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In another thread Dick Brewster asked:
o How about a report on motorcycles and scooters in Taiwan?
o I was there for a few days last month and was amazed at the
o numbers of scooters in the citys. The 150 cc limit, pseudo cruisers,
o unusual brand names, distinctive riding styles and police crackdowns
o on groups of over hundreds of riders should make interesting (at least
o different) reading. I did see several Mobil 1 adds and billboards,
o but no Spamsoil adds.
我上個月在台灣待了好幾天,對於市區速克達之多,150cc的排氣量限制,許多"假"
旅行車種(大概是說Zing之類的吧),沒看過的機車廠牌,獨特的騎乘風格和警察
的取締都感到十分驚訝,我想大家也會有興趣吧.. 我也看到好幾個Mobile 1的
廣告看板,倒是沒看過Spansoil的廣告..
Taiwan is an island about the size of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Two-thirds of it is *steep* mountain, and the rest contains a population
about 90% the size of Canada's. The net result is the world's highest
population density (or perhaps it's second to that of Bangladesh).
這段是描述台灣人口密度之高,面積不大,又多半是高山,但卻擠了很多人
這大家都應該知道,我就不翻了...
The streets are swarming with motorcycles and scooters -- about two-thirds
of the motor vehicles here have two wheels. An interesting consequence of
this is that there is no social stigma to riding a motorcycle -- everyone
does it.
街上有一大票的摩托車和速克達,路上大概有2/3的交通工具都是兩輪的...不過大家
在騎車的時候都沒什麼公德心(這個詞或許用的不好,不過想不出什麼代替的詞)
As Dick mentioned, there is a 150cc displacement limit (the highway patrol
rides beemers and a few Harleys, but the city police ride 150cc Hondas).
This pissed me off when I first arrived here, but after seeing how they
drive, I'm convinced that it was a wise decision by the government. The
drivers (car, truck, bus, bike...) are totally thoughtless, totally
unskilled. They have absolutely no concept of right-of-way and zero lane
discipline. They can't judge distance, speed, or time. If there is a wrong
decision to be made, they will make it. A cat has more traffic sense than
the typical Taiwanese.
在台灣,機車排氣量被限制在150cc以下,公路警察有一些哈雷,不過市區的警察還是
騎150cc的本田機車.我剛到台灣的時候對這點感到很不爽,不過在看過他們的駕駛
特性之後,我確信政府作這種限制是很聰明的. 台灣的駕駛人是完全不用大腦,完全
缺乏技術,包括卡車,汽車,巴士,機車都是如此.他們完全沒有任何路權觀念,也沒有
任何關於道路安全的認知. 他們不能估計距離,速度或時間..如果有什麼錯誤可以
犯,他們就會犯那種錯誤... 連一隻貓都比典型的台灣人有交通概念...
Don't get me wrong -- I like the Taiwanese people very much. They are
sweet, kind, intelligent, hospitable, patient, hardworking, practical, and
forgiving. Some of the nicest people I've ever met. BUT -- when they get on
wheels their brains turn to shit.
這段說明他不是討厭台灣人,事實上他覺得台灣人是他遇過少數的好人之一,不過台
灣人只要上了車,腦袋就變大便了...
They are not competitive or confrontational drivers -- there is little horn
honking and no shouting or fist waving (well, I do that, but they don't)--
they just don't give a flying fuck about each other, and will do anything
they want, whenever they want, without the slightest consideration of the
consequences of their actions. They consider traffic lights, signs, and
lines on the road to be mere suggestions. The mountains are full of
wonderful twisties, but the drivers think that blind corners are the place
to pass. They WILL NOT wait for a place where they can see what's coming.
台灣的駕駛人並非過具競爭性或是衝突性--路上只有少數人按喇叭,而且也很少在路
上破口大罵或是揮舞拳頭(其實我曾這樣做,但他們沒有)--他們不彼此互罵,但是會
做任何他們想作的事而不會考慮當時的交通狀態和他們的行動帶來的後果.他們認為
路上的交通燈號,號誌和標線都只是參考用的.在山上有許多很棒的彎道,不過駕駛人
會在看不到對向來車的彎道超車.他們"不會"等能看到對向來車時再超車...
The police, when they are around, just stand by with their thumbs up their
bums and do nothing. To give him credit, the new mayor of Taipei IS doing
something about the traffic, but it will take a long time. It is still an
everyday experience to see people drive through a red light at an
intersection where a cop is directing traffic -- and the thumb still stays
in the bum.
到處都看的到的(交通)警察整天只是無所事事的站著,新任的台北市長對交通有一些
改革,但這需要很長的一段時間.所以每天還是得體驗有人在有警察的路口闖紅燈,而
警察還是一樣視若無睹.
It's a GREAT place to hone your survival skills!
這真是個磨練生存技能的好地方!
On the up side, they're not into drinking alcohol much, and there are few
drunk drivers here.
往好處看,酗酒的狀況不多,只有少數酒後駕車的情形.....
The law requires that motorcycles be parked on the sidewalk, and people get
to their parking spot by riding on the sidewalks. They ride at high speed.
They expect pedestrians to get out of their way. The sidewalks are so full
of motorcycles that pedestrians often have to walk in the street. Of
course, drivers don't give the pedestrians any room. In the three years
I've been here, I've been clipped by cars and bikes more than a hundred
times. I discovered that if I tense my arm muscles, I can shatter their
mirrors. They don't stop.
按照法規,機車必須停在人行道上,但騎士常直接把車騎上人行道去停車,且速度往往
很快.他們預期行人都會讓開. 因為人行道停滿了機車,所以行人常常得走馬路.當然
,馬路上的駕駛也不會留任何空間給行人. 我在台灣住了三年,大概被汽車或機車擦撞
一百次以上. 我發現如果把手臂的肌肉繃緊,可以把他們的後視鏡撞斷..不過他們還
是不會停車...
Helmets are mandatory, but only about 1% of the riders wear them. Of those
that do wear them, only about half do up the strap. Of the ones that do up
the strap, about half have them so loose that they can put-on and remove
the helmet without unbuckling. Nobody wears protective clothing -- can't
buy it if you want to. Not even a pair of leather work gloves. The typical
rider wears rubber beach floppies -- though I've seen many riding barefoot.
戴安全帽是強制規定的,不過在我看來只有1%的騎士稱的上戴了安全帽. 雖然大家都
把安全帽戴在頭上,不過大約只有一半的人把帶子扣上;帶子扣上的人又有一半的帶子
太鬆,以致於不用動扣子就可以把安全帽戴上或取下. 沒有人穿著保護性的衣物,其實
是想買也買不到.甚至連一雙皮手套都沒有... 典型的騎士穿著橡膠拖鞋--我還看過
許多赤腳的....
The most common ride is a 125cc step-through scooter with an automatic
transmission. Second in popularity are 125cc standard motorcycles (I ride a
cb125), and there are a few sport bikes, such as rz125, ninja 150, and some
interesting 150cc v-twins of various marques. There are *lots* of
two-strokers, which makes for very unpleasant breathing.
台灣最常見的機車是125cc的自動變速速克達,其次才是125cc的檔車(我騎的是CB125
,大概是指野狼吧?),只有很少數的跑車,像是RZ125,NINJA 150,和一些很有趣的150cc
V-twin的車型(FZR series).. 此外有非常多的二行程車,以致於空氣不太好
A recent addition to the line up is a variety of micro-cruisers: 150cc
air-cooled single-cylinder four-strokers with a stretched frame, laid-back
riding position, lots and lots and lots and lots of chrome, and a FAKE
RADIATOR. It's a laugh to see the tough guys and rich-men's sons riding
these wearing studded fashion leather and a boy-I'm-tough expression.
現在在他們的行列裡又多了新玩意,也就是小型的巡航車種: 150cc的單汽缸氣冷引擎
,加長的車體,後傾的騎姿,還有很多很多的鍍鉻零件,假的水箱.看到許多壯漢和有錢
人的小孩穿著金屬風的皮衣,刻意強調那種風格,實在是非常好笑的一件事.
A Honda (well, a Sanyang -- a Taiwanese manufactured Honda) cb125 cost me
about US$1200. One of the fancy micro-cruisers or v-twin sport bikes runs
about four or five times that. Honda's are available as Honda, Sanyang, Fu
Sheng, Kwan Yang, and a couple other labels I forget. All the Japanese
brands are available, and I've seen some Vespas.
一台本田(其實是三陽--台灣製的本田車)的CB125花了我1200元美金,一台神奇的小型
巡航車(嬉皮車)或V雙的跑車大概要四五倍的價錢(有那麼貴嗎?). 你可以買到掛著
HONDA,三陽,Fu Sheng,光陽,或是其它兩個我忘掉的牌子的本田機車.所有的日本廠牌
都買的到,我也看過一些偉士牌...
The bikes usually come from the factory with sayings on them in strange
English. My favorite is: We reach for the stars, neither does civilization.
There is only one gasoline company -- the government. Because there's no
competition, there?s no need to have flashy gas stations. I was here for a
few months before I knew where people bought gas.
這些機車出廠的時候往往有奇怪的英文廣告詞,我最喜歡的是...(自己看上面).
石油公司只有一家公營的,沒有民營的.因為沒有競爭,所以沒有顯眼而華麗的加油站.
我剛來這裡的幾個月,根本不曉得大家是去哪加油的...
In the third world, motorcycles are family vehicles. It's common to see:
dad driving, smoking a cigarette
mom behind him with a baby on her back and an open umbrella in her hand
two children standing on the floor boards or straddling the tank
another kid between mom and dad
a week's-worth of groceries crammed in here and there
and the family dog (or two)
Now remember, this is all on 125cc...or less.
在第三世界國家,機車常常是全家的交通工具,所以很常看到:
老爸騎車,嘴裡叼根香菸
老媽坐在後座,背了一個小孩,手裡還撐著一把傘
兩個小孩擠在前面或是坐在油箱上
爸爸跟媽媽之間又塞了一個小孩
一堆生活必需品塞在車上的各處,還有家裡的小狗
請記住,這些東西全部在一台125cc的機車上,有時候還是更小的..
Motorcycles are also used for delivery. I've seen refrigerators and stoves
on the back of a 125cc bike. Taiwan cooks and heats water with propane, and
the tanks (30 pound??) are delivered by motorcycle. They put a rack on the
back then stack three tanks on their sides and hang another two from hooks.
They usually don't tie them down. Then they go bombing through traffic with
all the driving skills of a hairbrush. The majority of the delivery bikes
are 125cc two-stroke Suzikis.
摩托車也用來送貨.我曾經看過125cc的後面有冰箱或暖爐.台灣用桶裝的液化石油氣
煮飯燒水,瓦斯桶也是用機車送. 他們在機車後座裝架子,堆放三個瓦斯桶,旁邊又
掛了另外兩桶,通常都沒有綁緊.. 於是在路上有如流動炸彈. 他們主要用的車種是
125cc的SUZUKI二行程機車...
The mail is delivered by motorcycle. All the posties wear green uniforms
and drive green single-seat cb125s. They ride door-to-door on the sidewalk.
Using your hands has super-low status. Virtually nobody does their own
maintenance -- I get strange looks when I'm working on my bike. In general,
people don't take care of their vehicles here. It's common to see chains
and fork tubes red with rust. If you want to take your bike to a shop to
have it worked on, you can choose between shops where they use a visegrip
for everything and shops where they use the *right size* of vise grip for
everything.
信件是由機車來傳遞的,郵差們都穿著綠色的制服騎著單座的cb125,他們挨家挨戶地
送信,"要這裡的人們親手收信是很困難的"(------>這句明顯是諷刺..)
事實上在台灣沒有人保養車子----當我在保養的的車子時人們都奇怪地看著我
通常台灣人都不在意他們的車子,看見街上滿滿是鏽的鏈條和鋼圈是很稀鬆平常的事
如果你想要把你的車送修,你能找的的店也只有使用一種size老虎鉗的店和使用所謂
"正確size"老虎鉗的店 (就是說台灣的車店只用一種size的老虎鉗,也是諷刺)
Gas stations ain't got no air. The only place you can get it is from a
mechanic, but they all use unregulated air lines. The drill goes like this.
He puts some air in, squeezes the tire and says "yup, that's it". You put
your gauge to it (note the 'YOUR' -- he *does not* have a gauge) and
measure 5000000 psi. You bleed some air out and check -- 12 psi. He pumps
in more air, squeezes the tire and says "yup, that's it", you check it --
5000000000000000 psi. You bleed some air out and check -- 8 psi. He
pumps.....
加油站也可以為車胎打氣,你可以找技工幫你打氣,可是他們都用未規格化的打氣線
他們這樣幫你打氣----幫你的輪胎打一點氣之後擠一擠你的輪胎,說:"好了"
你自己量量看胎壓(注意唷,是"你自己的胎壓計",技師們連胎壓計都沒有),量出來的胎壓
足足有50000000000000000 psi之多,你放了一些氣出來,量一量胎壓是12 psi,技師又再打
一次氣,打完擠一擠你的輪胎,說:"好了".......你再量一量,又胎壓過多了....
你再放掉一些氣,再打一些氣進去,再量...8 psi...他又再繼續幫你打氣進去....
I don't know what the minimum age is to get a bike license, but I've seen
kids who couldn't be over 12 riding. The test for a bike license consists
of a written test (I didn't have to take that, because I already had a
Taiwanese automobile license) and a single 30 second trip around an oval
path with three stoplights. When I took the test, the lights didn't work.
Traffic is CONGESTED. Lane splitting? What's a lane? Filtering is the name
of the game. Buses and cabs cut you off five times a minute -- they'll run
you right off the road if you don't make way for them. The people on
scooters swerve around potholes without checking their mirrors (which
they've probably removed anyway) or shoulder checking. I may be the only
person in Taiwan who shoulder checks.
我不知道在台灣考機車駕照的最低年齡試幾歲,可是我看過許多不可能超過12歲的
小孩子在騎機車,駕照考試包含筆試和一個中途要停三次全程只需三十秒的半圓形路考場
當我去路考的時候,那個號制燈根本就壞掉了...
交通是"爆擠"的, 巴士和小卡車每分鐘穿越你五次----它們會輾過你如果你不讓路給
它們的話.
機車駕駛從來不看後視鏡或者回頭看就猛然轉向(可能他們連後視鏡都早已經拔掉了)
我可能是台灣唯一騎車轉向還會回頭看的人!
It is completely normal for someone
to pull up beside you and then move into the space you are in. They expect
you to just move out of the way. I don't. This surprises the shit out of
them. The problem with just moving out of the way, is that there is
probably someone on your other side about to pass at high speed with an
inch of clearance. When they pass you, they will pull back into your lane
as soon as their *body* has passed your body. They forget about your
vehicle and theirs. Their idea of merging into cross-street traffic is to
close their eyes and wick it.
機車駕駛全速催到你的面前後占住你的去路,他們總以為你會讓他們
我不會讓他們路,所以每次都把他們的屎都嚇了出來.
駕駛們常常在只距你一英呎的距離高速超你的車,他們會插入你的車道,只要他們
的"身體"超過了你的身體就可以超車,根本忘了還有你的車和他的車的存在.
Do Taiwanese drive on the left or the right? Yes.
Double parking is normal. Triple parking is considered a sign of
sophistication. Blocking the entire road makes you a social leader. Doing
this during rush hour qualifies you for political office.
They put red filters on their headlights and remove the red filters from
their taillights, then drive on the wrong side of the road at night. They
connect all their lights together with flashers, so you can't tell if they
are signaling a turn, stopping, or just riding along. They ride without
lights at night to save gas.
台灣人開車是靠左還是靠右?喔..是的...
併排停車很平常,三排停車被認為是老於世故的象徵.
擋住整個街口使你成為社會領導者,在尖峰時刻這樣做會使你成為政治明星
他們在車頭燈貼上紅色濾光紙,然後在晚上逆向行駛
他們還把他們的尾燈改成會閃爍的那種,讓你根本分不清楚這些燈號是代表轉彎`
停止還是繼續騎.
為了省油他們晚上騎車還不開車燈 (這句我看不下了,哪有那麼誇張??當我們非洲人喔?)
People will not make way for firetrucks or ambulances.
人們看到救護車或救火車不會讓路 (才怪,會好不好?=.=|||)
The police set up roadblocks and stop riders on scooters (for some reason
they don't stop people on regular motorcycles much).
警察在路上設站臨檢檢查機車騎士,不知為何他們不攔檢普通的騎士
They search the
storage compartments for contraband and check the ID and license of the
rider.
他們攔查有載貨的卡車,以檢查是否有運送走私品,以及檢查駕駛的身分證和駕照
The only problem is, they put the roadblocks in the same place at
the same time each day, so anyone with contraband just takes a different
route.
問題是...他們路檢站的位置每次都在同一個位置,走私的人只要走不同的路線就
可以避開攔檢了.
The cops who do this are always armed. There will be a couple guys
with assault rifles -- in their hands, not slung on their backs. They will
be standing a couple feet apart, on guard,
攔檢站的警察們總是有武裝的,總是有些配有突擊步槍的警察---拿在手上,而不是背在
背上,他們會分開兩邊站,警戒著.
and motorcycles will be zipping
between them at high speed. The cops don't get much respect here (_see_
thumbs).
遇到攔檢的摩托車總是快速地呼嘯而過,這兒的條子不太受尊重.
I've heard of large groups of kids getting together and racing. The cops
try and bust them. Big fuss. Kids get hurt. Cops get hurt. I haven't seen
this with my own eyes, but then I don't hang out with young kids.
我聽說一堆小鬼聚集在一起飆車,警察試著追逐和逮捕他們,亂七八糟..
小鬼受傷,警察也受傷.. 我沒有親眼看到這種奇景..不過自從那時候我就不和年輕人
混了.
All I have to do is survive Taiwanese traffic for one more month, and then
I'm home to Canada. I'll have to buy a bike when I get there. What a
terrible thing to look forward to... 8^)
David
我要做的就只是熬過台灣的交通,再一個月我就可以回加拿大了.
回家之後我會買一個摩托車...^^
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发表于 2002-6-12 00:46:56
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