打了折扣的智能交通灯

Not So Smart Traffic Lights

 

现在大多数的交通灯都装有智慧功能的。它们能觉察交叉路口的车流量而分配绿灯时段的长短，来疏导拥挤的交通。

 

Nowadays, traffic lights have become very smart. They can detect the traffic flow at the road junction to determine the duration of the green light in order to ensure a smoother flow of traffic.

 

智能交通灯也有它的盲点。它不能觉察交叉路口的脚踏车或电单车骑士的存在。

 

Though they can sensor the presence of automobiles, they are totally insensitive to those ‘poor guys’ riding motorbikes or bicycles.

 

一位电单车骑士不能顺利穿过交叉路口，除非在同个时间有一辆汽车和此电单车平排並列在同个路口上才能被智能交通灯觉查到。

 

A motorcyclist has to wait at the junction for hours, or even ages until his hair turns grey, just because no green light appears unless there are four-wheeled motor vehicles present.

 

脚踏车或电单车骑士形同被智能交通灯所歧视。
例如今早六点多我骑着电单车要去巴杀买早餐，途经一个十字路口，因为当时没有车辆在我左右，不被智能交通灯觉查到，等不着绿灯亮，没得过交叉路。我只好再等多一轮的绿灯的到来。我从巴杀回来时再次遇到同样的情形发生，需再等多一轮的绿灯的到来才能过交叉路。

 

I am tempted to use the word 'discrimination' here. I, as a motorcyclist, was being discriminated by the Smart Traffic Lights when crossing a traffic junction on my way to and back from the Kampung Baru market one early morning with no other cars waiting alongside me. I had to wait for the traffic lights to change a couple of times before the green light finally appeared.

 

在此我慎重呼吁地方政府当局聘请专家设计一架更精明的交通灯。这交通灯一定要能够觉察到交通路口的脚踏车或电单车的存在。

 

如果我们想要搞城市绿色化的话，不妨将交通灯重新设计和规划，让它只能觉察到交叉路口的脚踏车而已，让其他车辆和电单车无从通过交叉路口。这样一来，车辆和电单车在马路上英雄无用武之地，它们会自动在马路上消失。这样一来，城市肯定会自动得绿化，空气素质也跟着会改善。当然，这只是我个人的幻想和期盼的乌托邦，或许只能在甜美的睡梦中实现。

 

I , therefore, staunchly appeal to the Local Council to get a programmer to rectify the problem with immediate effect so that these traffic lights can also sensor both cyclists and motorcyclists at the road junction.

 

In fact, if we want to turn a city greener, it is better to design traffic lights that can only sensor the presence of cyclists at the junction. The traffic lights can by all means ignore the motor vehicles. The implementation of this system of traffic lights would ensure that the whole city would be cycling, making it greener, cleaner and fresher to live in. This, however, is another Utopia made real in only my slumber land!