Putin aims to cut road rage and win votes in Moscow

In AN effort to court the populist vote ahead of the country’s presidential election in March, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has pledged to cut traffic privileges for officials, who routinely by-pass Moscow’s notorious traffic jams by ignoring the basic rules of the road and even driving into oncoming lanes.

The privileges are a huge irritant for Muscovites, who have increasingly expressed their discontent with Mr Putin’s policies and widespread government corruption, endangering his chances of sweeping into a third term as president after the 4 March election.

Traffic in Moscow is routinely stopped to clear the road for the speeding motorcades – with their flashing blue “migalka” lights – carrying Mr Putin, president Dmitry Medvedev and dignitaries. Roads can be closed for up to an hour. Irritated Muscovites express their frustration by honking their horns.

In an effort to still the growing discontent with Russian bureaucrats and bigwigs, Mr Putin yesterday promised to make a “drastic cut” in the number of officials entitled to traffic privileges to “a few dozens”, Russia news agencies reported. There are currently nearly 890 officials in the city who have blue flashing lights on their vehicles, allowing them to ignore traffic rules.

The blue flashing lights have become a metaphor for corrupt officials abusing their powers – activists have over recent years named and shamed scores of officials and top executives for using the privileges that they are not actually entitled to.

Road accidents involving cars with special privileges have caused public outrage in recent years. In Moscow’s south-west in 2010, a car belonging to a senior executive with oil company Lukoil hit a car in an oncoming lane and killed two female passengers. It led to a boycott of the oil company’s petrol stations. The oil executive was cleared of charges, but activists insisted he had jumped into the oncoming lane, crashing into the car.

Following that accident, a Moscow businessman, Andrei Hartley, refused to move for a black BMW carrying an aide to president Dmitri Medvedev. He posted a video online showing the aide’s arrogant reaction.

Also in 2010, a popular movement began that saw hundreds of Muscovites strap blue buckets to the roofs of their cars to mock the official blue lights. Calling themselves the Blue Buckets Society, they eventually organised several marches in the city.

Meanwhile, Russia’s outgoing president Dmitry Medvedev has warned of increased violence in the North Caucasus ahead of the presidential vote.

An Islamic insurgency has spread across that region since two separatist wars in Chechnya. Mr Medvedev said yesterday that insurgents could use the March vote to increase the pressure on Russia, and asked officials at the country’s spy agency FSB to be vigilant and prevent “insurgents’ provocations”.

For the first time in years, Russians are challenging the control of Mr Putin, who was president from 2000-8 and has since been prime minister. On Saturday, as many as 120,000 people turned out for the third and perhaps largest mass demonstration since Mr Putin’s party won a parliamentary election on 4 December with the help of what appeared to be widespread fraud.