Blog - Traffic impressions
After five months of driving in Moscow I thought I'd share some more insight into Moscow traffic.
First off, the "me first!" attitude still holds, meaning crosswalks are mainly there for decoration, ambulances are not let past and speed limits can easily be stretched by about 40%. And that's the situation created by the average driver. There're also Jeeps and the like, with the obligatory tinted windows, usually driven by complete assholes or worse, from whom you will want to stay away.
If there's a free spot at a traffic light, you go stand there. Doesn't matter if you want to go left and you're standing on a dedicated right turn lane, or that you're blocking an entire lane while waiting. You just go stand there. This is especially common at turn-around spots, which are rare. It's not uncommon to have to drive an extra three kilometers or so if you just missed your turn.
Lastly, a lot of Russian drivers are just incompetent. Give them a straight line and everything's fine, but give them a corner, a minor road bump, a parking space or have them reverse, and it'll take ages… I've seriously come across someone who could not drive in reverse…
So there I am, trying to drive properly and trying to get by without raising my blood pressure too much. Thank goodness I still have my bike!
First off, the "me first!" attitude still holds, meaning crosswalks are mainly there for decoration, ambulances are not let past and speed limits can easily be stretched by about 40%. And that's the situation created by the average driver. There're also Jeeps and the like, with the obligatory tinted windows, usually driven by complete assholes or worse, from whom you will want to stay away.
If there's a free spot at a traffic light, you go stand there. Doesn't matter if you want to go left and you're standing on a dedicated right turn lane, or that you're blocking an entire lane while waiting. You just go stand there. This is especially common at turn-around spots, which are rare. It's not uncommon to have to drive an extra three kilometers or so if you just missed your turn.
Lastly, a lot of Russian drivers are just incompetent. Give them a straight line and everything's fine, but give them a corner, a minor road bump, a parking space or have them reverse, and it'll take ages… I've seriously come across someone who could not drive in reverse…
So there I am, trying to drive properly and trying to get by without raising my blood pressure too much. Thank goodness I still have my bike!