Floating Car Parks Planned For Moscow

What is the current parking situation in Moscow?

In the city named after its river, the Moscow powers that be are dealing with a rapidly rising number of vehicles that is currently near four million. The figure keeps rising against the one million parking spaces that are now available, constantly aggravating the situation. According to news sources, 600,000 of these parking spaces are in parking lots and the rest (400,000) are in various garage complexes. Authorities are desperate to accommodate these vehicles and have developed a new way of making lemonade from lemons: namely, using the Moscow River area for the development of floating car parks.

What is the plan for constructing these floating car parks in Moscow?

Russian authorities are planning to build some 46,000 new parking spaces within the next two years, some 14,000 this year alone. The effort, however, is like trying to hold back the tide, and it will only fill some 75% of the required norm. Floating car parks are known to carry up to 1,200 cars and they can easily be built onto barges.

Would Moscow be the first place where floating car parks could work?

A floating car park has been very successful in Tokyo, Japan, where it forms part of the Tokyo Bay water line via a bridge and tunnel. Now a prominent tourist attraction, drivers can either cross the bridge to the artificial island and park to admire the view or they can drive straight through to the tunnel entrance.

Will floating car parks alleviate the desperate need for parking space in Moscow?

There seems little doubt that floating car parks along the Moscow River could well be an answer to the growing parking congestion in the city. Will other cities follow suit and build these floating car parks for their traffic problems?

Only time will tell, but it would seem to be on the safe side to make sure all drivers pass a swimming test as soon as they pass their driving tests.

Happy floating car park, Moscow.