush hours. And they have a trick up their sleeves; the right to allow motorists to break the law.
然后，他们一定是南京最受喜爱的警察。 这些是负责在高峰时段保持交通畅通的警察。 他们有一个诡计；允许驾车者违法的权利。
For when they deem that the queues of vehicles have snaked to unacceptable lengths, they will cheerfully wave on drivers through red lights. Allowing an extra 10 or 20 cars a left or a u-turn on a red makes quite the difference to Nanjing’s traffic jams.
因为当他们认为车辆的队伍已经蜿蜒到无法接受的长度时，他们会欢快地向闯红灯的司机挥手。 左转或在红灯上多走10或20辆车，对南京的交通堵塞有很大的不同。
Elsewhere, analysts are more than aware that urban traffic often flows predominately in one direction at peak times. Out of the residential suburbs and into the city centre in the morning, and back again at night.
在其他地方，分析师非常清楚，在高峰时段，城市交通通常主要向一个方向流动。 早上离开住宅郊区，进入市中心，晚上再回来。
Hence, getting a bit of attention last year was the introduction of Nanjing’s first ever “tidal lane”, occupying just 60 metres of Jinsheng Lu between Bian’an Jie and Zhongshui Lu in Jiangning District.
因此，去年引入一点关注的是南京有史以来第一条“潮汐巷”，占据了江宁区边安街和中水路之间的金生路60米。
The concept of tidal lanes is hardly new. Many cities all over the world have them in one form or another. That they be automatic, however, is decidedly unusual. The nature of Nanjing’s automated tidal lane means that it need be solar powered. According to Nanjing Daily, the powered barrier can go for 15 days on a single charge.
潮汐通道的概念几乎不新鲜。 世界各地的许多城市都有它们以这种或另一种形式。 然而，它们是自动的，这绝对是不寻常的。 南京的自动潮汐通道的性质意味着它需要太阳能供电。 据《南京日报》报道，一次充电可以使用15天。
The system, however inspiring, is hardly foolproof. Traffic police officers are required to block the lane to traffic in the seconds prior to operation.
这个系统，无论多么鼓舞人心，都很难万无一失。 交警需要在操作前几秒钟内堵住车道。
Since its introduction in May, 2020, tidal lanes have appeared at several other points in the city which experience the same traffic phenomenon. For example, as the main artery into the part of Hexi’s fintech district where Xiao Mi and Alibaba’s Jiangsu headquarters are located, Yunlongshan Lu received a tidal lane earlier this year. In the morning, it’s three lanes going southward; in the evening, three lanes going northward.
自2020年5月引入以来，潮汐车道出现在城市的其他几个地方，这些地方经历了同样的交通现象。 例如，作为小米和阿里巴巴江苏总部所在的河西金融科技区的主要动脉，今年早些时候，云龙山路收到了一条潮汐通道。 早上，有三条车道向南行驶；晚上，有三条车道向北行驶。
So next time you are stuck in traffic, it’s worth considering just how much worse it could be. After all, this is not Shanghai or Beijing, thankfully.
因此，下次你堵车时，值得考虑情况会更糟。 毕竟，幸好这不是上海或北京。
The measures introduced in recent years, together with the more customary flow controls such as changing the timing of traffic lights and lane assignment, mean our city has one of the most efficient road networks in China.
近年来出台的措施，加上更习惯的流量控制，如改变红绿灯和车道分配的时间，意味着我们的城市拥有中国最高效的道路网络之一。
Sit back and be patient. Just. Don’t. Ever. Let. Them. In.
坐下来，耐心点。 只是。 不要。 曾经。 让。 他们。 在。