President Putin fixes Russia's traffic congestion, for about an hour
Here's one way to clear traffic jams – become the Russian President. The above picture shows you how a typical Moscow street looks at pretty much any time of day. It's bumper-to-bumper traffic as far as the eye can see. But to paraphrase Mel Brooks in History of the World, Part I, "It's good to be the Pres." When President Putin has to get somewhere in a hurry, they make sure he can arrive in a timely fashion. The following photo shows how the same streets look when his Mercedes Limo and G-Wagen entourage comes idling through. It's a pretty dramatic difference, as you can see. And with no bystanders, there's virtually no chance someone will point and snicker if you happen to break down. Food for thought, Secret Service.[Source: English Russia]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Juan 5:44PM (6/14/2007)
Even he won't ride in a Russian car :)
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JC3 5:57PM (6/14/2007)
He must be doing it for the approval ratings(sarcasm).You'd think after that long era of communism they would have learned not to stoke the resentment between the haves and the have nots.must be some Russian social pathology.I mean,isn't that what started the peasant revolts which led to the overthrow of the ruling class back in the days of the czar?Either that or He's scared about being assasinated by some mobster.
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geo.stewart 6:00PM (6/14/2007)
No different than what goes on in the U.S. roads and over/under passes are cleared for the sitting president.
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SobeSVT 6:40PM (6/14/2007)
Since Putin doesn't go about in a breaking down Cadillac limousine he can take full advantage of his authoritarian ways.
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Andy 10:21PM (6/14/2007)
Yeah, the grandeur of a Benz, which has the reliability of a five-year-old Lexus.
SobeSVT 10:42PM (6/14/2007)
Well 5 year old Lexi are more reliable than a new Cadillac, let alone the presidential limo. Especially after that Italian job last week.
Nick 7:03PM (6/14/2007)
The traffic jam example picture looks like it was taken from the upper floors of the Smolenskiy Passazh building. The tan building on the left is the SW-corner of the MID (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, equivalent to our State Dept).
And while it is common for the traffic to really be that bad, it's not true that it's like that 24/7. On example is before 9am on a Saturday morning, when you can have a 20 lane boulevard mostly to yourself and do 80+ mph through the middle of town without a second thought. (Especially when you have red Diplomatic plates!) It's the closest I've ever come to re-creating 'Need for Speed' in real life. ;)
But it is quite a shock to see the roads completely empty. The only time I ever saw it was during the Victory Day celebration (May 9), when it was closed for a bike race. You can see my surprise here..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curlykrakow/143584014/in/set-72057594098566024/
(about a mile north on the Garden Ring from where the traffic jam picture was taken)
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far jr 7:45PM (6/14/2007)
Check out that little pack of traffic near the lower right corner of the photo. Sure makes walking to work a much more pleasurable thought doesn't it?
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Bill 10:02PM (6/14/2007)
The same thing happens if you live in the Washington DC area.
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SteveinVT 7:35AM (6/15/2007)
Lived in Moscow for 3 years along the street (Kutuzosky Prospect) Putin uses to drive home. Spent many an hour stuck waiting for him to go by.... The only saving grace is that he has the decency to work odd hours. Typically goes to work around 11am and returns around 10 at night, so I was not held up too often.
The really wild thing is that in the 5 minutes before and after he goes by your mobile phone shuts off and so does your internet (our apartment directly faced the street)....
paul34 10:02PM (6/14/2007)
Well considering Putin's style, I'd say there's a pretty good chance of "disappearing" and then dying a mysterious illness in a foreign hospital for blocking his motorcade.
So really, he's just saving the lives of his people! (from himself...)
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Steve Wingate 9:22PM (6/15/2007)
As others have already said, the same thing happens when our own president comes to call. I can remember I20/59 thru Birmingham, Alabama being completely shut down the last time Bush paid a visit.
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