Frogger

When I was a kid, I remember playing the videogame “Frogger.” The goal of the game was to navigate a frog across several lanes of traffic without being smashed by oncoming traffic (I also remember that I was never really good at this game).

Well, being a pedestrian in Russia is kind of like that game. As I have noticed, from being now in three rather large cities—Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Tver, there is a general lack of regard for pedestrians. Instead, when trying to cross a street here—even on a crosswalk (except for those crosswalks at traffic lights)—it is a game of cat and mouse, with the automobiles being rather speedy cats. Oftentimes, it is a game of getting halfway. That is to say, on larger streets of 4 or more lanes, it is common to see people get halfway, only to be stranded in the middle as cars rush on both sides of helpless people straddling the center line.

I have to admit that this is one of my least favorite parts about Russia so far. I feel that I need to maintain a greater sense of awareness regarding vehicles here than I have ever had to before. Perhaps this is particularly because I have seen all sort of maneuvers from vehicles on regular streets that I have previously never seen. For example, on a two lane road, some cars are VERY slow, and thus they are often passed--making it a 3 or 4 lane road. I guess what I am trying to say is that I do not, as of yet, feel as though I know (or least can anticipate) what Russian drivers will do, and that makes me very wary.