Tube Politeness: Youngsters will be told to give up their seats for the elderly on crowded public transport of lose their right to free travel(Agencies) |
Teenagers will be told to ‘stand up for their elders’ on public transport – or risk losing their right to free travel. London Mayor Boris Johnson will unveil plans today to make youngsters sign a ‘courtesy pledge’ to promise to behave in a respectful manner when travelling in the capital. The three-point pledge states that they will give up their seats to the elderly, pregnant and disabled; refrain from using offensive or threatening language; and be courteous and polite to fellow passengers and staff. Those who refuse, or are caught behaving in a loutish manner, will have their free travel passes removed. The plan – a key part of Mr Johnson’s re-election bid – will initially affect the 400,000 11-to-15-year-olds in London who qualify for free travel cards, but Tory sources believe the idea could be used across the country. A Conservative insider said: ‘The initiative chimes perfectly with the push to create a Big Society. It is about changing culture and expectations around behaviour to improve the atmosphere on buses and trains for everyone.’ Speaking before today’s launch, Mr Johnson said he was determined to tackle the anti-social behaviour of a ‘minority of youngsters’ on public transport. ‘When I was a boy, I was taught to stand up for those less able to,’ he said. ‘Youngsters enjoy the privilege of free travel, which is paid for by Londoners, but they have to understand that with that privilege comes responsibility. Anyone who abuses this privilege will have it taken away, and will have to earn that right back.’ Teenagers found guilty of a serious breach of the new behaviour code will lose their travel passes, and will have to carry out unpaid community work to have them restored. Mr Johnson is also introducing a ‘two strikes and you’re out’ policy to deal with repeat offenders, under which those committing a second serious breach of the code will lose their travel rights permanently. The move follows an earlier initiative of Mr Johnson’s that banned the consumption of alcohol on public transport in the capital, which is credited with helping to drive down crime rates on buses and trains. (Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
英國倫敦近日出臺新規(guī),要求青少年乘坐公共交通時主動給老人讓座,否則會失去免費乘坐公交車的待遇。 倫敦市長鮑里斯?約翰遜將于今日公布這一計劃,促使青少年簽署“文明宣言”,承諾在倫敦出行時講文明講禮貌。 宣言包括三點內(nèi)容:給老年人、孕婦和殘疾人讓座;不使用攻擊性或威脅性語言;禮貌對待乘客與乘務(wù)人員。 不愿簽署宣言或因行為不當被抓“現(xiàn)行”的青少年,將被沒收免費乘車卡。 這是約翰遜競選連任計劃的重要組成部分,將首先涉及倫敦大約40萬名11歲至15歲的青少年,這些青少年享有免費乘車卡,但英國保守黨消息人士認為,這一舉措也許可以推向全國。 一位保守黨知情人士說:“這一舉措與當前英國正在倡導(dǎo)的創(chuàng)建“大社會”協(xié)調(diào)一致,通過改變青少年的行為文化和人們對此的期待值,來改善汽車和火車上的氣氛。” 在今天宣布實行這一舉措之前,約翰遜說,他有決心制止“少數(shù)青少年”在公共交通上的反社會行為。 他說:“我還是孩子時,大人們教導(dǎo)我要給行動不便的人讓座。青少年享受免費乘車的便利,車費由倫敦市民買單。但他們應(yīng)該明白,權(quán)利與義務(wù)相輔相成?!?/p> “任何人若濫用,權(quán)利將被剝奪,必須付出努力才能重新得到。” 嚴重違反這一新規(guī)的青少年將被沒收乘車卡,必須在社區(qū)做義工才能重新要回卡片。 約翰遜表示對屢教不改的青少年,還將實行“二振出局”的政策。如果違反兩次規(guī)定,乘車卡將被永久沒收。 約翰遜之前曾發(fā)起一項禁止在倫敦的公共交通上飲酒的措施,認為此舉可以降低火車與公交車上的犯罪率。 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 Julie 編輯:陳丹妮) |
Vocabulary: loutish: 粗野的,無禮的 chime: 和諧,一致 |