In the last year, the average speed of automobile traffic in Moscow has declined between 4 percent to 15 percent depending on the area, experts determined for a study of transportation in the city conducted for Kommersant by Echelon Geolife.
Comparing data on the average speed of vehicles in November 2010 and November 2011, analysts concluded that there was an improvement in that time only in the areas between the Garden Ring and the Third Ring Road, where traffic now flows 7.5 percent faster, Lenta.ru reported.
But this improvement is observed only on the weekends. The flow rate in that area increased 4.1 percent during weekday daytime non-rush hours.
The flow rate decreased most significantly within the Garden Ring on the weekend — by 14.7 percent. In the area between the Third Ring Road and the projected fourth ring, traffic from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. moved 12.1 percent slower. The average speed on weekdays between the fourth ring and the Moscow Ring Road fell 8.8 percent in the year.
In 2011, 203 billion rubles ($6.5 billion) were allocated to improve the traffic situation in the city.
In the year up to November 2011, 100 kilometers of traffic lanes and 500,000 parking spaces were created in Moscow. In addition, construction was completed on the overpass from the center in the area of Volokolamskoye Shosse near the Sokol metro station. Interchanges were also opened on Krasnopresnensky Prospekt overpass and Volokolamskoye Shosse, and a 10-lane bridge was opened on Leningradskoye Shosse at the Moscow Ring Road
