From Dusted-off Bikes to Electric Dreams：UK Green Economy Booms on Back of Covid-19 從自行車復甦到電動交通夢：英國綠色經濟在疫情下蓬勃發展
Jillian Ambrose 吉莉恩·安布羅斯
The queues were 「absolutely crazy」， says Gavin Hudson， the owner of the cycle repair startup Butternut Bikes. As lockdown descended he began fixing old bikes in the parking lot of a Methodist church in north London， before moving his services to a furloughed pub in Crouch End. However， the surge in demand for cycle repairs meant the pop-up was soon able to afford a permanent address.
「Some people come in and tell us they haven't been on a bike in 10 years，」 Hudson says. 「They are dragging all kinds of bikes， covered in cobwebs， out from the shed to get back on the roads. It's great. I think it's really true that there are few problems in society today that can't be made better by getting people walking and cycling more.」
Butternut Bikes is one of countless British businesses poised to profit from a green economic boom in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. While the government faces growing pressure to unveil a post-pandemic economic stimulus package that is climate friendly， Britain's economic green shoots are already in evidence.
Steven Jennings， a partner at the global advisory firm PwC， says the lockdown has triggered a paradigm shift for consumers and companies that is already accelerating developments in sustainability – even without prompts from the government.
Those without a banged-up bike in the shed will struggle to buy a new one because of the huge demand. For many， the answer may be shared-cycle schemes， electric scooter rentals or even the purchase of an electric vehicle.
Lime is one of the e-mobility firms booming in lockdown. The company expects to have attracted 20，000 new riders to its shared electric bike rental scheme by the time lockdown lifts and plans to offer e-scooters in the UK soon， too.
Alan Clarke， a director of the firm， says the number of new Lime users has grown every week since lockdown restrictions started to be eased and that riders are taking longer journeys than before. The growth comes despite a surge in competition from rivals at Mobike， Freebike and Uber's cycle offering， Jump.
「Ultimately， the biggest reason people don't cycle， walk or e-scoot is because most of the time， city infrastructure doesn't prioritise these modes of transport，」 Clarke says. 「As governments are now being forced to rethink how they approach urban travel， and organisations like TfL deliver bold and transformative improvements， we do anticipate an influx of new riders over the next few months， as people search out alternative travel options.」
The number of people considering the purchase of an electric vehicle is rising， too; in part because the connection between Covid-19 deaths and air pollution has underlined the importance of clean transport. PwC estimates that government incentives could help the sector support 220，000 jobs.
Ian Johnston， the chief executive of the vehicle-charging firm Engenie， says there has been a huge uplift in the number of retail parks preparing to install charging points. The company fits rapid chargers on behalf of retail landlords and councils at no upfront cost， in exchange for a 50∶50 split on the charge-point revenues.
「Landlords are looking for new streams of revenues and retail tenants need new ways to drive footfall back to their stores，」 he says. 「The economic pressure on both means people are taking another look at vehicle charging.」
A boom in electric transport holds important implications for Britain's energy system， offering new opportunities for green tech companies. The demand slump during the lockdown combined with record renewable energy generation has helped to provide 「a window into the future net zero carbon world」， according to Jennings.
排隊的人「多得離譜」，自行車修理初創企業「灰胡桃樹自行車行」的老闆加文·赫德森說道。在封鎖令頒布後，他就開始在倫敦北部一座衛理公會教堂的停車場內修理舊自行車，後來他又將修車行搬進了克勞奇恩德一家停業的酒吧。不過，對自行車修理需求激增意味著，這個突然冒出來的修車行不久就能租得起固定的營業場所了。
赫德森說：「一些來修車的人告訴我們，他們有10年沒騎過自行車了。」他說：「他們從倉庫裡拖出來各種各樣掛著蜘蛛網的自行車，讓它們重新上路。這太棒了。我認為，當今社會幾乎沒有什麼問題是不能通過讓人們多走路、多騎自行車得到改善的，這千真萬確。」
灰胡桃樹自行車行是無數將在疫情後從綠色經濟繁榮中獲利的英國企業之一。當前，政府面臨的壓力越來越大，都是要求其出臺一攬子對環境友好的疫後經濟刺激計劃，與此同時，英國綠色經濟已初見端倪。
國際諮詢公司普華永道的合伙人史蒂文·詹寧斯說，封鎖令引發了消費者和企業思維方式的巨大轉變，這種轉變在政府還沒有給予鼓勵的情況下就已經在推動可持續性加速發展。
由於需求強勁，那些倉庫裡沒有舊自行車的人很難買到一輛新自行車。對許多人來說，解決辦法也許是共享自行車，租賃電動滑板車，或者乾脆購買一輛電動汽車。
「酸橙」共享單車就是在疫情下蓬勃發展的電動出行企業之一。該公司預計到解封時將吸引兩萬名新用戶加入其共享電動自行車服務，還計劃不久後在英國推出共享電動滑板車服務。
「酸橙」共享單車公司的董事艾倫·克拉克說，自封鎖措施開始放寬以來，新用戶的數量每周都在增加，而且用戶騎行的距離也比以往增加了。儘管有來自對手摩拜單車、自由單車和優步旗下「跳躍」共享單車的激烈競爭，但該公司還是實現了增長。
克拉克說：「歸根結底，人們不騎自行車、不步行或不騎電動滑板車的最大原因就是，大多數時候，城市基礎設施不重視這些交通方式。由於現在政府不得不重新思考如何對待城市交通，而且倫敦交通局等機構也通過大膽改革作出改進，我們的確預計，未來幾個月，隨著人們紛紛尋找另外的交通方式，選擇騎行的人數將猛增。」
正在考慮購買電動汽車的人數也在增加，部分原因是新冠肺炎死亡病例與空氣汙染之間的關係凸顯清潔交通方式的重要性。據普華永道估計，政府的激勵措施可能會為這一產業提供22萬個就業崗位。
電動車充電企業Engenie的執行長伊恩·約翰斯頓說，準備安裝充電樁的零售商業區的數量大幅攀升。該公司以零預付費的方式為零售商業區的業主和市政服務機構安裝快速充電樁，作為回報，它獲得充電樁50%的分帳收入。
他說：「業主們正在尋找新的收入來源，零售租戶們也需要新的方式推動客源回流。兩者承受的經濟壓力意味著，人們將重新審視電動車充電業務。」
電動交通的蓬勃發展對英國能源系統意義重大，為綠色科技企業提供了新的機遇。詹寧斯說，封鎖期間（對傳統交通方式的）需求大幅下滑加上創紀錄的可再生能源生產，幫助提供了「一個通往未來淨零碳世界的契機」。（劉白雲譯自英國《衛報》網站7月6日文章）