Can you imagine living in a city without roads on the surface? We've already put trains underground successfully, but the idea of building roads underground is now inspiring urban planners and engineers. Bradley Garrett, author of 'Subterranean London', says that there's something magical about things happening out of sight, that it "gives the illusion of seamlessness". So, how might underground roads reshape our cities and redefine the daily commute?

你能想象生活在一个没有路面的城市里吗？ 我们已经成功地将火车埋入地下，但在地下修建道路的想法现在正在激发城市规划者和工程师的灵感。 《伦敦地下》一书的作者布拉德利·加勒特 (Bradley Garrett) 表示，在视线之外发生的事情有一些神奇之处，它“给人一种无缝的错觉”。 那么，地下道路将如何重塑我们的城市并重新定义日常通勤？

"If you want to revitalise the city centre, you pedestrianise the roads," says Tom Ireland, the director of tunnelling at engineering company Aurecon. Moving roads below the surface can free up space for parks, pavement cafes, and other public amenities, improving the urban environment and mental health of the population. Not only that, it could reduce traffic congestion above ground, and who doesn't want to be freed from noise pollution and the sight of gridlocked traffic? 

“如果你想振兴市中心，你就需要在道路上修建步行街，”工程公司 Aurecon 的隧道工程总监汤姆·爱尔兰 (Tom Ireland) 说道。 将道路移至地下可以为公园、路边咖啡馆和其他公共设施腾出空间，从而改善城市环境和人们的心理健康。 不仅如此，它还可以减少地面交通拥堵，谁不想摆脱噪音污染和交通拥堵的困扰呢？

Underground roads could also make self-driving cars more popular, which are often more energy-efficient, and less prone to collisions. This, in a world trying to reduce its fuel consumption, is appealing. But if driverless cars end up becoming more attractive than public transport, it could actually make traffic worse, because cars take up more space than trains and buses.

地下道路还可以让自动驾驶汽车更受欢迎，因为自动驾驶汽车通常更节能，而且更不容易发生碰撞。 在一个努力减少燃料消耗的世界中，这一点很有吸引力。 但如果无人驾驶汽车最终变得比公共交通更有吸引力，它实际上可能会使交通状况变得更糟，因为汽车比火车和公共汽车占用更多的空间。

That's not the only drawback that may come with a motorised world beneath our feet. The construction and maintenance of underground infrastructure are both hazardous and energy-intensive processes. On top of that, most people don't like the feeling of confinement you get when you're travelling through underground tunnels, which may affect public perception.

这并不是我们脚下的机动世界可能带来的唯一缺点。 地下基础设施的建设和维护既危险又耗能。 最重要的是，大多数人不喜欢穿过地下隧道时的封闭感，这可能会影响公众的看法。

Dreams of roadless, car-free cities bring both excitement and scepticism. We may fantasise about cityscapes made for pedestrians, but perhaps getting more people to use public transport rather than private vehicles would be more worth our time and resources.

无路、无车城市的梦想既让人兴奋，也让人怀疑。 我们可能会幻想为行人打造的城市景观，但也许让更多的人使用公共交通工具而不是私家车更值得我们花时间和资源。

词汇表

urban planner 城市规划师
the illusion of seamlessness 完美连贯的假象，无缝的错觉
commute 上下班往返，通勤
pedestrianise 设立步行街
free up space 腾出空间
public amenities 公共设施
congestion 拥堵，堵塞
noise pollution 噪声污染
gridlocked traffic 交通堵塞
self-driving car 自动驾驶汽车
energy-efficient 节能的
collision（车辆）碰撞，相撞
fuel consumption 燃油消耗量，耗油量
motorised 机动（化）的
infrastructure 基础设施
hazardous 危险的
energy-intensive 耗能的
roadless 无道路的
car-free 无车的，车辆禁行的
vehicle 车辆，交通工具