MKAD
From March 1, 2013, a ban was imposed on the transit traffic on the Moscow Ring Road of freight vehicles with a permitted mass of over 12 tons from 6:00 to 22:00. The restriction of traffic on the MKAD of all freight vehicles with a permitted maximum mass of more than 12 tons is scheduled for May 1, 2013. Also, an annual restriction on the movement of heavy vehicles on the Moscow Ring Road was introduced from May 1 to October 1 from 6:00 to 24:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, on the eve of non-working holidays and on non-working holidays.
Such restrictions on the entry of large-capacity transport into Moscow were the first step in a comprehensive restructuring of the Moscow logistics system. A meeting on the reform of freight logistics of the capital with representatives of major retailers, transport companies, food manufacturers, construction and logistics companies was held at the Moscow City Hall. The event was held with the participation of the Deputy Mayor of Moscow in the Government of Moscow, the head of the Department of Transport and Development of Road Transport Infrastructure Maxim Liksutov. The meeting discussed the main directions of reform in the implementation of the general transport strategy of Moscow and the willingness of the business to impose restrictions on the entry and movement of freight vehicles with a permitted maximum weight of more than 12 tons across the Moscow Ring Road and within it during the daytime.
The Moscow Government Transport Department expressed its willingness to assist business representatives in optimizing freight logistics and lowering administrative barriers. In particular, work is underway to expand the possibilities of night distribution and amend the law of the city of Moscow “On maintaining the peace of citizens and silence at night” in order to enable the use of silent devices for unloading and loading at night.
Another important area of the reform is the optimization of issuing passes to companies that, for objective reasons, cannot immediately switch to night mode. Passes will be issued to carriers of goods necessary to ensure the life of the city, the needs of the population and enterprises located within the MKAD, in the absence of the possibility of delivering goods at night. Similar criteria will apply to traffic between cities near Moscow, the route of which passes along the Moscow Ring Road. The issuance of passes, including criteria, will be regulated by a special regulation, which, if possible, will take into account the wishes of market participants. The procedure for obtaining passes will be simplified as much as possible - they will be issued in electronic form without the need for a personal presence of the applicant when submitting documents and providing the originals of the necessary documents.
The Moscow government in the person of Maxim Liksutov assured the meeting participants that a gradual and gentle introduction of restrictions is planned to give time for all market participants to readjust. He estimates that it will take 1.5–2 years for the reform to reach its targets.
As a result of the discussion, it was decided to create a “road map” for several years on further transport initiatives of the Moscow government to show the sequence of actions of the Moscow Government to improve the investment climate for business and living conditions for citizens. In addition, it was decided to create a working group of representatives of the largest companies to take into account specific proposals on the system for issuing passes and organizing the movement of large-tonnage transport in order to ensure the most smooth transition to the new rules.
The restrictions introduced will further improve the efficiency of public transport routes passing through the Moscow Ring Road and reduce the average travel time of residents of not only Moscow, but also the Moscow Region, from where 1.3 million people leave and drive in cars every day. The reform of the transport system includes the construction of logistics distribution centers in the Moscow region, as well as the development of bypass routes in cooperation with the Moscow region and Rosavtodor.
The Ministry of Transport of the region today is actively working on the organization of parking for heavy vehicles and the arrangement of multifunctional complexes with elements of road service - gas stations, cafes, service stations, driver’s recreation areas. The department holds working meetings with the participation of representatives of Rosavtodor, Avtodor Group of Companies, the Moscow Region State Office of Land Management and land owners on the issue of organizing the construction of parking lots for heavy vehicles and their connection to roads under the control of motor roads.
The website of the Ministry of Transport of the region contains detailed information on the analysis of truck stops located along federal highways passing through the territory of the region. To promptly inform the public and carriers, this information will be constantly updated. On behalf of the Minister of Transport of the region, Alexander Zaitsev, specialists are working out other ways of informing. So, on the Internet portal it is planned to create an interactive channel for carriers.
