Moskva-City, the Russian capital's London City look-alike business center, is petitioning City Hall to create Moscow's first toll road along the waterfront between Bagration Bridge and the ramp on to the Third Ring Road to curb the rush hour traffic that clogs the area twice a day.
In an interview to business daily Vedomosti published Monday, Oleg Malis, head of City, which manages the business center, said the company had sent the request to City Hall to free Moskva-City from commuters unnecessarily adding to the congestion around the financial center by simply passing through.
"According to our estimates, [the volume of] commuter traffic is two times greater than that of residents, and greatly complicates the transport situation on the territory of the business center," Malis said.
City says daily traffic originating in or arriving at Moskva-City amounts to about 20,000 vehicles per day, while about 50,000 vehicles a day simply pass through the district without stopping.
A spokesperson for Moscow's transport department, Alena Yeremina, confirmed to Vedomosti that City's letter was received and said the authorities were "ready to consider the proposal," but that no decision had yet been made.
Moskva-City is not the only region plagued with congestion in Moscow, a city famous for its traffic jams. In recent years, City Hall has began to push back against the problem, developing road infrastructure to better facilitate the flow of traffic — a step that critics say has backfired by simply encouraging more drivers to take to the roads — and set up paid parking areas in high-density areas of the city.
Similar measures have been taken in Moskva-City, whose glass skyscrapers were erected in an area that is still badly integrated into Moscow's public transport infrastructure. Moskva-City implemented paid parking on June 1, setting the rate for the first two hours at 80 rubles ($2.30), and for each subsequent hour at 130 rubles ($3.75), but the measure has only dented the congestion problem.
See also:
11 Years Late, Moskva-City Skyscrapers to Be Complete by 2018
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