Joyriders on rental¹ e-scooters put themselves in danger – but they also put others at risk. They're a threat to pedestrians² and to other road users – and the scooters themselves get in the way. Elaine Maries knows the risks. She's partially³ sighted and relies on Inca (her guide dog) to help guide her around town.

骑着租来的电动滑板车兜风的人将自己和他人都置身于危险之中。他们给行人和其他道路使用者构成了威胁，而且滑板车本身也很挡道。伊莲·马利斯知道这其中的风险。她是部分失明人士，依靠导盲犬印加为她在城里引路。

 

Elaine Maries, Pedestrian

I heard some screaming, and then the next thing I knew, I'd actually been hit by somebody that had come round the corner, gone straight into me ­­– I then lost my balance, ended up falling on Inca, bruised⁴ my elbow and my knee – which then meant, you know, you just don't go out.

伊莲·马利斯       行人

“当时我听到了尖叫声，接着就被一个从拐角处骑滑板车过来的人撞了，这个人直接撞到了我身上。然后我失去了平衡，最后倒在了印加的身上，擦伤了肘部和膝盖。这就意味着我出不了门了。”

 

The Department for Transport told the BBC the incident is a matter for the police. 31 towns are already part of the government's e-scooter rental trials, with six London boroughs⁵ getting e-scooter rental schemes today.

英国交通部向BBC表示，这起事件由警方处理。目前已经有31个城镇加入政府的电动滑板车租赁试行计划，伦敦内的六个行政区即日起推行电动滑板车租赁计划。

 

The aim is to learn more about the risks and benefits of e-scooters, says the Department for Transport. It believes they can help reduce congestion⁶ and pollution, but wants to make them safer and to find ways to reduce bad behaviour.

英国交通部表示，试行计划旨在了解更多有关电动滑板车的风险和好处。交通部认为，电动滑板车可以帮助缓解交通拥堵和污染，与此同时，也希望改善其安全性，并找到减少不良骑车行为的办法。

 

Justin Rowlatt, BBC correspondent

So the government believes these things can encourage us all to leave our cars at home. The idea is they kind of extend the transport network, by giving us another way to get around. And the operators of the London scheme say many of the issues people have with e-scooters can be addressed.

贾斯汀·罗拉特       BBC通讯员

“政府认为，电动滑板车可以鼓励大家把汽车留在家里。目的是通过提供另一种出行方式来扩展交通网络。负责伦敦计划的运营商表示，人们使用电动滑板车时的许多问题都是可以解决的。”

 

Alan Clarke, Director of Policy, Lime

We're using designated parking areas, so when you finish your ride, you go to lock the scooter on your app, you go to press :end ride' – if you're outside of a parking zone, what we'll do is actually show you within our app where the nearest appropriate parking location is and how you can get there.

艾伦·克拉克       Lime 公司政策总监

“我们设置了指定的停车区，当你完成骑行时，要在手机应用程序上锁好滑板车，然后按 “结束骑行”。如果你在停车区之外，我们就会在应用程序上显示最近的适当停车位在哪里，以及怎样到达那里。”

 

Some environmental campaigners are saying now private e-scooters should be legalised too.

一些环保人士说，现在私人电动滑板车也应该被合法化。

 

Hirra Khan Adeogun, Climate charity, Possible

The research shows that private e-scooters are what really get people out of their cars. Because they own them, they're not leaving them around.

希拉·汗·阿迪奥根       气候慈善机构 Possible

“研究表明，私人电动滑板车才真正让人们选择不开车。而且因为是私人物品，所以人们不会乱停乱放。”

 

So, if you hate e-scooters, be warned – the chances are you will be seeing more of them in our towns and cities in the years to come.

要注意了：如果你讨厌电动滑板车，在未来的几年里，你很可能会在我们（英国）的城镇里看到更多的电动滑板车。

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