Why the streets are so large and busy in Moscow?
During the 1930s, Moscow faced the same situation as Paris had experienced in the 1870s. The reshaping of the city was lead by Stalin himself, it had made streets broader, and Babylonian style buildings appeared. In the 1960s Khrushchev had decided to offer people new houses in exchange for communal apartments in the city center. The city began to grow at an unprecedented pace, and sooner or later, the problem of transportation would have arisen.
What does Moscow see as a solution to car overuse?
To fight with those streams of cars, the government of Moscow has introduced in 2012 parking tariffs. Today there are 5 main types of zones, varying from 380 to 40 rubles per hour from 8 AM to 9 PM and from 200 to 40 rubles at night. The scheme of the zones is complex, so it is hard to foresee the price in your destination district. Anyway, somewhere nearby there always will be a nameplate with all the details concerning your parking.
We recommend you to pay via the mobile app, so you will be able to prolong your stay or terminate it earlier than planned. The procedure is rather simple:
- Download the «Moscow Parking» application
- Sign up online via a personal account on the website or in the mobile app by texting a free SMS PIN to 7757 ;
- Log in to your account using:
- your cell phone number as a user name and
- the PIN you received in SMS (read above) as a password;
- Top up your parking account;
- Click the PARK button;
- Click «►» to extend parking time;
- Click «■» to terminate parking.
The payment is made by 15 minutes shares.
Note that if you have made any mistake you can refund the money afterward. Be careful, the fees for non-paying users are 5000 rubles, the same as the fee for parking on the grass.
Important to mention that carsharing companies have a special agreement, so their cars can park for free.
Using a car in Moscow can also be challenging for other reasons than parking costs. If one leaves his car in the wrong way, the vehicle might be taken to the city outskirts by a malicious tow truck. To see if your car is stolen or put into a tow pound, visit the official website: https://parking.mos.ru/en/
Remember, that if you witness how your car is put into the airs with the intention to be taken away from you, tell the workers you are ready to move your vehicle by yourself and there is no need for evacuation. As soon as you are here they have to stop the procedure.
