実践ビジネス英語 ディクテーション (12/27, 28ほか)

NHKラジオ「実践ビジネス英語」”Talk the Talk”のディクテーションです。

Lesson 18のテーマは、‘Fighting Traffic in New York’（ニューヨークの交通事情）でした。Vignetteでは、ニューヨーク市などでは道路が自転車利用者と歩行者にとって危険になっていることが話題になり、混雑が続くNYの交通事情を改善するための取り組みが紹介されました。その1つが2021年に導入予定の混雑課税制度だということです。 Talk the Talkでは、Heatherさんの電動自転車デビュー、杉田先生が体験されたNYの交通事情などについて話されています。

Fighting Traffic in New York

（S: 杉田敏先生　H: Heather Howardさん）

S: Our current vignette starts with Ueda and Salmans talking about how they’re attracted to their bicycles.

You don’t go to the office that way, but you do cycle a fair amount these days, Heather, right?

H: Yes, I do. I finally got one of those motorized bicycles that so many parents have.

I remember we talked about that a few years ago on the show.

I was taking my daughter to daycare in a stroller every day, and it was a long walk.

Forty minutes from my house to the daycare, and then another half-hour walk to the nearest station.

For a long time I kept doing that, partly for the exercise and partly because I was afraid to use a bicycle with my daughter on the back.

Well, one summer’s day last year, I got to her daycare, looked at myself in the mirror in the elevator, and saw a sweaty, tomato-faced woman who looked like she was about to keel over.

We got the bike that week.

S: And has it worked out?

H: It has worked out just fine.

My daughter was thrilled.

She wanted to get a bike for ages largely because all her friends would arrive by bike every morning.

The power of the bike took some getting used to.

I had to learn to pedal gently so we didn’t lurch forward to start for one thing.

But once I got the hang of it, going to daycare every morning became a lot more fun for us both.

There would be a nice cool breeze blowing in our face on hot days, and when it rained I didn’t have to juggle a stroller and an umbrella.

And my fears were essentially unfounded.

She, Daddy and I have all escaped injury while on the bike.

The vignette also talks about the traffic conditions in New York.

You lived and worked there, Mr. Sugita, how did you find it?

S: Ah, yes. I know what congestion is in the Big Apple.

I’ve heard people joke, “Freeway congestion is getting so bad, you can change a tire without losing your place in line.”

I also heard that there’s a traffic sign in New York that says: “Don’t even think of parking here.”

For a long time I thought it was another New York City joke, and then, a few years ago, I actually saw the sign.

H: Ha! I can easily imagine the sign like that in New York.

The thing that made the strongest impression on me during my visits was all the horns.

It seemed like New Yorkers started blasting their car horns if they had to wait more than five seconds!

And that may be a generous estimate.

Honk, honk, honk, all the time.

S: Well, starting in 2021, New York will introduce congestion pricing, charging a fee to motorists who enter the central section of Manhattan during busy periods.

If properly implemented, congestion pricing can make crowded cities safer, cleaner and easier for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to navigate.

It’s proven to be effective in places like London, Stockholm and Singapore.

But the congestion charge also raises equity issues since rich people are best able to move closer to work or change their schedules to avoid the steep costs.

It’s said to have accelerated the gentrification of central London.

H: That will be an issue to keep an eye on.

Charges like that mustn’t be allowed to just benefit a limited already privileged section of society.

Words and Expressions

 keel over: 卒倒する

 get the hang of it: コツをつかむ

 blast a car horn: 車のクラクションを大きな音で鳴らす

 honk: 車のクラクション音

お疲れさまでした。 今年もマイペースなディクテーションを見に来ていただき、ありがとうございました。 多少なりとも英語学習の助けとなりましたら嬉しいです。