Crazy driving in Kiev!

[Jack]

Just heard from one of the ladies who works for me in Kiev. She says that since Yushenko fired all the traffic police a few weeks ago people are breaking driving rules, many people driving drunk.

In case you did not hear Yushenko fired all the traffic police because they were known as being crooks, getting money from drivers. He has not hired replacements yet and the drivers of Ukraine are not concerned with breaking any traffic laws now, their are none.

 

[corncrowe]

Jack,

Good to know when I return and bring my car....

  

Jon

[Shadow]

Good news...I can get cheap spare parts in Kiev to assemble my Volga

I remeber the Traffic policeman standing with his lasergun. Stopping an old Lada that could barely go 55, and letting the brand new Mercedes CLK pass by at 100. Without the traffic cops, at least the rules are equal for all.

[ConnerVT]

An interesting observation I made this summer in Sochi.  It seems that the city did not have the money to pay for the electricity and maintenance of the traffic signals (I guess they spent all their money on the new sidewalks they were installing).  I only saw two traffic lights (of at least 50) that worked.

Although there were virtually no police directing traffic, the flow of traffic went pretty smoothly (for Russia, anyway ).  You needed to be a bit brave (or foolhardy) to be a pedestrian and cross the street, but the streets remained negotiable, and I did not see any more accidents than at any other time or place in Russia.