A Russians view

[MiloMorai]

Originally posted by DREDIOCK
Far as Im concerned they are an accident waiting to happen on the roadways any time of year. I'd much prefer them on sidewalks or in dedicated bicycle lanes and would really like to see them banished outright from the regular roadways.

Cant even begin to tell you how many of these.....people I've only narrowly avoided hitting because they have veered into the center of the lane I was driving on.
They typically have no respect for anyone else on the road cept each other and I often seen their little bicycle gangs hogging entire lanes doing 15-20 MPH on a 45 MPH road and refusing to move over to the side to let the faster traffic through.

They may have a right to use the roadways but that doesnt designate them as a legitimate roving roadblock.

Im astounded not more of them get killed

Totally agree Dred.  Paved shoulders and roadside lanes for them are now being done but they still do there suicidal stunts. Dispite the paved shoulder they still ride the white line designating their lane. Running red lights and stop signs is one of their favourites.

My other beef is with pedestrians who expect a car or truck to stop for them 'on a dime' when they step off the curb. Almost got me one in Vancouver BC a few years ago where vehicles have to give way to the pedestrians. Not so where I live.

[Boroda]

Originally posted by Staga
Zakhal; that was ONLY road (well it was a promenade) in Chelyabinsk which was in top condition.
Most roads were bumpy as hell and they also had nasty holes where part of tarmac had come off and showed previous layer of road under it.
Even taxiways in airfields were similar; planes were veering from left to right when taxing and I could see similar holes in taxiways.

The main problem is that temperature differences in Russia are buch bigger then in other countries. Continental climate. And the tar used in asphalt has a different quality: our oil is different from Middle Eastern, so it's much less flexible, especially in cold weather. When temperature is around freezing - sometimes the roads are destroyed in a matter of days

Sometimes a difference in road quality is seen on one road going from one "rayon" to another: while at one "rayon" administration steals money - in another they spend lots of money.

I was really surprised when in March we went to lake Seliger, and got literally cut off from civilisation by a severe snowfall. In Ostachkov rayon they have a bulldozers cleaning roads from snow every morning. Even a road to a god-forgotten village where we stayed...

[mora]

Originally posted by Boroda
The main problem is that temperature differences in Russia are buch bigger then in other countries. Continental climate. And the tar used in asphalt has a different quality: our oil is different from Middle Eastern, so it's much less flexible, especially in cold weather. When temperature is around freezing - sometimes the roads are destroyed in a matter of days

I wonder why we don't have this problem, even though we have great temperature differences too(Not as great as in some parts of Russia).

[Boroda]

Originally posted by mora
Isn't there any privately owned roads in Russia? Is it legal to use motor vehicles on private property? I find nothing wrong with anyone charging for the use of their own road, no matter if they charge $1 or $100,000.

Well, a "land code" was approved by Parliament about 2 years ago, but the bigger part of it about agricultural lands and other important stuff still isn't.

Before that there was absolutely no land here in private property. It was "rented" from a State, on most occasions - "for free and forever". When I start to think about it - I get sick

Now we have a Forest code ready, and it will mean that any bastard "privatising" a piece if forest will be able to prohibit anyone else from collecting mushrooms and so on. It's crazy IMHO. A great feature of our elected legislators is that they first do and then think, and a serious motivation in "doing" is money from bribers and lobbyists. Noone can pay enough to a brainless puppet so it will suddenly start thinking.

Originally posted by mora
In here we have "everymans rights" which guarantees the right to walk on anyone's land. It however doesn't grant  the use of motor vehicles. It would be legal to walk that road, but not to use a motor vehicle on it without the owners permission, for which he may or may not charge whatever sum he wants.

We have some roads where you should pay for crossing a turnpike, but not a private turnpike. And sometimes you have to pay for parking, but it is absolutely illegal. "Strictness of Russian laws is compensated by the fact that it's not obligatory to follow them" and it applies to authorities as well as ordinary citizens.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Boroda
The main problem is that temperature differences in Russia are buch bigger then in other countries. Continental climate. And the tar used in asphalt has a different quality: our oil is different from Middle Eastern, so it's much less flexible, especially in cold weather. When temperature is around freezing - sometimes the roads are destroyed in a matter of days

Well now I know what we do with the russian oil we import:mad:

[Boroda]

Originally posted by Masherbrum
You DO realize Mt. Washington has the highest surface wind speed  ever recorded?  IIRC it was 231mph.   The Observatory is also thought to have the worst weather IN THE WORLD.  I can see why they charge a fee of $12.  Many mountaineers (just starting out) and hikers have died on this mountain.   I picture this road being beat to s**t.  

While your thinking may seem valid Boroda, you should research before you slam.  

Karaya

It changes the situation, but how does public rescue service, hiking route control authorities and other stuff for people travelling on foot apply to drivers? If the road is dangerous - simply close a turnpike in emergency weather conditions. If it's beaten to **** - then I suppose they still are collecting a sum enough to repair it? It's the fact that it's beaten that protects the place from hordes of dummies, not a turnpike and a booth with a cashier.

I have a strange attitude for roads to sightseeing places in the mountains. When I see another beautiful place where you need to go on foot 100+km through taiga - I imagine a paved road there, with beer caps covering the ground, "Vasya was here" written on cliffs around, beer booths, shashlyk stands and photographers with a camel, monkey and a moth-eaten dummy of a bear. No, thanks, please.

[SOB]

Originally posted by Boroda
I have a strange attitude for roads to sightseeing places in the mountains. When I see another beautiful place where you need to go on foot 100+km through taiga - I imagine a paved road there, with beer caps covering the ground, "Vasya was here" written on cliffs around, beer booths, shashlyk stands and photographers with a camel, monkey and a moth-eaten dummy of a bear. No, thanks, please.

I don't understand what in the hell you're talking about here, but I think it's fabulous!

[Boroda]

Originally posted by SOB
I don't understand what in the hell you're talking about here, but I think it's fabulous!

Example: a Ritsa lake in Caucasus, 100km from the shore into the mountains. It's a naturally one of the most beautifull places in USSR West of Urals. It became a mandatory place to visit for any person coming to Sochi for a vacation. 100s of buses full of fat sweating vacationeers, all the grass turned into mud, groud covered with broken glass, and beach photographers who take a picture of a visitor, his fat mother-in law, brainless wife, and kids sitting on a camel, so they'll have a proof that they visited Ritsa lake.

Every time I find another beautiful place, like (the place that impressed me even more then Grand Caucasus) Guitar lake at the bottom of Cherski Peak at Baikal ridge, I imagine this hordes of idiots and photographers with a camel, monkey and a bear dummy. And some idiot writing "I was here" or "DMB-2006" or "Vasya loves Lena" on virgin rocks. And no chance to jump from a cliff in +40C heat into a +5C cold water naked.

[Wolfala]

Pavel

Tell us how you truely feel  Its funny, because I can repeat verbatem the exact same thing that happens over here, except they're guys from New York city heading out towards the eastern end of Long Island and jamming the 2 lane Montauk Highway for 6 hours. Ahhh...people...social animals.

Thats how I made a killing in the summers, 20 minute flight from Bridgeport to East Hamton, 200 bux a head - no sweat.

Wolf

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by Boroda
Example: a Ritsa lake in Caucasus, 100km from the shore into the mountains. It's a naturally one of the most beautifull places in USSR West of Urals. It became a mandatory place to visit for any person coming to Sochi for a vacation. 100s of buses full of fat sweating vacationeers, all the grass turned into mud, groud covered with broken glass, and beach photographers who take a picture of a visitor, his fat mother-in law, brainless wife, and kids sitting on a camel, so they'll have a proof that they visited Ritsa lake.

Every time I find another beautiful place, like (the place that impressed me even more then Grand Caucasus) Guitar lake at the bottom of Cherski Peak at Baikal ridge, I imagine this hordes of idiots and photographers with a camel, monkey and a bear dummy. And some idiot writing "I was here" or "DMB-2006" or "Vasya loves Lena" on virgin rocks. And no chance to jump from a cliff in +40C heat into a +5C cold water naked.

and if your parks and recreation depts charged to maintain that area it would still be somewhat preistine and not over run by the hordes of fat mother-in-laws

[Hangtime]

Originally posted by Wolfala
Pavel

Tell us how you truely feel  Its funny, because I can repeat verbatem the exact same thing that happens over here, except they're guys from New York city heading out towards the eastern end of Long Island and jamming the 2 lane Montauk Highway for 6 hours. Ahhh...people...social animals.

Thats how I made a killing in the summers, 20 minute flight from Bridgeport to East Hamton, 200 bux a head - no sweat.

Wolf

We call 'em 'long island lemmings'. I stay the hell away from eastern long island friday thru sunday.

[FiLtH]

Every time I find another beautiful place, like (the place that impressed me even more then Grand Caucasus) Guitar lake at the bottom of Cherski Peak at Baikal ridge, I imagine this hordes of idiots and photographers with a camel, monkey and a bear dummy. And some idiot writing "I was here" or "DMB-2006" or "Vasya loves Lena" on virgin rocks. And no chance to jump from a cliff in +40C heat into a +5C cold water naked.

     There are always a few jerks who try that stuff..but most folks who come here really enjoy and respect the scenary. Back in the 1970s I remember alot of graffiti and vandalism. Now it seems people are more respectful.

[Nash]

A few days ago I did a guided tour of this area that has (so the guide said) the highest concentration of pictographs and petroglyphs in North America (indians carving on rocks, basically).

You could barely see it for all the graffity etched into the rock since then. In some cases it ran right over top of them.

It was all the "Jane loves Bill" variety, but the dates ran from 1908 and stopped at around 1956. It was then that the park became some kind of protected area.

What I took away from that was two things:

a) It aint just the young punks doing graffity - it's been done since;

b) .... hundreds of years ago when the Indians first started doing it.

[capt. apathy]

Originally posted by Zakhal
Just what I was looking for. a little costly though. My entire bike is cheaper (as new 28" mountain 120€) than those tires 170€.  

when I was a kid we used a trick for riding motorcycles on frozen lakes that should work for bicycle's as well.

we just took an old tire and put sheet-metal screws through them from the inside out. sheet-metal screws have a wider thread than wood-screws and aren't as likely to be pushed back into the tire to give you a flat.  longer screws for more traction, shorter ones for a smoother ride, try a few and find the length that works for you.  

then just cut the inside strip out of an old inner-tube (leaving only the outer part and sidewalls) and put it over your good inner-tube to protect it from being pinched by the screws)

[Nekto]

Originally posted by mora
I wonder why we don't have this problem, even though we have great temperature differences too(Not as great as in some parts of Russia).

Here you are. Hardiness Zone Map for Europe.



It looks like even Helsinki is in a beter position than St.Peterburg thanks to Gulf Stream.