A Proposal: Make Our Old Town Street Car-Free on Weekends

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1. 01Make Our Old Town Street Car-Free on Weekends

   Good evening, members of the town council. I run a small café on Market Street, in the heart of our old town. Tonight, I'd like to propose that we close Market Street to cars on Saturdays and Sundays.

   各位鎮議會議員，晚安。我在老城中心的市場街開了一家小咖啡館。今晚，我想提議在每週六和週日禁止汽車進入市場街。

2. 02The Problem Today

   On weekends, our narrow sidewalks can't hold all the visitors. People walk in the road, cars move very slowly, and I often see parents pulling children out of the way of traffic.

   一到週末，我們狹窄的人行道就容納不下所有遊客。人們走到馬路上，汽車開得很慢，我還經常看到父母把孩子從車流中拉開。

3. 03The Proposal

   My proposal is simple: Market Street becomes car-free on Saturdays and Sundays from ten in the morning until six in the evening. Deliveries could still come before ten.

   我的提議很簡單：每週六和週日，從上午十點到下午六點，市場街變成步行街。送貨仍然可以在十點之前進行。

4. 04Benefits for Everyone

   This would benefit everyone. Families could walk safely. Cafés and shops could put tables and displays outside. And visitors who feel relaxed tend to stay longer.

   這對每個人都有好處。家庭可以安全地散步。咖啡館和商店可以把桌子和商品擺到外面。而且心情放鬆的遊客往往會停留得更久。

5. 05"Won't Shops Lose Customers?"

   I know some shop owners are worried that customers who come by car will stop coming. That's a fair concern. That's why I suggest clear signs to the parking lot at the edge of town, which is only a five-minute walk away.

   我知道有些店主擔心開車來的顧客會不再來了。這個擔心是合理的。所以我建議設定清晰的指示牌，引導大家去鎮邊上的停車場，那裡步行只要五分鐘。

6. 06"What About Residents?"

   Residents may also worry about access. Under this plan, residents could still drive to their homes slowly, and emergency vehicles would always be allowed.

   居民們可能也會擔心出入問題。按照這個方案，居民仍然可以慢慢開車回家，急救車輛也隨時可以通行。

7. 07Start With a Summer Trial

   I'm not asking for a permanent change tonight. I'm asking for an eight-weekend trial this summer. We can count visitors, ask shops about sales, and ask residents what they think, and then decide together.

   今晚，我並不是要求做永久性的改變。我請求的是今年夏天試行八個週末。我們可以統計遊客人數，詢問商店的銷售情況，聽聽居民的想法，然後一起做決定。

8. 08Conclusion

   To conclude, our old town is our biggest attraction. Let's give it back to people, at least on weekends. I hope you'll support the trial. Thank you.

   最後總結一下，我們的老城是我們最大的魅力所在。讓我們把它還給行人吧，至少在週末。希望大家支援這次試行。謝謝大家。