Driving in Ukraine

Well it's about time I wrote something about driving in Ukraine.  The first thing that comes to mind is a question I was once asked in Canada.   On which side of the road do Ukrainians drive?   My reply was and still is "On the side where there are fewer potholes".   Most Ukrainian roads were built during Soviet times and thus were made for fewer vehicles and definately not for the large transports that frequent every road in Ukraine these days.  Then, they was little concern for a proper base or quality asphalt as it was not needed and this philosophy still holds for much of the construction and repairs today, resulting in the potholes.   In our region we saw an great improvement in the quality of road repairs in 2010,  however most people attribute this to the elections that were held in Oct. 2010.  I have to say that except for the occasional grader, the road that we drive on to get home saw construction last year for the first time in the seven years that we have lived here.  It's still not paved but driving on the road almost feels like something out of the 20th century.

The Yanukovich government has promised that for the European Football (soccer, to most N. Americans) championships to be held in 2012, many roads will be brought up to European standards. We can only hope that where there is a will there is a way, but, if last years improvements are an indication than we should soon be driving on the roads without having to spend too much time watching out for potholes. 

The traffic laws in Ukraine are generally the same as in the rest of the world.  There are some differences in the signs but these are mostly of a minor difference and most people will not be too confused. The one big difference is the lack of proper directing signs.  Again, because much of Ukraine's infrastructure is a holdover of the Soviet period there is a lack of proper sign giving directions as to which lane one must drive, names of roads or directions to highways etc.   (I believe that during the Soviet period this was done intentionally to confuse any invader) The maps during this time were also deliberately made confusing to keep foreigners off the roads.  There is another theory, that the signs are deliberately made confusing to give the police an opportunity to fine the drivers and/or...

Another difference are the traffic lights.  Here they change from green to amber to red as in Canada but they then change to amber again before the green comes on.  I am only guessing but it appears that the drivers are given an opportunity to turn across traffic between the red and green but this is only a guess.

This leaves the drivers.  A large percent of drivers in Ukraine are driving without attending a driver training class or in some cases without even taking a test.   There is a great problem with some drivers having little regard for the law or even the lives of others, possibly because they never knew the laws.  The most noticable reckless act is that many drivers will pass slower traffic on blind curves or while driving through a village or in a residential area without regard for the pedestrians or livestock along the side of the road.  They seem to wait until a curve is visible and than try to pass.  The speed limit in a residential area is 60kph but there is an understanding or belief that the police will allow an additional 10-20 kph over and a lot of drivers will push that limit.  We see almost every day on the news, where some driver of an SUV or some other vehicle well stocked with protective cushions, has crashed into an intersection seriously injuring others while he walks away without a scratch.
The government has once again promised to crack down on drunk drivers but I guess we can only wait and see.  I don't think that there is as great a problem with drinking and driving as in some other countries, but due to the lack of driving skills, any amount of alcohol seems to be too much. The law is very clear that so much as the smell of alcohol on a drivers breath can result in a hefty fine, however the reality is that there is a way to get out of almost any predicament.  A recent proposal to change the law to include that the first infraction  results in a suspension of a driving permit can only improve the situation.  The number of serious accidents involving buses seems to be much higher in Ukraine that almost anywhere in the world. Recently    there was an inspection of bus drivers in Kyiv where many of them were found to be driving under the influence.  One can only hope that these inspections and other similar checks will serve to improve the situation and make driving safer.
I don't want to sound pessamistic or to give the impression that it is difficult to drive in Ukraine because if one is careful, driving here isn't much worse that anywhere else and with the proposed improvements we can expect that things will soon be much improved.

Julia

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An update to Ukraine's "Official" Language

An update to an earlier story.

You might remember the story about the police officer who was let go, after he was recorded by a driver, for maligning the Ukrainian language.  Well the other day there was an update to the story in the news.  The citizen who recorded the altercation also found himself a victim.  While driving late at night he was pulled over by the police and (it is reported that) he refused to produce his documentation for inspection.   He was than taken to the police station where he was interogated.  Shortly after he was taken to court where he was sentenced to five days incarceration for refusing to show his documents.

Happy Valentines Day

Today most men and boys are walking around town carrying flowers.  The flower shops are doing a brisk business and the bazars and stores are selling red paper hearts and balloons.  The local radio station have a day long call in show where declarations of love are being sent to loved ones. 
Valentines day has only been celebrated in Ukraine since the early 1990's, after the fall of the iron curtain and western decadence has taken hold.  Valentines may not be celebrated to the extent that some western countries, but that doesn't mean that our woman don't find it to be as important to them. 
Another reason to celebrate this day is that my cousins daughter gave birth to twins today, a boy and a girl.
So we are opening a bottle of wine today to celebrate. 

Ukraine's "Official" Language

Ukraine and Ukrainians are fast becoming more adept at using technology in their everyday lives. Thieves are usually the first to catch onto any device that will aids them in their ventures.  They are using a device to display the code of your electronic door lock which gives them access to your vehicle and an easy theft. But they are not the only ones to begin using technology in their everyday lives.  These days in Ukraine it has become popular to have a hidden video camera in ones vehicle.  These are attached in the vehicle so as to record any  descrepancy  the driver may have with anyone outside the drivers side of the vehicle. The other day the conversation a driver had with an Odessa police officer was recorded and carried by several television news services. The driver requested the officer speak with him in Ukainian, which he stated was the "official" national language.  The officer speaking in Russian replied that he didn't speak "that cows language" and carried on with his questioning of the driver.  The following day the officer was relieved of duty and within a few days he found he was without a job.  The officers immediate supervisor was also repremanded and throughout Ukraine most police quickly became more concious of their use of the "official" language.