Russian high-flying officials might face the necessity to mix with the common herd as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed scrapping their privilege-granting flashing lights on Tuesday. The promise, however, will only be fulfilled if Putin wins in the upcoming presidential vote, he said during the meeting with his trusted representatives, today.
"If citizens trust me and the vote finishes as I hope, we will be able to reduce the amount of these flashing lights without any problems," Interfax quoted him as saying.
Only for the state protected
Some officials, however, will keep their long-disputed migalki flashing blue lights on top of their VIP-vehicles, but the total amount of such cars might be decreased to a few dozen, Putin promised.
Several Russian motorist unions have been protesting over migalki, including the Blue Buckets movement. The Blue Buckets also took part in recent protests against alleged vote rigging and Putin's widely anticipated return to the Kremlin.
Putin said that only people under state protection would keep the right to squeeze through Moscow's notorious traffic ahead of other motorists. Emergency services and police are also to keep their priority on the roads, Putin added.
The prime minister voiced his proposal on the same day that Maxim Liksutov, Moscow's traffic department head, denied information that officials would soon be flying over the capital in helicopters to help free up the roads for local motorists, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported.
Not just another proposal
The proposal is not just another scheme to attract the votes of those motorists who took part in Moscow's mass protests that started in December, Vyacheslav Lysakov, head of the Free Choice Motorists' Movement and Putin's United People's Front member, believes.
"It's the president who makes the list of vehicles that have the right to drive with flashing lights," he told the Moscow News.
Other motorists, however, were not so impressed by Putin's idea.
"If Putin wanted a real change, he could just cancel all privileges given to vehicles with flashing lights," Sergei Kanayev, head of the Russian Motorist Union told the Moscow News. "It would take him about 10 minutes," he said, adding that ambulance, police, firefighters and other emergency services have to keep their right to make their way through the traffic ahead of the others.
Keywords: Russia, Government, Politics - Russia News - Russia
Russian high-flying officials might face the necessity to mix with the common herd as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed scrapping their privilege-granting flashing lights on Tuesday.
The promise, however, will only be fulfilled if Putin wins in the upcoming presidential vote, he said during the meeting with his trusted representatives, today.
"If citizens trust me and the vote finishes as I hope, we will be able to reduce the amount of these flashing lights without any problems," Interfax quoted him as saying.
Only for the state protected
Some officials, however, will keep their long-disputed migalki flashing blue lights on top of their VIP-vehicles, but the total amount of such cars might be decreased to a few dozen, Putin promised.
Several Russian motorist unions have been protesting over migalki, including the Blue Buckets movement. The Blue Buckets also took part in recent protests against alleged vote rigging and Putin's widely anticipated return to the Kremlin.
Putin said that only people under state protection would keep the right to squeeze through Moscow's notorious traffic ahead of other motorists. Emergency services and police are also to keep their priority on the roads, Putin added.
The prime minister voiced his proposal on the same day that Maxim Liksutov, Moscow's traffic department head, denied information that officials would soon be flying over the capital in helicopters to help free up the roads for local motorists, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported.
Not just another proposal
The proposal is not just another scheme to attract the votes of those motorists who took part in Moscow's mass protests that started in December, Vyacheslav Lysakov, head of the Free Choice Motorists' Movement and Putin's United People's Front member, believes.
"It's the president who makes the list of vehicles that have the right to drive with flashing lights," he told the Moscow News.
Other motorists, however, were not so impressed by Putin's idea.
"If Putin wanted a real change, he could just cancel all privileges given to vehicles with flashing lights," Sergei Kanayev, head of the Russian Motorist Union told the Moscow News. "It would take him about 10 minutes," he said, adding that ambulance, police, firefighters and other emergency services have to keep their right to make their way through the traffic ahead of the others.