There are many causes of Moscow traffic jams, but the biggest one is probably the faulty road system that Moscow inherited from the older times. I’ve already written an article on the issue, so there's no use exploring it again. However, you should know that car is not the best means of transport in our city.

It’s OK if you didn’t know that. In US, for example, personal car remains the most popular type of ride, and some towns don’t even have any public transport system. The same applies to many other Western cities – but Moscow is different.

I'd say that Moscow's got one of the best public transport systems in the world. Sure, it can be outdated and clunky – but overall it’s extremely useful when you have to travel in and out of the city. By the way, I’m not blaming Western countries for not having good public transit systems. There, a car has always been something usual, like a TV or a vacuum-cleaner.

In Russia, however, very few could afford to have a vehicle, so the government had to give people something in return. In fact, most of Russian cities would simply not be able to sustain themselves otherwise!

Back then, the traffic wasn’t a problem at all – we simply didn’t know what the traffic jams were. Today, however, with clogged roads and hours spent in vain, more and more Moscow drivers begin using the good old public transport again.

Want to join our ranks? Fine, but let's first see what options lie before you.

Moscow metro comes first. This is the ultimate response to Moscow's current traffic problems. Around ten million people use it every single day – could you imagine that?

I can’t say it’s the most comfortable means of transport in the world. Unfortunately, Moscow metro is quite outdated and noisy. Plus, if you get down there during a rush hour – you’re going to be squeezed. Very useful when you’re on a diet, eh?

However, despite all the annoyances – this is your best chance to make it to all the Moscow sights on time. You won’t have to get stuck in traffic and you won’t have to look for a parking in Moscow downtown. In short, Moscow subway saves you a one big mess!

Think for yourself – if you’re staying at, say, Cosmos hotel and wish to see the Kremlin and its surroundings from the car windows, you risk hitting a terrible Moscow traffic jam on your way – and losing lots of precious time. However, if you just get down to “VDNH” metro station – the whole trip will take you no more than 20 minutes!

That’s especially important when you’re someone who likes to get up early to use the day to the fullest. No way will you be able to achieve that if you’re travelling around by car, because as soon as you leave the parking, you’re going to hit the morning traffic wave and get to your destination only after a couple of hours.

To be honest, it can even be more than a couple of hours! I remember who I was stuck on my way home for about 4 hours for no apparent reason. Do you really want to risk that?

Don’t be squeamish over travelling in Moscow subway. Yeah, it gets annoying sometimes – and there aren’t plenty of seats around, but the advantages clearly outweigh the problems!

By the way, Moscow metro is by itself a tourist destination! Quite a lot of stations look like full scale museums, with mosaics, statues and beautiful ornaments. It’s very easy to pass them by, with all that noise and crowds, but try to pay attention – and you’ll see how many interesting things are hidden there!

And did you know about another reason why Moscow metro was built? Sure, the city is huge – and people couldn’t afford cars, but did you notice how deep the central stations lie? That’s not accidental, because the subway was meant to become a massive fallout shelter in case of World War 3.

In fact, these plans haven’t gone anywhere, and I’d bet all the machinery is kept in perfect order – just in case! So you see, there’s another great reason to use Moscow metro – you’ll be safe as probably nowhere else. Now isn’t that inspiring??

In addition to subway, there’s also a network of trams. Sure, they’re much more affected by traffic than metro trains, but overall they’re much more reliable then buses. You see, the tram ways usually don't intersect with roads, so the you'll be kissing the Moscow traffic jams goodbye!

However, I wouldn’t advise to use trams for going long distance because you’re still risking to get stuck. Instead, try to combine it with Moscow metro so that you'll make the most of your trip underground and then board the tram for the rest of the way.

There’s one more kind of Moscow transport, and that’s service taxis. You’ve probably spotted these white and yellow minivans, travelling between bus stops? Yep, that’s them!

Service taxis are slightly more expensive then buses, but they’re also much faster. Sometimes they’re even too fast – but still nothing beats them in terms of convenience.

Again, the best way is to a supplement your Moscow metro rides with them. Unlike trams, Moscow service taxis are truly everywhere, and they especially “love” the exits from the subway. Once you've done with the metro – just get yourself above the ground and watch for those guys, there will be plenty!

Finally, there’s the most conventional transport of them all – buses. I wouldn’t advise to use them, because they are slow, get constantly stuck, break down – and are usually full of people. Let’s say you should use the bus only if there’s no other choice!

Ahh, but I almost forgot about the Moscow monorail, which goes between “VDNH” and “Timiriazevskaya” metro stations. It’s quite convenient, because these two subway lines don’t cross, and you had to use the ring line to pass between them.

Alas, the monorail project is not being developed any more. A pity, because it’s both convenient and lets you enjoy the view of Moscow rather than endless cables on tunnel walls!

As you see, there are plenty of ways to avoid Moscow traffic jams. Use whatever Moscow has got to offer – and you will make the most out of your trip!

…and that by the way, it doesn’t only apply to transport!

On the one hand there are several advantages - for example, it's easier to get from one end of Moscow to another, because you don't have to pass through the entire city.

On the other hand, such traffic system has multiple disadvantages which cause those terrible Moscow traffic jams we all hate. Let's talk about it in more details.

The first principle of Moscow roads network is that it has a ring-like structure. This principle goes back for centuries, because Moscow was built from the center, spreading more and more "layers" to the outside.

Historically it was very convenient, because back then the cities weren't really "planned", but rather built and constantly expanded. Plus, it was very convenient do defend them this way. However, as things progressed – this structure began seriously constraining Moscow's growth.

Take New-York, for example. When you look at the map, you’ll immediately notice that the city was well planned. In fact, it’s an incarnation of “begin with the end in mind” principle. There are lots of straight lines, loads of intersections – in short, the city architects “did their homework.”

However, things are much worse when it comes to Moscow, mainly because Moscow roads have been laid out way before there was anything running on internal combustion!

In the times of Soviet Union, the choice was simple. You could either tear the place down – or rebuild it from scratch, which was not the option. The second choice was to just use what you’ve got. Since traffic wasn’t really a big problem back then, it was decided that Moscow roads infrastructure will simply be “upgraded”.

And so, there was MKAD – the "Moscow Ring Road"...

Imagine a huge beltway running around the city, connected to every major traffic artery. Thousands and thousands of cars pass there every hour, looking to enter or leave – and it just never stops.

As I said, this is very convenient when you wish to travel large distance. Instead of going through the city center and risking getting stuck in Moscow traffic, you just hop on the highway and drive nice and easy to wherever you need. However, I should have said “it WAS very convenient”.

First of all, MKAD obviously can’t handle the load anymore. What was perfectly fine in Soviet times doesn’t quite work anymore, because the amount of cars in the city simply skyrocketed! No matter how many lanes you add – this isn’t going to change the “big picture”.

In addition, there’s large amount of shopping malls and other public places connected to MKAD. See, megastores like IKEA couldn’t enter Moscow itself because frankly – there isn’t much space left inside. Instead, they were asked to build their facilities outside of the city, while Moscow government connected them to the ring road.

The problem is there are just too many of them these days – and not all have a proper connection to MKAD. If you take IKEA or any other large store like “Mega” – they’ve got everything set up pretty well.

However, lots of places don’t bother to build the connecting roads long enough to accumulate the potential queue – and they end up clogging the main artery. Needless to say, they cause a huge amount of traffic jams, especially on weekends.

To solve that problem, Moscow government has built the “3rd transport ring” around Moscow, that lies between the MKAD and “Sadovoye kolco” – sort of an inner “ring road”. Although it did help to lower the burden – the traffic jams are still there.

These days they built the additional “4th transport ring” around the city, but I think it’s not going to help either because the whole idea of organizing the traffic in circles simply sucks.

You see, you can’t travel exactly through Moscow. At some point you will have to use one of Moscow’s ring roads to get to the other side, because in the center there’s Kremlin, and you can’t really drive through the place. Just look how many such “rings” we have already:

1. Bulvarnoe Kolco – probably the oldest one, this is just a bunch of inner city roads connected together.
2. Sadovoye Kolco – the main driveway of Moscow center, using which you can get nearly to all Moscow sights.
3. The 3rd Transport Ring – the one we spoke about, lies between MKAD and the city center
4. The 4th Transport Ring – being built currently, and will probably lie between the 3rd ring and MKAD.
5. Finally, we have MKAD itself, that is the “last line of defence”. Beside it, lies the Moscow region (except the neighborhood of Butovo which is sort of Moscow enclave beyond the usual city limits)

Needless to say, all these Moscow roads failed to solve the problem. Sure, there’s always a place for “complete redesign”, but we’ll have to wait for World War 3 at least.

However, I firmly believe that instead of building more and more traffic rings, Moscow government should focus on connecting the inner city roads in a way that will help people get to their destination in the most straightforward way possible.

I read many articles dedicated to the issue, and there are many specialists claiming that Moscow traffic problem can be solved by removing this ring-like “circulation” of traffic. Despite everything, these are just my ideas, and they probably won’t be of interest to anybody, BUT!

If we can’t fix it – we should at least know how it works. So again, if you want to go somewhere distant – use the MKAD or the 3rd Ring, because they are your best chance to get there on time. Try to avoid driving through the city center, especially through the very city center as you will get lost in all those tiny one way streets.

As a rule of thumb, try not to go beyond “Sadovoye Kolco” because Moscow roads located within are very confusing. Sure, if your Russian friends are going with you – fine, but don’t go there alone – or at least get yourself a decent Moscow map.

Remember – you can't drive straight through the city, sooner or later you’ll have to get on some of those rings.

…unless, of course, you are Barak Obama

When you visit this beautiful, quiet place right by the shores of Moskva river, you immediately feel how the sweet tranquility fills up up your entire being.

I don't know how how to describe that feeling. Some call it "holiness", others "wholeness", and buddhists call it "Nirvana", but as I said - words don't apply here, and even pictures do not. Seeing this place on a photo is not enough - you absolutely have to visit it, because only then you will literally feel "The Force" flowing through you.

In fact, I don't really understand where this feeling is coming from, because Novodevichy Convent's history is literally one big piece of drama, right from its foundation.

The convent was built by Tsar Vasilii III to commemorate the capture of Smolensk - and was also meant to be a fortress "covering" Moscow's borders, along with many other monasteries like Donskoy, Danilov, Simonov and Novospassky.

In fact, Novodevichy's main cathedral is called "Smolenskiy Sobor" - which is again dedicated to Smolensk. By the way, Tsar Vasilii was so proud of himself that the monastery even has a second name - "Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery", and I'd bet it was given to make sure no one will ever forget the glorious Russian victory - and the Tsar, of course.

I could never understand this. I don't know about other countries, but in Russia the convents were always associated with war. On the one hand it's good, because the convents were guarding the borders of our ocuntry, but on the other hand, I could never get the idea of fighting in God's name, because that's not quite what Jesus taught us, right?

I remember I even had an argument with a priest I know, and he literally knocked me down by telling that the monks were actually learning martial arts! That is why, he said, the Tsars always relied on the holy men to protect the country - the priests were actually fearsome warriors!

Now where did I hear that, hmmm? Perhaps the word "Shaolin" rings a bell? Guess the world's religions are more similar then we're used to think!

Ok, so as weird as it sounds to me - Novodevichy Convent was built to commemorate the victory AND to protect Moscow from unwanted visitors, like Tatars and Poles. Although I may not agree with blending of war and religion (lots of people still do), I am very, very happy the convent was build because it is sooooo beautiful!

Take a look at Smolensky sobor, for example. These golden domes, this architecture that goes back for many centuries - the entire place literally breathes with Russian spirit! In fact, doesn't it remind you of a miniature Kremlin?

To be honest, even now, when I'm looking at the picture, I feel strange warmth spilling inside my soul. Forgive me for being so sentimental - but I really, truly can't hold it. As cynical as I sometimes may sound - Novodevichy is my little personal totem...

And when you get inside, umm....when you get inside, you'll see ground floors, large spaces (because that's how we like to build in Russia), and many magnificent golden frescoes. Sometimes it's hard to believe they are real, but trust me - they are, and it's a true wonder they've made it to our time through all the troubled years!

And boy there were troubled years! Novodevichy was attacked countless times by the enemies of Moscow (no, not the Americans, silly, the Cold War happened much later!), and in 1612 it was captured and partly destroyed. Later on, thanks to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, the convent was re-captured and rebuilt with a new design.

But that’s not all. There’s another drama hidden behind those stone walls. You see, with time the monastery began to serve as a retirement place and sometimes a prison for the wives and female relatives of tsars and nobility.

Some of them came willfully, while others were literally forced, like with the case of Sofia Alexeevna, a half-sister of Peter The Great, whom he basically imprisoned. And might I add that her sad story wasn’t unique at all…

Why did Peter do that? Because Sofia refused to give the throne away to her brother, and so probably one day Peter woke up in a bad mood and decided to show everyone once and for all who was the man in the family.

To be serious, this is terrible – it’s basically a life sentence, but with a much stricter rules! Imaging waking up every single time at 5AM just to pray and work all day long! And to think Peter could do this to his close relative… what can I say - power games can often get very, very nasty!

By the way, one of the reasons the monastery became so rich with time is because the women had to hand over all their jewelry when they entered the convent, so I guess it was quite profitable to say the least. Well, what do you know - I’m getting cynical….again!

By the way, right near Novodevichy Convent there’s Novodevichy Cemetery – a place where many historic figures are buried. Scientists, philosophers, historians, artists – and many other people whose names are often mentioned in our school books.

Sure, that’s not exactly a good place for a visit – but that’s enough to only take a short glance to literally understand how “condensed” is the history over there.

Once you’ve finished going through the place, you can walk among the riverbanks to slowly think about what you’ve seen and more important - what you’ve felt.

I really, really hope that Novodevichy Convent will strike you right in the heart, and make you never forget your Moscow trip again! By the way, these days it’s also a branch of State Historic Museum, so think for yourself how important this place is!

And please, don’t think Novodevichy is located somewhere far, far away from the city center. Not at all! In fact, it sits right near “Luzhniki” stadium – and very close to “Lubianka” metro where there’s also a building of a once-almighty Russian KGB. From there, you can continue straight to the Kremlin if you like…

…but I suggest you dedicate to Novodevichy a whole separate day!

To help you out, I've decided to write this page, where I'll be sharing my secrets of dealing with Moscow roads. After all, I'm a driver myself, so why not help out my comrade, especially a foreign one? Trust me, I know your problems very well thanks to my numerous foreign friends!

Okay, the first thing you should become clear about is that Moscow driving can get quite extreme. Moscow drivers aren't very disciplined (although I am!), and frankly - I can't blame them.

When you have to drive many miles a day, getting constantly stuck in a traffic jams - it takes nerves of still not to break the rules. So, first of all - when in a traffic jam, be ready that people will try to bypass you from every possible direction. Don't get nervous - it's nothing personal, they're just trying to make it as fast as they can.

As I said, you can't really blame them. Sure, there are those who just don't care, but many people have a good reason to be in hurry. Some are late for work, others have an important meeting - and there are also lots of courier services in Moscow these days, and for those guys time is of utmost importance.

I wouldn't advise to "fight" them using your vehicle as some drivers do. You may see that some Moscow drivers begin blocking those who're trying to bypass them in a jam. Not a very good idea, because first of all - you're risking a traffic accident and second - you can't fight them all, right? No matter how hard you try to stop them, there will always be someone who succeeds, so just take it easy.

Russian Duma speaker, Boris Gryzlov, once pronounced a wonderful phrase - "the Parliament is no place for discussions." Whether he's right or not - I leave it up to you, but one thing's for certain - a road is no place for fights. Forget who's right and who is not, this is not important. What really matters is who makes it in one piece - and who doesn't. Your goal is not to outrun everyone but to travel safely from point A to point B.

Another peace of advice - don't mess with the hotheads. There's that golden Moscow driving rule that goes "make way for a fool", meaning you have to let those who misbehave just pass you by. Playing with them on the road can be dangerous for two reasons:

1) You're risking your car, yourself and those who're going together with you, and you aren't really proving anything to anyone.

2) You never know who's sitting in that vehicle. If that's an expensive Lexus or Porsche - better leave them alone, because those guys can be more dangerous than the accident itself!

Always try to plan your trip in advance if you don't want to waste your time in traffic. Although it doesn't always apply, it's better to wake up half an hour earlier and have a good chance to make it on time rather than to have to cancel an important meeting.

Use the services like Yandex.Probki ("Yandex Jams") to have a good outlook on current Moscow traffic. They became really accurate lately, so don't think it's just a nice picture that doesn't really show you anything!

If despite everything you're being late - speeding is the worst thing you can come up with. First of all, it's dangerous, plain and simple, and coupled with the fact there are many others who're trying to make their way against the rules - your chances of accident increase many times. Don't risk it, you're probably not *that* well-prepared for driving in Moscow!

Second, you can run into Moscow GIBDD, and then you'll either have to spend couple of hours paying fines in "Sberbank" - or buy your way out, like in "Monopoly".

Either of these ways isn't really good, and mind that if you've been really misbehaving - you can get your license suspended for a long, long time. The rules have been really tightened lately - and Moscow road police is always on its watch, so don't mess with them!

Always mind the weather. In winter, try to avoid driving if it's cold and snowy, because traffic is going to be terrible - and driving conditions aren't going to improve either. If everything goes really out of hand, there can be bare ice on the roads, and I wouldn't advise you to check your Moscow driving skills in that situation. Better use the good old Moscow metro!

Speaking of which - I would say that Moscow metro is probably the best option to travel around. If you've come for a short trip - there's no need to rent a car, because you're going to waste more time than gain.

Yes, our subway may not be the most comfortable around - but at least you'll make it on time without risking a traffic accident or getting mad at Moscow drivers who don't follow the rules. Consider this option before you're looking to rent a car!

Still not convinced? Well then, get yourself a set of wheels - and off you go! Just remember, always, always, ALWAYS play it safe! Driving in Moscow is not about proving anything to anyone, remember that! Just follow the rules, stay in the right lane - and obey the speed limit.

Let those who're looking to get hurt play their own games - you're smarter than that! As my grandfather once put it -"let them pass, they are in a hurry. In a hurry for their funeral." As cynical as it may sound - I couldn't have said id better myself!

...and you aren't in a hurry, right?

The first thing you have to learn about Moscow road police is that you can buy yourself out of almost any situation. Ain't very pleasant to tell - but hey, that's the sad truth. If you get pulled over by the the traffic cops, and you know you haven't been driving by the rules - chances are you'll be OK after spending around a hundred bucks.

This situation doesn't really add to traffic order and security, because many Moscow drivers realize they can buy themselves out, so when you're on the road - watch out for such hotheads. However, on the other hand - if you're driving "by the book", chances are you will be of no interest to GIBDD, and that's exactly what I think you should do while in Moscow.

When you're on the road, you can see that GIBDD is pretty much everywhere. Going in or out of Moscow? You'll have to pass their stationary posts.

By the way, if you have an extremely dirty vehicle - better clean it up before you enter the city, because otherwise you may get pulled over and fined. Such posts sometimes make the city look like in a blockade, but if you think about it - monitoring all exists is a darn good tactic when it comes to controlling potential traffic violators.

Stuck in the Moscow traffic? Be sure the police will soon be around, trying to clean up the mess (although they not always succeed). Going to the airport? You can bet you'll pass a couple of "ambushes" that Moscow traffic police uses to catch the drivers.

Trust me, there are countless places where they can appear - and there's no way hiding from those guys. Although I've never been stopped for all my driving years, nearly all of my friends have been caught here and there.

I should separately mention Moscow ring roads. When you're on a beltway - especially the newly built beltway number 4 - be careful not to exceed the speed limit. You may not see GIBDD, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.

These days they use special, long range laser devices to track down those who violate the speeding regulations. If you do - don't be surprised when a patrol car appears out of the blue and stops you. Then, it's either your wallet or your driving license.

Speaking of the driving license, are you sure the one that you're using can be used under Russian law? Some of my friends who are foreign citizens had a hard time explaining to the cops that their driving license applies in Russia. You should better check this issue with a professional lawyer, otherwise you're risking to get yourself into trouble!

By the way, keep in mind that Moscow road police force barely speaks any English. If Russian is not exactly your mother tongue, don't expect to finish the negotiations anywhere soon in case you get pulled over. Basically, you have two options - either learn our language, or always nearby have somebody who speaks Russian.

There's also an option to call your friends when Moscow traffic police officer stops you, but actually having that person near is a much, much better choice!

If despite all your efforts you got a speeding ticket - prepare to wait. See, Moscow traffic police is an extremely bureaucratic organization. Even the simplest operation may take you several hours, and if you're in for a more complicated task - be sure you'll lose the entire day (or even two!)

By the way, if your car is registered to a foreign company, there's only one GIBDD station that deals with all the registration issues. It's located in the southern outskirts of Moscow, on 6-ya Radialnaya st. I've been there a couple of times - and it was not a very pleasant experience.

If you have to register a vehicle there, I suggest you pay several thousand rubles to an intermediary (their offices are located right inside the building), and let them do everything for you, otherwise it's a one big nightmare.

OK, so what can you do to ensure you're ready to meet the Moscow road police? Simple - obey all the rules. Namely, you should have a med kit and a fire extinguisher in your vehicle (and that's an absolute must.)

You should have a valid driving license, and you should have some sort of a document that confirms your right for the car you're driving (usually it's a power of attorney).

You should be sober, wear a seatbelt (it's not necessarily to wear it in the back seat, but I strongly advise you do), and be as polite as possible. That's pretty much it.

Always mind the behavior of the officers who have stopped you. If they seem inadequate - don't push it, just do whatever they ask. Generally it's not such a good idea to argue with them, although they rarely mess with foreign citizens. If you want to read more about the possible precautions - be welcome on my Moscow Police page.

And another thing - GIBDD watches the type of vehicle closely. If they see an expensive car driven by a foreigner, there are more chances they will stop it because obviously they think they can profit from you.

Don't be afraid if you know you haven't been speeding and all your papers are in place. Just ask them what exactly have you done wrong, and I bet they will let you go after a brief check.

Don't be afraid of Moscow road police, they aren't that scary. If you know what to expect from them, and if you're prepared - there's not much they can do to you. If you get pulled over too often - consider changing a vehicle, because this may be attracting them. Otherwise I don't see any reasons why you should get in trouble.

Happy driving, folks!

Alright, so it all started with the big shootout in the supermarket. Moscow police major Denis Yevsyukov has gone rampage right in a shop full of people. This guy basically pulled out his gun and started shooting everyone he saw!

Later, when he was finally arrested, he admitted that he's been having problems with his wife and at work, and that he drank too much that evening. The latter is true, because right before this tragic incident, Yevsyukov was having a birthday party and was obviously not very sober.

Anyways, since that moment, incidents like that began happening all across the country. Moscow police officers that are supposed to protect us started going crazy, shooting and hurting people. Sure, those things weren't left unnoticed by the government (Yevsyukov is facing life sentence), but that's not going to really help us, right?

Anyways, in my Moscow police page I was talking about all the things you should do in order to avoid any problems with the local cops. In addition to that, I want to give another set of advice to make sure you'll stay out of trouble

1. Don't walk alone.
   I've said it before, and I'll say it again - do not wander alone. It's not such a big problem when you're in the center of Moscow, of course, but once you're willing to travel further - be sure to have someone by you, which brings us to...
2. Try to arrange a local company.
   If you have Russian friends, relatives or even co-workers - try to take a couple of them to the trip. If you run into problems with Moscow cops, it's better to have someone who knows how things work.
3. Watch the cops' condition.
   If they seem drunk or doped, or just behave aggressively - don't push it. The best way is to pay them, but if they insist on taking you to the precinct, better agree and ask your friends to contact the embassy if the cops don't let you out in an hour or two.
4. Stay out of trouble.
   Keep away from demonstrations, large-scale soccer games, and anything else that may draw the attention of authorities. You don't want to mess with Moscow riot police.
5. Buy your way out.
   Yep, it's not pleasant to say, but that's how it works. Paying the annoying cops right on the street is probably the easiest way out of the situation. By the way, I'm not saying it's the first thing you should try! If all your papers are in order, there's no reason to pay, but if anything goes wrong - that's is your "plan B".

All of the points above may not sound very pleasant, I know - but let's be realistic. You want to try and read those guys your Constitutional rights - be my guest. Personally, I think it's much better to do whatever is possible to escape the dangerous situation. By the way, it doesn't mean that afterward you can't....

...complain. Yes, that's right. If you've been harassed by Moscow police - you can write a complaint to the authorities, starting with the Prosecutor's office. Don't even think of doing it by yourself - you'll definitely need a good lawyer to pull that one off.

In addition to Prosecutor's office, the Ministry of the Interior has the internal investigations department that can also aid you in finding the corrupt police officers and bringing them to justice.

With all being said, remember - "better safe than sorry", and that rule applies to contemporary Moscow police very well.

If we can't get rid of this problem - we can at least understand what's causing it, and more important - how we can minimize its impact on our lives.

OK, so what are the causes of those horrible Moscow traffic jams we've been having all these years? I would say there are two main ones, namely:

1. Poor city planning
2. Inefficient road-building policy.

The problem with city planning goes back to the good old times of the Soviet Union. It may be a little hard for you to grasp, but back then Moscow was sort of restricted area, like a military base or an airport. Yes, yes - not everyone could live there, and it wasn't about money. You just had to get a separate permission from authorities to move to Moscow - and believe me, it was not easy!

Let's just say that in order to get Moscow propiska (registration), you had to marry a muscovite, get a job in Moscow or get invited by the authorities if the country needed you. It's kinda like getting a visa to another state these days, only that in the Soviet Union going abroad was nearly impossible thing to do.

Needless to say, such harsh measures seriously restricted population growth. Moscow was barely growing, and you didn't really need a developed road network like in New-York or, say, Tokyo. However, what was even worse is that building such a road network wasn't even planned! On the contrary, the Soviet government was 100% sure that the Communism will soon conquer the entire Earth.

Therefore, Moscow's general development plan was built on assumption that things will remain the same for indefinitely long. But as you probably heard - "assumption is the mother of all screw-ups."

In 1991, Soviet Union was gone for good, and all the internal migration barriers were, naturally, lifted. Thousands of people began moving to Moscow in search for better life - and you can't blame them for that.

But guess what - the roads were still the same old Soviet roads, and even they began rapidly deteriorating due to serious economic problems the country experienced. In the same time, the amount of cars grew rapidly, and within just several years we witnessed the first Moscow traffic jams.

Obviously, this problem can't be fixed quickly, but the thing is - it's not really being fixed! Instead of building small passages here and there, adding dozens of tunnels in the most critical spots and doing everything "by the book", the authorities prefer to fight Moscow traffic by adding more and more large interchanges that don't really solve anything.

Nowadays, if I want to go from point A to point B, I will probably have to pass a couple of such monstrosities on my way. The problem is they drastically increase the time spent on the road, add to the air pollution - and therefore lower the efficiency of Moscow roads even further. In short, such interchanges are good for the highways, but when it comes to inner city transit - they must be avoided at all costs.

Why isn't our mayor Luzhkov doing anything about it? I think the main reason is corruption. It's much more profitable to build a megajunction than to deal with all those little improvements here and there, and there are so many interested parties involved into this business!

To sum it up, both Moscow jams causes are well-rooted, and they probably aren't going anywhere in the nearest decade. But let's think positive. If we can't make a problem disappear - how can we minimize the damage?

Well, the the first wise thing to do is to use the Moscow metro. It may me noisy and stuffed, but at least you'll make it on time, without all the traffic hassle. Personally, I always prefer to use the metro over if you use the car - there's never knowing where and when your journey will end.

Another good thing would be not trying to avoid the peak times. There were sweet innocent days when you could wake up half an hour earlier and be sure the roads won't be jammed. Well, such days are no more. Right now, Moscow traffic can hit you anytime and anywhere. For example, on Tverskaya you can get stuck even in the middle of the night, and since it's a major traffic artery - don't think it only affects those who came to have fun in casinos!

Finally, if you do get stuck in a jam - take it easy. It may take you anywhere between an hour and a whole day to get out, so if you have serious upcoming appointments - better reconsider. Again, remain calm. Getting irritated won't help you - it's like getting angry at an earthquake or a meteor.

Put on some relaxing music, think about all the good things you have in your life. After all, one of the main reasons we get upset in a jam is because we want to do a lot of stuff all the time. Well, maybe life isn't only doing things! Heard of Zen? Just try to take the Moscow traffic as it is, and you'll see how it helps. I know, I've tried!

Ommmmmmmm....

Finally, if you can't give up on using a vehicle - try using the services like Yandex.Probki, which show you all the current traffic jams in Moscow. This way, you can know for sure if going out is worth it. By the way, if Moscow weather is stormy or snowy - better stay home, because the jams are going to be unbelievably long!

Well, I think I've pretty much exhausted my knowledge about traffic jams in Moscow. Hope this information will help you save lots of your precious time - after all, there are so many great ways to spend it in our beautiful city!

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