Skip to main content

Moscow wins international transport award for tackling traffic gridlock

The city of Moscow has been awarded the International Transport Forum (ITF) 2016 Transport Achievement Award for its exemplary approach to improving traffic conditions in the Russian capital. Following twenty years of almost uncontrolled development of urban traffic, Moscow introduced a rigorous and comprehensive set of policies to address the gridlock on its streets. These included paid car parking, development of public transport, ticketing, car sharing and taxi reform, development of cycling and envi
May 19, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The city of Moscow has been awarded the 998 International Transport Forum (ITF) 2016 Transport Achievement Award for its exemplary approach to improving traffic conditions in the Russian capital.

Following twenty years of almost uncontrolled development of urban traffic, Moscow introduced a rigorous and comprehensive set of policies to address the gridlock on its streets. These included paid car parking, development of public transport, ticketing, car sharing and taxi reform, development of cycling and environmental requirements for trucks.

Over the past five years, these measures have reduced the number of cars in central Moscow by 25 per cent and increased the average speed of traffic by 12 per cent, despite 600 new cars being registered in the city each day.

In 2013, Moscow traffic was ranked as worst in the world by the 1692 TomTom Traffic Index; the 2016 edition has moved it to fifth place.

The ITF jury recognised the “impressive achievement in improving overall traffic in Moscow.” In particular, the jurors highlighted “the effectiveness of coherent, coordinated initiatives and policy actions that facilitated this remarkable change.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Reducing transport energy use with real time travel information
    January 23, 2012
    The In-Time project is looking at the effect that multi-modal real-time traveller information services can have of reducing transport's energy consumption levels. By Martin Böhm, AustriaTech GmbH. Around the world, significant research and development effort is currently directed towards reducing energy consumption by addressing those areas where the biggest savings can be expected. European studies have shown that the transport sector has the potential to reduce its energy consumption by up to 26 per cent
  • Congestion pricing - no such thing as a free ride
    October 2, 2018
    The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles is likely to increase congestion, many experts believe. But Wes Guckert of Traffic Group believes that tolling could provide the answer. While it is still hard to wrap your head around the idea of getting into a vehicle without a driver, the industry is now used to hearing, reading, participating in the advancement of autonomous vehicles (AVs). Those in the industry have heard about Uber delivering a shipment of Budweiser, or the convoy of driverless trucks
  • UITP, ITF welcome UN plan to advance sustainable transport
    November 1, 2016
    Both the UITP and the International Transport Forum (ITF) have welcomed the United Nations High-Level Advisory Group report which recommends that greener, more efficient and sustainable transport can save trillions and help achieve the sustainable development goals. According to the report, Mobilizing Sustainable Transport for Development, greater investment in greener, more sustainable transport systems is essential for propelling the economic and social development that is vital to achieving the Sustai
  • Rethinking urban traffic congestion to put people first
    August 28, 2015
    Following the publication of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute/Inrix report on urban traffic congestion in the US, Robert Puentes, senior fellow with the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program , says that while the focus and themes of the report are largely the same as previous years, big changes are underway in how we study, think about, and address metropolitan traffic congestion. This new, modern approach calls into question whether the endless pursuit of congestion relief makes sense a