Parking Your Car in Moscow

Earlier this week, I received an ATOM feed from some American missionaries in Moscow - the McDougles. I've never met them, but have corresponded with them in the past. From time to time they share about life in Moscow, and this week is no exception. If you come to Moscow and get away from the downtown area, you will see the many tall Soviet-era apartment buildings. Moscow was not built with the idea that every individual could own a car. And the apartment complexes in Moscow were designed without parking lots for the residents.

However, one of the unexpected blessings of capitalism is the high number of private automobiles. In 2006, the city of Moscow had over 500,000 new registrations of cars in the city. I haven't seen the data for 2007, but it probably was about the same. Traffic has become a serious problem in Moscow.

But traffic jams is only one problem. The other question is where and how do you park your car at night. Pictured are (linked from the McDougles' blog) are typical garages. These garages are usually placed next to the side walk between the apartment building and the community grounds. They work out fine if you have a small "Lada", but I'm not sure how it handles a mid-size car. Fortunately, at the school we have an enfenced parking area on our property.