Hangzhou Delivery: Red Light Time Doesn't Count
Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, one question before we start: when you wait at a red light, does anyone ever give that time back to you?欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，节目开始前先问你一个问题：等红灯的时候，有人把那些时间还给你吗？
Give it back? No way. Time just disappears into the air. Why do you ask?还给我？不可能。时间就这么凭空消失了。为什么这么问？
Because in Hangzhou, delivery riders just got exactly that. On September 20th, the traffic police and a delivery platform launched a new feature: waiting at a red light no longer counts against your delivery time.因为在杭州，外卖骑手刚刚得到了这份礼物。9月20日，交警和一家外卖平台联合上线了一个新功能：等红灯的时间，不再算进你的配送时间里。
Oh wait, that is huge. I never thought about it, but riders are always racing the clock. Every red light steals from their deadline.哦等等，这变化太大了。我从来没想过这一点，但骑手一直在和时间赛跑。每一个红灯，都在从他们的截止时间里偷时间。
Exactly. Their delivery windows are tight. If they hit too many red lights, they risk being late, and a late order can mean a penalty.没错。他们的配送时间窗口很紧。红灯要是吃得太多，就可能超时，超时的订单可能意味着罚款。
So how does it work? Do riders push a button when they stop?那它是怎么运作的？骑手停车时要按按钮吗？
No button at all. The delivery app can tell when a rider stops at a red light. It shows a waiting status on the navigation screen and counts the seconds in real time.完全不用按钮。配送 App 能识别骑手在红灯前停下。导航页面会显示等灯状态，实时数着秒数。
When the system checks if an order is late, it adds that waiting time back. And it always rounds up, so the extra time is a little more than what the rider actually waited.系统在核查订单是否超时时，会把这段等待时间加回去。而且总是向上取整，所以补给骑手的时间会比实际等的时间再多一点点。
Nice touch, the round-up. But what if a rider really is late because of red lights? Does the penalty disappear too?向上取整这个细节不错。但如果骑手真的因为红灯超时了呢？处罚也会一起取消吗？
Yes. If the system sees that the delay came from waiting at lights, it removes the late penalty automatically. Again, no paperwork, no appeal, nothing.会的。如果系统识别出延误是因为等红灯，就会自动免除超时处罚。还是那句话，不用交材料，不用申诉，什么都不用。
Okay, I like this. But does it actually change anything on the road? Or is it just a nice idea on paper?好吧，我喜欢这个功能。但它真的会改变路上的情况吗？还是说只是纸面上的好主意？
Reporters talked to riders right on the first day. One rider, Yin Runyang, said he got red light bonuses five or six times in a single morning of 22 orders.记者第一天就在路上采访了骑手。一位叫尹润洋的骑手说，他一上午跑了22单，红灯补时有五六次。
He has a regular route about 3 kilometers long, with three traffic lights in between. Some red lights there last 30 seconds, some last a full minute.他有条常跑的路线，大约3公里长，中间有3个红绿灯。那边的红灯有的30秒，有的整整一分钟。
And did the extra time matter for him?多出来的时间对他来说重要吗？
He said the biggest difference is on longer trips. One order hit five red lights on the way. Before, that would have been really tight. Now the time is just added back.他说差别最大的是长距离订单。有一单在路上连吃了5个红灯。换作以前，时间会非常紧张。现在时间直接补回来了。
Another rider, Xiao Shi, delivered more than 60 orders over two days. All his red light bonuses added up to six or seven minutes.另一位骑手小石，两天送了60多单。他的红灯补时加起来有六七分钟。
Six or seven minutes sounds small. But in delivery, that could be the difference between on time and late.六七分钟听起来不多。但在配送里，这可能就是准时和超时的区别。
He said the evening rush is when he feels it most. Traffic is heavy, riding is slower, and then a red light hits. One evening, a few short waits added up to about 2 minutes.他说晚高峰时感受最明显。路上车多，骑得慢，偏偏又遇上红灯。有一天晚上，几个不长的等待加起来有2分钟左右。
I am starting to see why riders care. But here is what surprises me: who decided to do this? The platform?我开始明白骑手为什么在意了。但让我意外的是：这是谁想出来的？平台吗？
It was the Hangzhou traffic police together with the platform. A police officer explained the idea in one line: let riders be willing to wait, and let them wait without fear.是杭州交警和平台一起推出的。一位交警用一句话概括了初衷：让骑手愿意等，放心等。
That is a good line. Because right now, a lot of riders feel they cannot afford to wait.这句话说得真好。因为现在，很多骑手觉得等不起。
The problem is built into the system. Delivery time has three parts: picking up the food, waiting for the food, and driving to the door. An AI model estimates the total from past data.问题就藏在系统里。配送时间由三部分组成：取餐、等餐、送餐。AI 模型会根据历史数据估算总时长。
But red lights are not in the past data, are they? They change every day.但红灯不在历史数据里，对吧？它每天都在变。
Exactly. The officer called the signals alive. The light might be 30 seconds today and 60 seconds tomorrow. The model cannot see that. So the rider pays for it.没错。那位交警说信号灯是活的。今天可能30秒，明天可能60秒。模型看不见这个差别。于是骑手来买单。
And when riders pay for it with their own time, some of them stop waiting. They run the red light.当骑手用自己的时间来买单时，有些人就不等了。他们会闯红灯。
Right. And that is where safety comes in. One less reason to rush means one less chance of a crash.对。安全问题就出在这里。少一个抢行的理由，就少一次出事故的可能。
What about customers? Do they mind waiting a few extra minutes?那顾客呢？他们介意多等几分钟吗？
Reporters asked people on the street. Most said the same thing: a few minutes is fine, safety matters more. One 27-year-old said he orders takeout about once a week and rarely watches the clock.记者在街上问了路人。大多数人答案一致：多几分钟没关系，安全更重要。一位27岁的路人说，他大概一周点一次外卖，一般不太盯着时间。
Same here. I would rather my food arrive late than have a rider risk his life for my noodles.我也是。我宁愿外卖晚一点，也不愿骑手为了我那碗面冒生命危险。
Early feedback says delivery speed has not really changed. On a medium or long trip, the order gets only 2 to 3 extra minutes. And the system is still being improved, especially when a rider has several orders at once.目前的反馈是，送单效率其实没什么变化。一笔中长距离订单顶多延长2到3分钟。系统还在优化中，尤其是骑手高峰期同时送多单的情况。
So the feature does not make riders faster. It just stops punishing them for obeying the law.所以这个功能并没有让骑手变快。它只是不再因为骑手遵守交通规则而惩罚他们。
And it may spread. The police say they will work with more platforms and slowly expand the coverage area.而且可能会推广开。交警表示，接下来会联合更多平台，逐步扩大覆盖范围。
You know what is funny? Riders waited at red lights before, too. Nothing about the road changed. The only thing that changed is that the algorithm finally learned to see them standing there.你知道最好笑的是什么吗？骑手以前也等红灯。路一点没变。唯一变了的，是算法终于学会看见他们停在那里了。
Turns out the red light was never the problem. The stopwatch was.原来红灯从来都不是问题。那个秒表才是。
Well said. That is all for today's Learn English with Podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend, and see you next time!说得好。今天的 Learn English with Podcasts 就到这里。如果你喜欢这期节目，分享给朋友吧，我们下期再见！