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Common Courteosy and Civility

Way to Russia Talk Lounge Forum Index -> Russian Contexts, Myths and Truths

Author	Message
cyndy22 Lounge Wizard Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 1076 Location: massachusetts	Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:15 am    Post subject: Common Courteosy and Civility I am wondering what the general attitude and behavior is in major Russian cities regarding drivers. Is there such a thing as "road rage"? Road rage can be defined as when drivers engage in rude and hostile behavior in situations where they feel they are violated. It reallty doesn't matter who is right or wrong. Maybe it is a city phenonemena and I guess I can understand that. But it seems to be creeping in smaller cities and towns. Perhaps as the world gets more populated and people do not necessarily evolve into more civil and intelligent beings, road rage as well as other incivilitities will prevail. '
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Skip Talk Show Host Joined: 19 Jan 2005 Posts: 283 Location: Planet Warez	Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:28 am    Post subject: It might be a severe problem if more Russians had automobiles to the degree that we have in western society... But drivers in Russia are forced to concentrate more on potholes the size of mineshafts, a lack of signposting, hidden tramlines, buses which fail to indicate or show brake lamps, the militia and their radar guns as well as the odd drunken jay-walker... I guess road-rage just didn't evolve yet Last edited by Skip on Fri Feb 11, 2005 5:07 am; edited 1 time in total
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Dr-Fauste Site Admin Joined: 23 Nov 2004 Posts: 654	Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:53 am    Post subject: Watch the Taxi Driver Scene in Brat 2. It is hilarious.!!! Skip, most Russians in Canada are boardline getting driver's license taken away for their "Awful" driving.
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cyndy22 Lounge Wizard Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 1076 Location: massachusetts	Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 4:50 am    Post subject: Skip, I tend to agree with you. Cars are definitly far more prevalent in westernized countries. And one thing I remember very well from my visit to EKATERINBURG IN 1998 was the poor road condition. What amazed me even more was the fact that our driver seemed to think it as ok to disobey traffic laws, ride on sidewalks etc. Kind oif reminded me of Italy. People seem to always be in such a hurry. As my husband said tonight- They can't wait to get home to watch tv.
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Skip Talk Show Host Joined: 19 Jan 2005 Posts: 283 Location: Planet Warez	Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 5:12 am    Post subject: cyndy22 wrote: one thing I remember very well from my visit to EKATERINBURG IN 1998 was the poor road condition Yup... and 1998 was probably the last time it was repaired What really shocked me about Russian roads far more than driving standards were the FEMALE tarmac shovelling labour gangs repairing the roads in the summer... and then the WOMEN in the winter who were turned into human snow shovellers It was really weird... in most of Europe we never saw wimmen having to do such tough manual labour, nor would we permit it for that matter
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MrSpice Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431	Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 8:25 pm    Post subject: Someone mentioned about people always being in a hurry in Russia. Have you ever visited New York City? I think it's the closest thing to Russia in many ways, including road quality and constant rush to get everywhere fast and right away.
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Dr-Fauste Site Admin Joined: 23 Nov 2004 Posts: 654	Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 8:59 pm    Post subject: Mr Spice, I think you are talking about New York to Moscow comparison. Remember there is Moscow and there is rest of Russia.
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cyndy22 Lounge Wizard Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 1076 Location: massachusetts	Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 11:27 pm    Post subject: I never said people are always in a hurry in Russia. I was referring to the relatively new phenomena of road rage and how it seems to be spreading. I was wondering if Russia has this problem. I know New York City- it is almost the norm to cut people off and beef and gridlock etc. But BIG cities have their own culture regarding traffic and drivers etc. Like Dr. Fauste stated, there is the rest of Russia outside of Moscow. Do people get into arguments and uncivil behavior with other motorists for example passing, parking spaces, etc.? In USA unfortnately it is a serious problem and some people have even lost their lives because of such stupid incidents.
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Skip Talk Show Host Joined: 19 Jan 2005 Posts: 283 Location: Planet Warez	Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 1:18 am    Post subject: cyndy22 wrote: Like Dr. Fauste stated, there is the rest of Russia outside of Moscow... Not quite RoadRage... well, apart from me being a pretty angry "Livid Briton" at the time... so I'll tell you why... and exactly what happened to me the very first time I went to Russia... some 2/3 years back along now... I was met in Moscow off the plane by my ladyfriend and we did the mandatory overnight stop in a Moscow hotel (shagged my brain loose probably, cannot remember now...) and the next day we were off from Kazansky Boksal on the overnight train to Kazan. Final destination Naberezhnye Chelni which is about 5 hours extra by bus from Kazan... Well, having done the train... we found the bus station at Kazan, and boarded the right bus to Chelni (complete with canvas seats strung like deck chairs, only on tubular metal frames...) and filthy chiffon curtains... and it began to dawn on me that I could relax and unwind... A few hours passed uneventfully... a couple of times we stopped for stray goats, impromptu extra, or departing, passengers... and once for a bite to eat at a roadside "dried fish market" which was also doing a handy trade in pizzas, coffee... triangle (dogmeat?) pies... And then we were off again... Sitting in the back of the bus I noticed there was a heavy duty, semi-frayed and covered in grease, towing cable in the back window... l said something to my partner and she shrugged as if it was normal... and hell, the sun was shining, it was May... and in two hours we'd be "home" anyway... Some younger passengers had been knocking back copious amounts of the local piva and signalled the bus driver to stop and let them answer a pressing call of nature... OK... fine... so they got off to piss in the ditch and the bus was stationary... facing uphill on a gentle incline... then disaster struck... The driver stalled the engine trying to perform a hillstart... The bus wouldn't start again... OK... he went aft and raised the engine lid and lo' and behold, cursing as he went... I noticed we had been travelling pretty light... the entire starter motor had vanished as had a goodly part of the gearbox bellhousing... presumably it was somewhere on the way we'd come since Kazan... a few dangling cables confirmed it's recent jettison... OK... everyone off... everyone push... maybe 30 of us... many babooshkas and quite a few semi-drunken students (with the sort of physique normally only seen on a stick insect...) and me with some muscle, but also with a pretty bad communications problem... when one word in about fifty was all I could recognise... Naturally I thought the driver was going to pull on full left lock and swing the bus around to face downhill... ready for the jumpstart manoeuvre that would be necessary if we were ever going to get home... Nothing of the kind... he aimed straight up the hill AND then selected bottom gear before dropping the clutch without warning... there were more than a few broken crowns a split second later, and I had a lump the size of a golfball in the middle of my brow... Some fairly heavy remonstrations and a couple of punches later seemed to encourage him to select a less gruelling gear and we tried again... and this time the motor fired up... The only trouble was that I was standing right behind the exhaust and since it had taken a few seconds to get going it seemed all the unburnt fuel in the universe suddenly came my way in the form of a dense, hot, stinking black cloud that enveloped me from head to toe... When I got back on the crate the driver laughed and said "Churney" which I thought at the time was "Chelni" (it actually means "Black...") and it wasn't until I finally got into the next bus station that the mirrors in the bog revealed the extend of my new charred horror look... Folks, the all new black & white minstrel show was back in fashion... The last little bus into Chelni town refused to carry me... filthy dirty as I was... and to add insult to injury, the bus company refused to refund my ticket even though it was plain I'd been through far more than a passenger normally has to endure... So there, that's how I became Enraged on the Russian Roads... and that's it, no punchline as such... but the moral of the story is to always take a taxi where you have the choice...
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cyndy22 Lounge Wizard Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 1076 Location: massachusetts	Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 5:13 am    Post subject: Skip, You're story is priceless and you tell it really well!
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UsualSuspect WayToRussified Joined: 08 May 2003 Posts: 324 Location: The Land of Oz	Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 11:15 am    Post subject: Road Rage Cyndy, In my times in Russia, I never saw or heard about your typical western road rage phenomena. The cab drivers or others would mostly say "dura/k" (idiot) and that was it. I went for a really long drive (900klm in total) and even drove the car and what horrified me was the sheer antics that were "the norm". Mind you as one of the OP's said, most Russian drivers in cities have a lot more to worry about, but I'd agree on the "rules are ignored" statement. In Oz, not wearing a seatbelt is a heavily penalised offence, yet when I automatically buckled up in Russian cars the drivers told me to forget about it or threw me looks like I had rocks in my head. I don't see it here as we have too much sun, but it seemed to me that Winter driving was especially dangerous. After one big dump, there were 58 accidents (in Krasnoyarsk) one time as even the slowest cars plain old lost control. I hope I never see this western peculiarity to spread to Russia. Regards Usualsuspect
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Skip Talk Show Host Joined: 19 Jan 2005 Posts: 283 Location: Planet Warez	Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 11:24 pm    Post subject: cyndy22 wrote: Skip, You're story is priceless and you tell it really well! Spasiba Shoi! Actually though, speaking with my significant other, there has been a spate of ramming incidents carried out by criminals using cars as a means to force suspected hire or rental cars, foreigners (or other lucratively attractive targets) to pull over, whereupon a knife or gunpoint robbery occurs. Road rage is said to be a psychological phenomenum and I therfore think it will occur eventually in Russia because the trigger stimuli will also become more common as the roads become more crowded. There was a poll floating around here somewhere regards which car people preferred to drive in Russia... but no option to nominate a T64 Tank
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