フランス、バスク地方、アイノア郊外のロン・ポワン（ラウンドアバウト） -2011年4月撮影
The reason why I’ve always loved traveling in Europe and why I’ve only been going to Europe for the past few years is because it’s fun to drive in Europe.
そんなヨーロッパドライブドライブを通してずっと感じてたびたびこのblogで主張していたこと（参考：ヨーロッパドライブ）を、大手新聞のコラムが取り上げてくれたことは大変嬉しいです。
なぜクルマを運転する機会が減ったのだろう レーシングドライバー 中嶋一貴 ：日本経済新聞 http://s.nikkei.com/TtRip0
As Mr. Nakajima said, the beauty of driving in Europe and the wonderful driving environment in Europe is that you can enjoy it.
「車は走って動くもの」という前提で道路が作られていること
is the biggest factor, and you certainly feel that spirit when you’re actually driving.
The roundabout is a representative of the symbol of this spirit, and Mr. Nakajima’s
The roundabout is a system where the car closest to the center of the circle has priority to go in the direction they want to go first, but if there are no other cars, they don’t have to stop and can move freely. I was impressed by the situation where it is left to the initiative of the driver.
is a very apt description of the benefits of roundabouts.
Especially in France, this roundabout (ron pointe in French) is particularly well developed, so if you go to a rural area, you can get to your next destination almost non-stop.
Of course you have to slow down, but you can keep moving for a surprisingly long time. And it’s not that tiring, and most importantly, it’s fun to drive.
Nakajima-san’s claim here:.
In Japan, it is often said that passenger cars do not sell well and that young people are seriously losing interest in cars. This is probably unavoidable in part because of the poor economy. But is that the only reason? If more cars were sold in Japan, the economy would improve. For that to happen, I think that as a country with one of the world’s largest automotive industries, the environment surrounding cars and the awareness of drivers needs to become more mature. In this series of articles, I would like to share with you what I feel after several years of activities in Europe.
I think it’s a good argument.
今後のこちらの連載に期待したいです。
