Driving me crazy...

The subject of Moscow traffic is looming large in my blog right now, I know. I apologise for that; after this post I promise to write about something else - until at least next Tuesday, anyway....

Years ago, back in the mid 1990's when Husband was living in Moscow the first time round, he used to regale me with tales of how crazy the roads could get over here.

I heard stories of taxi drivers reaching into their glove compartments and pulling out bottles of vodka which, rather than drinking, they would then - whilst driving, and through an open window - tip all over their windscreen to clear away the muck. (Why? Well, it was cheaper than screen wash and of course wouldn't freeze in the low temperatures.)

He talked about how, on a Friday afternoon before a bank holiday weekend, the roads out of town were so busy that on highways without a central reservation the outgoing traffic would simply encroach on the inbound side of the road until all 6 lanes were taken up by cars leaving Moscow.

He talked of corrupt traffic police who, having pulled you over on a technicality, would simply fine you whatever you had in your wallet, and he described the closure of entire motorways for VIP's to use on their way into work on a Monday morning from their out-of-town dachas.

Ridiculous stories, surely? Urban myths, obviously. Except, as I'm sure you've guessed, all as true as the fact that I still haven't shed that last half a stone of babyweight 4 years after Boy #2 arrived. Today, however, sitting in a queue for a traffic light, I experienced a new one. The light was taking a long time to change - far longer than it normally did. In fact, when I checked the time I realised I'd been sitting there for 15 minutes without moving. 'Great', I thought. 'The (expletive deleted) lights are broken.'

But a couple of minutes later, the steady stream of traffic crossing the lights in front of me made way as a cavalcade - complete with flashing blue lights at either end - sped through it. And 30 seconds after it had gone through, the lights changed to green.

Coincidence?

I would hate to say that Russia is a country where traffic stops for you and lights change in your favour if you're important enough, but...