OK...a few things strike me as rather odd about the city of Moscow -parking and construction are two of them. I can’t quite figure it all out. Maybe you can help me? Below you’ll find photos illustrating exactly what I mean. It is a pity that I can’t include soundbites too. Maybe one day I’ll figure out that branch of technology and try to include sound files in the post but don’t hold your breath and I make no promises.
I have been trying to figure out parking rules for just about a month now. My frame of reference is Canada where we post signage (far too often for my liking but that is a whole other story for another day) with clear graphics and text to indicate the local parking regulations and by-laws. If there is no indication, the assumption is that street parking is for 3 hours maximum. Cars displaying handicapped parking passes have their own system and therefore can park where I cannot. Fair enough. That seems clear, right? In Canada we are only permitted to drive and park following the direction that traffic flows down a street. Again, this is generally indicated by a white or yellow line down the center of the street and arrows pointing us in the correct direction. I am reviewing these rules simply to set your parking paradigm as I had set mine.
Apparently I need to adopt a whole new parking paradigm that I will never, ever be able to bring back with me to North America. There is one simple rule here that is park where you can (sidewalks are fair game, by the way), any which way you can. I’ll let the photos do the talking. It all seems to work for every one too. I haven’t seen one person upset that they were blocked in and unable to drive away. I shudder to think what chaos would result back home in comparison.
When it comes to health and safety regulations for construction sites and the actual work itself, well that is a whole lot of scary. WSIB would immediately go into convulsive fits were they to witness 1/10th of the bloodsport that seems to be the Muscovite way of doing things. I cringe every time I walk past a construction site, expecting to hear blood-curdling screams of pain and see an eye rolling away from the unfortunate worker or to see someone fall off the edge of the 5th floor of building that is under construction with no restraints, safety barriers or support scaffolding. Half the time construction sites are vacant and materials are left in the middle of the site, unguarded. I’m impressed by this as back home, the material would be gone or the site vandalized in under 60 seconds.
No word of a lie, yesterday I walked by an older gentleman (in his late 60s or early 70s) using a reciprocal saw plugged into a long extension cord running across a very busy sidewalk and into a store along the street to slice through a brick that he held in place with a Birkenstock-clad foot. Needless to say he wasn’t wearing ear or eye protection.
The five man crew tearing up the asphalt pad to the left of my building were using a big machine to pound away and break the surface and then hacking away at it with pick axes. Nobody wore eye protection, hardhats or safety boots. Watching from my 7th floor window I barely felt safe. I can’t imagine how their ears must have been ringing at the end of the day.
When they tear up the streets it seems that it really is a case of caveat emptor. Sure there is a simple fencing around the excavation site but if you step in the hole, it is your fault, not theirs. People are really good about not playing around and paying close attention to their person here. Back home I could smell the lawsuit a million miles away. “YOU didn’t cover the hole and put up a fence and warning signs and post flyers and apply for a city permit and post that and have a flag person and orange cones and traffic rerouted and x and y and z and so when my little Bobby ran around the fence and fell through and broke his leg it is YOUR fault. I am suing the city and the construction company and the hospital and the transit system for 10 million dollars for damages and grief.”
Here you’d get a derisive snort and a shrug and a grumble of “You should have watched where you were going.” They might call an ambulance to pick you up but the driver would be slow and the passengers are permitted to smoke in the front seat. I have no idea what goes on in the back but I can only imagine.
When the exposed copper wiring in the dig site along a busy street began to spark and fizzle in the rain, I had to laugh out of sheer disbelief and maybe a little bit of fear. I started to watch much more closely where I was walking after that.
There is a city-wide sidewalk beautification process taking place this summer. I’ve read that the mayor’s wife represents a brick company. Most of the asphalt sidewalks are being replaced with bricks. Below are some photos taken during the week at about 10AM on a number of different days.
The moral of the story is watch your step because Mommy isn’t holding your hand anymore! I think the rest of the world could use a bit more of this Moscow common sense and Moscow could use a few more pairs of safety boots and goggles in exchange.
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