Traffic jams on the M4 Don are now displayed on the online map and show the situation on the road today in real time. This function becomes especially useful with the beginning of the summer holidays, when tens of thousands of tourists from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine flock by car towards the south and the Black Sea.
The Don highway will be in a state of local permanent road construction work for several more years, incl. I strongly recommend monitoring the situation on the road, otherwise there is a high probability of spending from 5 to 20 hours during the entire trip on useless idle time in traffic jams, especially in the Rostov region and Krasnodar region.
The data collected in the article is current for 2019, and as new information becomes available, the article will be supplemented and corrected.
Traffic jams on the M4 Don highway are now on the online map
An online map of traffic jams on the Don highway allows you to assess the scale of the traffic jam, see the current speed of traffic in a particular place and understand where exactly you should turn off the road in order to avoid a large accumulation of cars and not stand idle under the scorching sun, practically without traffic, for several grueling hours.
The maps are interactive and allow you to navigate around the entire area, as well as zoom in and out using mouse scrolling or the "+" and "-" buttons on the left side.
Yandex traffic
The Yandex online traffic map shows the operational situation on the roads today and over the next week. The information is updated every 4 minutes and is automatically adjusted on the diagram without requiring any action from you.
Above the problem area in the upper right corner the degree of its load in points and the time of the last check are displayed.
If you click on the gear, a window with a slider will appear, with which you can predict the likelihood of an increase in traffic flow for the next hour. Under the slider you can check the "Traffic events" checkbox - in this case, all the places where the events take place will be immediately displayed on the map. renovation work, an accident has occurred or the passage is closed.
The "Statistics" tab accumulates information about traffic jams by day of the week over the past 2 months. By selecting the desired day and moving the slider to the desired time of day, we will see the traffic situation simulated with a high degree of probability, which should be expected in the near future.
By clicking on the black arrow button in the upper left corner, you will move to your current location.
Scheme for avoiding traffic jams on the highway
Below we will look at the most problematic sections of the M4 highway, where prolonged traffic jams occur during the holiday season. In addition to traffic congestion avoidance routes, online maps with the current situation on the roads today.
The village of Losevo is located on the M4 Don in the Pavlovsky district of the Voronezh region. Below we describe in detail how to avoid traffic jams in Losevo from and to Moscow.
Method 1 - any direction
Residents of Voronezh and the region have studied the bypass routes best of all and, in their opinion and experience, today the undisputed leader is the route Sredny Ikorets - Liski - an urban-type settlement (not to be confused with the neighboring village) Kamenka - Pavlovsk. The bypass road is good, takes 1 hour and adds an extra 90 km.
If you are driving in the direction of Moscow, then, before reaching Verkhniy Mamon, you can leave the toll highway a little earlier and adhere to the following settlements: Derezovka - Novaya Kalitva - Rossosh - Liski.
Vladimirovka - Gran - Pokrovka - Losevo - frankly not the best route, passing through villages with a rather poor asphalt surface and through fields with forests on a compacted dirt road (10-12 km) with deep puddles. But despite this, vacationers come here and do it often. In dry weather, pussers of the Astra, Mazda 5 and 2110 level pass without problems. Total 50 km, detour 25 km, time - 1 hour.
M4 - Berezki - Poddubny - Losevo - the road is generally tolerable, without gravel and forced marches across the field. In Poddubny the asphalt is good, but outside it, as usual in the village.
Video with alternative routes
Under the video player there is a playlist where you can choose the appropriate detour method.
Avoiding traffic jams in the Kamensk-Shakhtinsky (Kalinovka) area
The city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky and the Kalinovka farm in the Rostov region in the summer become another obstacle for tourists trying to quickly get to warm regions or return to your favorite job.
But it doesn’t matter, I’ll tell you how to safely get around the traffic jam in the Kamensk-Shakhtinsk area.
Option 1 - to the South
In Kamensk-Shakhtinsk itself, we turn off right before the interchange from the M4 highway onto the street. Heroes of the Pioneers, after about 3 km we come to another junction, where you need to enter it from reverse side To go left across the railway tracks, immediately turn right and go around the park along the street. Likhovskaya, at the roundabout we keep to the main road (straight) along the street. Profilnaya, we pass the next circle, turn right onto the A-250 highway, soon it will sharply bend by ~45 degrees, leading to the street. Marine.
After about 5 km, don’t miss the turn to the Volchinsky farm, behind it is Svetly, past the Uglerodovsky urban settlement, through the railway tracks, we pass through the Likhovskaya microdistrict on the street. Pushkin, at the end to the right and, slightly twisting, this road will take you back to the Don highway after ~8.5 km. Total mileage 55 km, time - 1 hour.
In the village of Molodezhny we turn off the M4 and stay along the railway tracks, pass the Bozhkovka railway station, after 1 km turn left, past the village of Topolevy, through the village of Bozhkovka and x. Volodarsky. The detour is 40 km, will take ~40-50 minutes, the coverage is ok, with a few exceptions, but nothing to worry about.
Avoiding traffic jams in Rostov-on-Don
In the Rostov region, toll sections of the M4 Don highway will be under construction for a long time, so there is no full-fledged ring road yet, and in the summer the entrance to Rostov is catastrophically overloaded with transit tourists’ cars. In order not to waste precious vacation time, breathing the exhaust fumes of hundreds of smoking cars, use the recommendations provided.
Traffic jams in Rostov now on the Yandex map
We leave the M4 for Novocherkassk-Bolshoi Log-Aksai.
Direction to Moscow - we leave the Don highway at Vodyana Balka.
Moving towards the capital, if you have passed the stationary traffic police checkpoint and entered Tsukerova Balka, you will have to drive onto a well-trodden field road. Local “entrepreneurs” offer uninformed travelers escort for 500 rubles.
If the final (intermediate) point of the trip is planned in the Anapa area, i.e. this could be the Kerch crossing and Gelendzhik, then the traffic jams of Rostov-on-Don can be bypassed from the other side of the city and head to the sea along the Azov highway.
It will look like this: on the M-4 Don, after Krasny Kolos, before reaching the village of Rassvet, we turn right to Krasny Krym, through the village of Leninavan past Koisug we get to the village of Novoaleksandrovka. We continue to drive past the dacha non-profit partnership (DNT) Michurinets-3, through Peshkovo to the villages of Starominskaya and Staroderevyankovskaya (Kanevskaya). The further path to the South is described below under the spoiler "Scheme 2".
How to get around traffic jams in Timashevsk?
Through Timashevsk, a dense flow of vacationers’ cars travels towards the Kerch crossing, but the city greets guests with serious congestion due to the railway tracks passing there.
Current state of affairs on the roads
To avoid getting into a traffic jam on the way to the sea, use the proposed detour route diagram.
Moving from Bryukhovetskaya on the roundabout in front of Timashevsky, we ignore the right turn and continue moving straight (towards Krasnodar). We are looking for a turn into the city on the street. 50 years of October, we drive to the street. Shevchenko, where we go right again until the intersection with the street. Brothers Stepanov, at this intersection we turn left towards the street. Profile. We cross the railway crossing and go left onto the street. Pobeda or Voroshilov.
The described option, although it eliminates certain troubles, is still not without some disadvantages due to driving around the city.
This route involves completely excluding Timashevsk and driving past it: the Don highway - the village of Kanevskaya - Bryukhovetskaya - Novodzherelievskaya - Grechanaya Balka - Slavyansk in the Kuban.
We leave Kanevskaya behind and in Pereyaslavskaya we go to Bryukhovetskaya, through the Pody farm we reach the village of Novodzherelievskaya and through Rogovskaya we get to Grechanaya Balka. Next will be the villages of Novonikolaevskaya, after it Starodzherelievskaya, Poltavskaya and at the end Slavyansk-on-Kuban. Please note that transit transport is prohibited from passing through it, so we use the ring road. The detour is only 15 km, but there are no unnecessary unplanned long stops.
Video of the Timashevsk bypass according to scheme 2
Dzhubga - traffic jams and their detours
During the holiday season, the Krasnodar region is famous for its epic traffic jam Goryachiy Klyuch - Defanovka - Dzhubga. But tourists travel along this section of the M4 Don highway on vacation to Gelendzhik, Tuapse, Sochi, Adler and Abkhazia. In order not to waste your nerves and irreplaceable hours of your long-awaited vacation, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the alternative route to the sea, passing through the Shaumyan Pass.
Current online congestion level
Let me clarify right away that for the most part there is no asphalt surface, and you have to drive on normal gravel roads at an average speed of 20-40 km/h, everything takes 25-30 minutes. IN rainy weather With low ground clearance, it’s better not to meddle with the pass, but in dry conditions, lowered cars with a ground clearance of 10 cm can easily pass.
I describe the direction towards the sea: before reaching Goryachiy Klyuch, we leave the M4 highway to the village of Saratovskaya and Kubanskaya, pass Apsheronsk and Khadyzhensk, fly over Shaumyan and end up in Tuapse.
How to drive along the M4 Don without wasting time?
To minimize the likelihood of being stuck in traffic jams for a long time, try to stick to simple tips, based on the experience of tourists who were personally “lucky” to experience all this torment.
Traffic jams on the Moscow Ring Road: symptoms and course of treatment March 25th, 2013
Why is the Moscow Ring Road standing, despite its 10 traffic-light-free lanes? And what to do about it?
Surely almost every driver who has been stuck in a traffic jam for many hours on the Moscow Ring Road has asked himself these questions.
One of the reasons is sometimes called “too frequent departures and arrivals”
Let's see if this is true. Here is a map of congresses for 2011 from a study by Probok.net on traffic police posts at the entrances to Moscow. There are 49 entrances here. 
In a year and a half, 4 new ones have been opened: the second exit from Kurkino and a backup of the Dmitrovskoye Highway, plus 2 connections made through the efforts of Probok.net - travel under the Moscow Ring Road at 18 km and a bridge across the Moscow Ring Road at the 87th km. In total there were 53 of them. Dividing 109 km (the length of the Moscow Ring Road) by 53, we get an average of 1 entry/exit per 2.05 km. Which is quite within the framework of world practice for highways in agglomerations.
Of course, the distribution of exits is uneven: on average, there is 1 exit per 1.7 km in the western part and 1 for every 3.4 km in the eastern part of the Moscow Ring Road. But practice shows that when the distance between interchanges is 1-1.5 km, problems with crossing streams do not arise, and right-turn exits are acceptable more often. So the “frequency” of exits and entries has nothing to do with it. On the contrary, in the eastern part of the city they are clearly lacking.
What are the causes of traffic jams on the Moscow Ring Road?
There are, as always, a lot of them. It is worth remembering a lot shopping centers along the Moscow Ring Road, and poor road connectivity in Moscow and the region along the Moscow Ring Road. Traffic violations and lack of seats emergency stop. A large number of heavy trucks in general and their “slippage” in winter in particular.
All this is true. But there is another group of reasons, and it will probably be the most important. This is poor organization of exits and interchanges on the Moscow Ring Road. Components of the problem:
1. Clover junctions cannot cope with the load and “self-lock”
First of all, this applies to interchanges with large outbound highways. Moreover, the wider the highway in the region and in Moscow, the more serious the problem. The problem is aggravated by the absence of acceleration and deceleration lanes.
We will show how this happens using the example of the clover interchange of the Moscow Ring Road with the M4 Don and Lipetskaya Street. The diagram shows a traffic jam on the “clover petal” from the M4 from the area to the inner Moscow Ring Road. Those waiting in line to enter line up in several rows and practically block direct passage to Moscow. Further, those stuck in the traffic jam begin to interfere with the exit from the MKAD to Moscow (they have to “infiltrate”, the traffic jam at the exit goes to the MKAD, on the MKAD drivers also stand in 3-4 lanes and further along the chain. 
Interestingly, this congestion occurs most of the time, even when the Moscow Ring Road is free. Its reason is the low capacity of left-turn clover petals (about 1000-1200 cars per hour). This is sufficient when the intersecting highway has 2 traffic-lightless or 3 traffic-light lanes in each direction. When the number of lanes reaches 4 in one direction, and the highway becomes without traffic lights, demand increases to 1500-2000 cars per hour. It is not surprising that there is almost always a traffic jam here.
2. “Slow” flows of exits and entrances are in no way separated from the “fast” main flow
Scientifically speaking, on the Moscow Ring Road there is no division of roadways into transit and collector. This in itself slows down the right lane even without congestion, and in combination with the mass of violators who want to avoid the traffic jam, it also slows down 1-2 neighboring lanes.
We have already seen above how this problem arises. And here is an illustration of the consequences using the example of the Kashirskoye Highway interchange with Kolomensky Proezd. Because of this effect on Kashirskoye Highway In the evening arises traffic jam towards the center before the junction, and after it everything is free: 
Effective administrative means of combating this violation have not yet been invented.
3. Traffic lights on streets and highways located close to junctions with the Moscow Ring Road
In some cases, the traffic light is located almost at the junction itself. The most striking example of a mistake is the intersection of Ostashkovskoe Highway with Severodvinskaya Street and Studeny Proyezd, which has been collecting many kilometers along the outer side of the Moscow Ring Road for about 10 years, and now it has sometimes begun to collect along the inner side as well. By the way, on the outside the clover was “expanded” to 2 rows from the standard 1, and recently something similar was done with inside MKAD. But the traffic light and traffic police post brought all this work to naught.
I'm a big proponent of traffic lights as a great way to control traffic. So, for the safety and convenience of pedestrians, improving road traffic.
But when a traffic light blocks traffic on the Moscow Ring Road, creating problems for tens of thousands of people every day, it is obvious that something needs to be done, and done urgently.
Ostashkovskoye Highway is not the only place with a similar problem. We see the same thing at the entrance from the Moscow Ring Road to Strogino and many other places.
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What are the authorities planning to do?
The MKAD planning project, which is being prepared by the Moskomarkhitektura and the Research and Design Institute of the General Plan, provides means to combat all three reasons.
1. Almost all clover interchanges are being reconstructed with the addition of overpass directional ramps
Approximately how it is now done at the junctions with Novorizhskoye, Leningradskoye, Yaroslavskoye, Varshavskoye highways:
This is what the interchange between Yaroslavsky and MKAD looks like in 3D: 
Thanks to Airpano.ru for the beauty.
2. At all junctions, as well as at other exit points, “collector-distribution” side passages will appear
They will be physically separated from the main course of the Moscow Ring Road. As a rule, they will start 100-300 meters before the junction, and end 100-300 meters after. This will allow:
- separate lane changes and crowding in the right lanes from direct high-speed traffic
- eliminate massive traffic violations by physically fencing off small-width side passages.
Now something similar has been built at the “fresh” junction – the exit from Kurkino. True, here the advantages of side passages are difficult to assess - the interchange is relatively lightly loaded and simple, and was also made “with a reserve”: 
3. Traffic lights located close to exit points on streets and highways will be removed
It is for this reason that during the reconstruction of Kashirsky and Warsaw highway were built in the first case - a reversal tunnel, in the second - a reversal overpass. Many people (including me) intuitively think that these objects are not the most necessary, because... There are no traffic jams due to these traffic lights now. But we must understand that this was done “with a reserve” for the future of 2-5 years (reconstruction of interchanges on the Moscow Ring Road and increase in traffic on the radial highway itself).
Here is what has already been done on Varshavsky and Kashirskoye near the Moscow Ring Road:
What about the implementation?
The closest ones in line for reconstruction are the interchanges in the southern sector of the Moscow Ring Road, as one of the most problematic. Terms – from 2 to 4 years. You can see how it will look in the diagrams below (clickable). The diagrams are purely preliminary, from the “draft planning project” from NIIiPI, as of August 2012. The final projects may (and most certainly will) differ!
Interchange of the Moscow Ring Road with Leninsky Prospekt and M3: 
Interchange of the Moscow Ring Road with Karamzin Passage (exit to Sevastopolsky): 
Interchange of the Moscow Ring Road with Lipetskaya Street and M4: 
Interchange between the Moscow Ring Road and Kashirskoe Highway: 
MKAD interchange with Volgogradskoe highway and M5: 
Will this be enough to completely rid the Moscow Ring Road of traffic jams?
I believe this will solve most of the problems of the Moscow Ring Road. But in order to finally get rid of traffic jams on the Moscow Ring Road, at least 4 more problems will need to be solved:
- Improve connectivity road network on the periphery of the city
- Figure out how and where to quickly and legally remove emergency vehicles from the roadway
- Eliminate the phenomenon of “roadside detour”
- Reconstruct Maloye concrete ring(and build the Central Ring Road, since they decided to do so)
But more on that another time.
There are many kilometers of traffic jams all over the world, which have become a daily problem for drivers. Traffic jam statistics allow you to obtain up-to-date information on the density of traffic flows. Thanks to this, drivers can avoid busy roads and avoid wasting time in hours-long traffic jams.
Influencing factors
Why do traffic jams occur? Traffic jam statistics reveal the main factors:
- Disorganization of drivers.
- Imperfect road junctions that lead to vehicle collisions.
- Lack of parking lots.
- Growing number.
- Holidays(road congestion increases).
If we consider by month, then most often congestion occurs in winter period or early spring. Since the quantity increases due to weather conditions. In summer people usually go on vacation. Consequently, the number of cars decreases and road passability improves.
Traffic jam statistics by time show that weekday congestion on city roads occurs in the morning and evening hours (08:00–10:00, 18:00–20:00). At this time, people get to work or school.
Rating of countries by the number of traffic jams
Analytics company Inrix conducts research on traffic congestion in 38 countries. As a result, there are certain statistics for cities and countries. TOP 10 states:
Traffic jam statistics for 2016 show that Thailand ranks 1st in terms of traffic jams. Here, motorists spend 61 hours a year stuck in traffic jams. Russia and the USA together occupy fourth place – 42 hours.
Developing countries are at the top of the rankings as the number of cars has increased due to economic recovery. There are predictions that the number worldwide will double in 20 years. About 90% of them will be in developing countries. Traffic statistics by hour in European countries:
In first place by city is Los Angeles - 104 hours. The only city in the world where drivers are stuck in traffic jams for more than 4 days. Here 80% have their own transport. List of cities:
Another Russian city made it into the top five - Krasnodar (5th place). Here, the density of traffic flows is also increasing due to road construction work on the Don highway.
The situation in the capital of Russia
Traffic statistics in Moscow show that it is the busiest city in Russia. The situation worsens during rainfall and on holidays. The necessary data can be taken from. Traffic statistics by day highlight Monday as the quietest day of the week. Whereas Thursday is considered the hardest day.
On Saturday, mid-day traffic jams can be even worse than on Monday. By time of day on Sunday, traffic congestion is at its lowest level. Traffic jam statistics in Moscow by hour (during the working day):
In the morning the direction to the center is busy. This is evidenced by Yandex research. Traffic jams. According to statistics, it will take 5 times longer (than in the absence of congestion) to get from the Moscow Ring Road to the Garden Ring. In the evening, the following routes are difficult to pass: Novy Arbat – Kutuzovsky Prospekt – Mozhaiskoe Highway. If the roads are clear, then you can get to the Moscow Ring Road in just 11 minutes. In the evening, such a trip will take more than an hour. Traffic jam statistics on the Moscow Ring Road by hour:
Occupancy decreases quite significantly from mid-July-August. Roads become 1.5 points clearer than in May. But in September, when everyone returns from vacation and goes to school, the roads become impassable again. Traffic jam statistics on September 1 show that traffic congestion increases by 1 point. The indicator grows within 2 weeks, reaching the previous level.
Other cities of the Russian Federation
Google has compiled a list of 10 Russian cities with the worst traffic jams. The rating was formed according to the principle of the ratio of speed on an open road to current indicators:
In Samara, traffic congestion is usually higher in the evening . Traffic statistics by day of the week puts Friday in first place. The roads are passable on Monday and Thursday. In Krasnoyarsk, Monday and Friday are considered difficult days of the week. On the first day of work, the morning rush hour is more difficult than on any other day. On weekends, mornings and evenings are completely uncrowded.
In Ufa, weekday traffic jams begin at 7 a.m., with the worst traffic jams occurring between 8:30 and 9:20. In the evening, traffic is more difficult. Yandex map traffic statistics show that at 17.00 traffic congestion begins to increase sharply. Reaching a maximum of 18:10–19:10.
What are the traffic jam statistics in St. Petersburg? Peak hours start at 8:00–10:00, evening hours start at 17:30–19:30. On Saturday the roads are cleared 2 times, and on Sunday 4 times. In the summer in St. Petersburg there are no traffic jams in the morning. But in the evening the workload remains the same. Traffic jam statistics in SBP by hour:
Ekaterinburg traffic jam statistics show that the longest traffic jams occur on Vostochnaya, Furmanov, Malysheva and Shchorsa streets. Wednesday is more calm. Traffic congestion decreases by 2–2.5 times on Saturday and Sunday.
Busy time in the morning is 7:30–9:30, in the evening – 17:00–19:30. These hours are also peak hours in Nizhny Novgorod and Novosibirsk. In the evening, traffic jams in Novosibirsk are statistically about one point higher . This situation persists throughout the year, regardless of time.
What should drivers do?
Everyone wants to avoid traffic jams and save their time. How do you know which streets are difficult to pass? You can use the mobile version of the Yandex Roads application. Thanks to the application, drivers have access to a general picture of the roads. How to view traffic statistics in Yandex? By turning on traffic information on the map, you will see 4 colored arrows:
- Red- There are traffic jams here.
- Yellow– You can drive through, the speed is lower than usual.
- Green- the road is clear.
- Brown- traffic is blocked.
How does the system work? Information comes to the analytical center of the Yandex system from various sources. This includes video cameras and service detectors installed on the main highways of cities. Information is updated every 4 minutes.
Drivers can see the condition of different streets. The Yandex Roads program allows you to find out traffic jam statistics on your route in advance. By selecting the day and hour, information about possible traffic jams will appear.
You can also find out about traffic jam statistics on the M4. Congestion is shown on the online map. The system shows the situation on the road in real time. Drivers can see what the current traffic jams are in Moscow or St. Petersburg and choose the optimal route.
Every evening Muscovites leave work and stand in traffic jams. In a still stream, residents of the capital exchange jokes, make acquaintances, and share cigarettes, drinks and food. In general, life is in full swing. Only sometimes it seems that these traffic jams appear in the city for no apparent reason - in places where there are no accidents or road works, nor a reduction in the number of stripes.
MOSLENTA counted the TOP 10 strangest traffic jams in the capital and, together with the data center, tried to find out why they arise “out of the blue.”
Before turning to the data center for clarification, we interviewed the capital’s drivers and found out where in Moscow the most abnormal traffic jams, in their opinion, occur. The list does not include “understandable” places - here are only those where the drivers were unable to explain the traffic jam:
- Nizhnyaya Maslovka street and Savelovskaya overpass
- Third Transport Ring in the area from Volgogradsky to Ryazansky avenues
- The inner side of the Moscow Ring Road from Lipetskaya Street towards Warsaw Highway
- Nikulinskaya street
- External side of the Moscow Ring Road near Crocus City
- Timiryazevskaya street
- Shchukinskaya and Infantry streets
- The outer side of the Moscow Ring Road from Shchelkovskoye Highway
- Mira Avenue near the Severyaninsky overpass
- 2nd and 3rd Vladimir streets
“It is always possible to figure out why there is a traffic jam in a particular place. Another question is that the reasons for the slowdown in traffic, as well as the solution to this issue, may not be obvious and may not be located next to the traffic jam itself, but several kilometers away from it,” says Andrey Mukhortikov, adviser to the head of the data center.
According to him, there are not many of these reasons; they can be counted on one hand. Using the example of several streets from our top ten, Andrei Mukhortikov spoke in more detail about how traffic jams form.
Bottleneck
A classic situation when the number of lanes on the road decreases. For example, from four to two or from three to one. They are typical for exits from the capital - where after the Moscow Ring Road the number of lanes decreases. The road infrastructure beyond the ring road is not developed enough to accommodate large number cars.
For example, during the summer season, leaving Moscow is especially difficult along the Leningradskoye, Shchelkovskoye, Volokolamskoye highways and Entuziastov highway. In particular, on Leningradskoe Highway, five lanes within the city turn into three lanes outside the Moscow Ring Road. And every day during the evening rush hours, a traffic jam about five kilometers long forms, and drivers lose up to 25 minutes in this place.
On Shchelkovskoe Highway, four lanes in Moscow turn into two lanes in the region, the length of the traffic jam is about 3.2 km, travel time is 20 minutes.
On Entuziastov Highway and Volokolamsk Highway, the length of traffic jams is about 2 km, travel time is from 10 to 15 minutes.
Almost always, it is for this reason that congestion occurs on radial highways - on Mira Avenue in front of the Severyaninsky overpass, on Butyrskaya Street and on Dmitrovskoye Shosse in front of the Dmitrovskaya metro station (and there are also exits to Rustaveli Street, which aggravate the situation), on Leningradskoye highway in front of Voykovskaya. This is also the reason for traffic jams in the “enchanted place” in the area of Nizhnyaya Maslovka, Butyrskaya Street and Savelovskaya Overpass. It seems that drivers here simply refuse to go further and deliberately reduce the speed from 60-80 km/h to some unfortunate 10-15. That is, they do everything to make you suffer in traffic jams from the Riga overpass, so that later you will be surprised to discover: there are no accidents, everything is clear ahead, and ask the logical question: “What was that?!” And the reason is the merger of several powerful streams with a total width of 7-8 lanes into 4 lanes of the Third Ring..
Worthwhile congress
If it is impossible to leave the highway because of a narrow exit or a traffic jam further on, the “tail” of the traffic jam quickly blocks traffic. For this reason, there is always a stop on the inner side of the Third Transport Ring until the exit to Mira Avenue. Instead of the intended one lane, drivers often occupy two at once. As a result, instead of three lanes, only two go straight! It turns out the same “bottleneck” effect, only not because of the narrowing of the road, but because of the “taking away” of the lane by those standing. After all, those who are still 3-4 kilometers from the bottleneck also have to slow down.
It is impossible to completely get rid of the problem in this part of the Third Transport Ring, says Mukhortikov. But unloading the flow and making movement freer is quite possible. For example, cover the two-lane exit from the Third Transport Ring onto Mira Avenue with a traffic island so that cars from the Third Ring will enter the avenue at a higher speed. Thus, the lanes on the Third Transport Ring will be cleared faster, the speed will increase, and the congestion, if not “disappearing,” will then become noticeably less.
“Problematic” exits are also familiar to those who daily try to exit the outer Third Ring Road in the area of Volgogradsky and Ryazansky Avenues. Even before the start of the reconstruction of both roads, you could spend a couple of hours here in the evening. The reason, as in the case of Nizhnyaya Maslovka, is the incorrect organization of the exit from the Third Transport Ring in the area of Nizhegorodskaya Street and Volgogradsky Prospekt and problems on the avenues themselves, which are not yet able to accommodate the flow from the Third Transport Ring. It is hoped that reconstruction will solve this problem.
Photo: www.stroi.mos.ru
Stretch of highways
At some complex intersections, the operation of traffic lights is configured in such a way that one of the directions has priority and travels, for example, 70% of the time the traffic light is operating, while others are “squeezed” and only 10-15% is allocated to them (in each direction). As a rule, priority is given to radial and outbound highways.
It is for this reason that those who regularly travel in the area of 2nd and 3rd Vladimirskaya streets suffer. Now the traffic lights are “pulling” Entuziastov Highway. Moreover, throughout recent years 10 This section of the Moscow road is an area of fairly intensive work. Two projects are being implemented here simultaneously: reconstruction of the highway with the creation of dedicated lanes for public transport and construction of a section of the North-East Expressway.
In addition, the Entuziastov Highway is a road that, even without reconstruction, has a number of narrowed sections of the road. “One of the most unpleasant junctions is near the Aviamotornaya metro station,” says Mukhortikov. “There is a metro, a bridge, traffic lights, and traffic in the most different directions, and tram tracks. We still have to work with him somehow. It is possible to relieve congestion in this area; we see potential for improvement there. But we must say right away that this will be a rather complex set of decisions. It is unlikely that it will be possible to get by only by changing the operation of traffic lights and markings, as we do in most cases. Something larger may be needed here. And in any case, we must wait for the completion of construction work.”
The same problem exists on Nikulinskaya Street, which was noticed by motorists. It is adjacent to Michurinsky Prospekt, which is lined with traffic lights, and Nikulinskaya is left with the “crumbs” of the traffic light cycle. The problem can only be solved by building an overpass or at least expanding it in front of the intersection.
Self-locking intersections
A frequent situation is when, at a “boulevard” intersection, oncoming left-turn traffic does not fit into the designated pockets and blocks each other’s passage on both sides.
In the area of the Tekstilshchiki metro station there were two such intersections before the start of reconstruction. The main traffic jam occurred at small area, but both those who were planning to leave the Third Transport Ring in this direction and those who were driving along Volgogradka to the center had to suffer because of it, standing in a traffic jam.
The data center noted that after the reconstruction of the roads is completed, these sections will be significantly relieved of congestion, and congestion on this section of the Third Transport Ring will have to disappear or, in any case, be reduced.
Lack of bands
So many cars enter the road section from adjacent streets that additional lanes and “pockets” are needed for free movement.
Those who drive along the inner side of the Moscow Ring Road from Lipetskaya towards Varshavka suffer from this. There are no bypass routes in this area of Moscow, and everyone who wants to get to the southwest of the capital has to take the Moscow Ring Road. In theory, additional lanes near the exit from the Moscow Ring Road will be able to maintain the flow speed. On ordinary city roads this can be done not only by widening the road, but also by reducing the width of existing lanes from the usual 3.75 or 3.5 meters to 3.25 or 3.15 m. The trouble is that this solution not suitable for the Moscow Ring Road.
Photo: www.stroi.mos.ru
Hardcore offenders
They are always in a hurry, so they don’t want to wait for their turn. When turning or exiting, such drivers occupy the second row of lanes that should go straight and create an obstacle.
Another type of violator is those who try to abruptly change lanes from the far left lane to the far right. Because of such “hurries,” traffic jams can form even where the road has the highest capacity. What can we say about places where there are already too many cars?
The fight against violators has already begun. True, it’s not very noticeable yet. CCTV cameras have been installed on some sections of roads, which should record the wrong entry onto the road or exit from the highway or highway.
The only traffic jam on our list that did not fall under any of the listed reasons is located on Shchukinskaya and Pekhotnaya streets. The reason, according to the data center, turned out to be simple - the reconstruction of the Volokolamsk highway.
For the eyes of an ordinary driver, the situation on this section of the road has not changed for several months. It seemed like the traffic jam was out of nowhere. Drivers usually “flew” before leaving for Volokolamka, but for the last couple of weeks they have had to trudge along in the company of the same unfortunates. How so?
“It just seems that nothing changes during the reconstruction of the road. Something happens in the work area every day. Most likely, some part of the roadway in this place was slightly “moved” or blocked. This is not very noticeable, but it affects the road capacity,” explains Mukhortikov.
We compiled a rating of Moscow traffic jams that occurred in 2008. He's amazing. Looking at the numbers (see table), I want to run away from this city! But don't rush. Traffic jams, as it turned out, are not a spontaneous phenomenon. You can predict them and try not to fall into an ambush. This means there is an opportunity to save time, gas and nerves.
RADIAL TRACKS OPEN AT 7.30
Traffic jams from the Moscow Ring Road to the third ring towards the center form on radial routes at approximately 7.30 am. And they last until 10, sometimes until 11 am. The busiest highways are federal: Leningradka, Yaroslavka, Dmitrovka, Kashirka, Varshavka and Entuziastov Highway. On Ostashkovskoye and Altufevskoye highways there are, as a rule, a little less cars.
The same roads go towards the region at 17.30 - 18 hours. Traffic jams last up to 21, less often up to 22 hours.
WHEN THE RINGS CLOSE
The third transport ring, according to data, most often turns into a parking lot from 8 to 10 and from 16 to 19 hours.
The Garden Ring is unpredictable, especially on weekdays after 1 pm. You can get into a jam here at any time.
Traffic jams on the Moscow Ring Road most often occur on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from eight in the morning to eight in the evening. Sometimes it happens that the rings close together, i.e. the cork is all around the circumference! So, for example, on April 29 last year, as early as 12 o’clock, from seven in the morning to seven in the evening, all outer side third transport ring. And all because in the Lefortovo tunnel only one lane was open to traffic. The media warned in advance that there would be a closure, but many drivers, apparently, did not heed this.
ON MONDAY - EMPTY, ON FRIDAY - Dense
Monday in Moscow is the freest weekday. According to the capital's traffic cops (and experts agree with their opinion), many drivers simply do not want to get behind the wheel “after yesterday.”
Tuesday is one of the busiest days. Firstly, all those who did not dare yesterday are leaving. Secondly, trucks with goods are arriving in the capital, leaving for us on Monday. And each truck takes up as much space on the road as five cars!
Wednesday - a little less cars than on Tuesday, but more than on Monday.
Thursday - a lot of cars! The work week is in full swing, and trucks are just leaving for their hometowns - drivers are in a hurry to get home in time for the weekend. It was on Thursday, according to Yandex. Traffic jams,” and the worst traffic jams in terms of length and duration occur.
Friday - there are a lot of cars, and there are less traffic jams than on Thursday.
It’s just that on Thursday, people finish their work day at about the same time and leave all at once,” explains Vladislav Borodin, head of the collection and processing service of the Analytical Center. - And on Friday, people start leaving work after lunch - for example, to the dacha. Someone works, as usual, until six, someone stays late for the party - after all, they usually do it on Fridays. So it turns out that the flow of cars is, as it were, “smeared over”. Although in the summer, when millions of people go to their dachas at once, many highways simply stop.
Saturday - traffic jams leaving the city usually start at 11 am. People go shopping to shopping centers on the Moscow Ring Road and in the region. During the summer season, there are traffic jams from 7 to 8 o’clock: those who didn’t make it on Friday evening rush out of town. After 14:00 it is relatively free.
Sunday - short traffic jams only near shopping centers. So it’s better to go shopping on this day.
WHEN TO LEAVE THE CAR AT THE ENTRANCE
If it's snowing outside or worse than that, snowstorm, it’s better not to use the car, advises Vladislav Borodin. - It is on these days that the maximum traffic accidents occur in Moscow and the total length of traffic jams exceeds 500 kilometers. You might just lose a day, or even hit your car. If it’s foggy, raining, or the city is covered in peat smoke, you’ll spend on average twice as much time traveling from point A to point B as usual.
TIPS FROM EXPERIENCED
Igor MORZHARETTO, expert of the magazine “Behind the wheel”:
Never, even on weekends, go to the third ring between Kutuzovsky Prospekt and Sushchevsky Val and near the intersection with Volgogradka. There's always a traffic jam!
Try not to go to the Moscow Ring Road during the day on weekdays - it is clogged with transit transport. And at the intersection of the Circle and New Riga, a traffic jam is generally guaranteed. The Moscow Ring Road is only suitable for night trips.
Ernest TSYGANKOV, director of the Center for Advanced Driving Excellence:
Buy a navigator that reports traffic jams. Or listen to Avtoradio, they also warn about congestion and closures.
Don’t be lazy and on the weekend work out options for routes around those areas where you usually get stuck in traffic jams.
Don’t forget about the old, but very effective methods:
Try not to drive on the road in heavy snow, pouring rain or fog - you will probably get into a traffic jam.
If possible, leave for work early to avoid the traffic jam at least in the morning.
*total length of traffic jams per day.
AND AT THIS TIME
The number of cars on Moscow roads this year, according to the portal, has decreased by 10 - 20%.
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