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| Home > City Guide - St Petersburg - Getting There By Road | ||
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Getting There By Road Driving in Russia is best avoided. Roads are poor, petrol stations few and far between and the quality of the fuel is inferior. Accidents caused by bad driving are frequent and the GAI 9 (pronounced ‘Guy-ee’) Traffic Police are notorious for supplementing their salaries by fining foreign drivers for alleged traffic violations. However, with signs hidden, non-existent or in Cyrillic script, it is also easy for visitors to commit a traffic offence. An International Driving Permit and licence from the driver’s home country is required. The minimum driving age is 18 years. Bringing a car from Europe entails making a customs declaration promising to take it out on departure – failure to do so can lead to serious problems. Also required are the vehicle registration documents and proof of valid insurance cover. Major roads are designated by a letter (such as ‘M’ for motorway) and a corresponding number. Traffic drives on the right, speed limits are 60kph (37mph) in the city, 110kph (68mph) in outlying areas and 120kph (72mph) on highways. In the main, it is illegal to turn left. The wearing of seatbelts is mandatory. Drink driving is a very serious offence likely to result in a prison sentence. In law, a blood alcohol ratio of 0.04% is permissible, however, in practice, drinking any alcohol and then driving is illegal. UMA Autoclub provides a 24-hour breakdown service on St Petersburg’s roads (tel: (812) 329 5777). Emergency breakdown service(s): UMA Autoclub (812) 329 5777 Routes to the city: The main roads into the city are the M10 from Helsinki to Moscow and the M11 from Berlin via Poland. Approximate driving times to St Petersburg: From Helsinki – 5 hours 30 minutes; Moscow – 10 hours 30 minutes; Berlin – 21 hours 52 minutes. Coach services: There is a central bus enquiries service (tel: (812) 166 5777) and two main bus terminals in St Petersburg. Avtovokal N1 (Bus Terminal 1), Dnepropetrovskaya ulitsa (tel: (812) 166 0729; fax: (812) 166 5307), serves the intercity and international bus routes. Finnord (tel: (812) 314 8951; fax: (812) 274 3460) operates a daily coach service to and from Helsinki from their office at Italyanskayu ulitsa 37, with stops at the Pulkovskava and Astoria Hotels. Avtovokzal N2 (Bus Terminal 2), Obvodnogo Kanala Nabrezhiya, near the M Ligovsky prospekt (tel: (812) 166 5777), is for buses travelling within the Leningrad region and to nearby cities such as Novgorod. Facilities at the terminals are basic to non-existent. |
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