Cycling in Moscow

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Not overly known for its cycle friendliness, city authorities in Moscow plan to change this with a strategy to turn Moscow into a cycling paradise in the next five years, but don’t hold your breath for anything revolutionary in a city where the car is king.

Under plans to develop Moscow’s transport infrastructure in the period between 2011 and 2016, the Moscow State Government has set a target of increasing cycle routes by a measly 45km over the period. On top of this, up to 10,000 cycle parking places are to be put in place by 2016 to encourage more people to cycle. Currently the only safe way to cycle leisurely in the city is along the Moskva and Yauza rivers.

Other proposals to overhaul the capital’s transportation system in preparation for the World Cup in Russia in 2018 include the slightly cycle unfriendly plan to increase the speed of traffic by 17%, build new roads, install 850 cameras to monitor traffic and launch river taxis and ferry services.

Crazy traffic

Moscow’s traffic jams are the longest among the world’s 20 biggest cities, which make cycling ideal, though pollution may be a problem, but as the youtube video shows below it looks one helluva scary ride in a city where there is no infrastructure and drivers are not used to people cycling.