The traffic jam began to grow rapidly since Friday night, when numerous tourists from all over the country, residents of the Kuban and Crimea headed for the bridge over the Kerch Strait. First, a queue of 4-5 kilometers formed, the waiting time for inspection at the checkpoint reached two hours. To increase throughput, the Kuban authorities sent more employees to control the transport. However, at night, the cars did not have time to pass, so the morning of July 2 greeted tourists with sun and tail… up to nine kilometers. At FKU Uprdor “Taman”, which supervises this section of the federal highway, he noted that the traffic jam is growing, including due to the abundance of luggage. The more bags and suitcases there are in the car, the longer it will take the specialists at the checkpoints to check it.
Soon, social networks were filled with comments from drivers caught up in this current. “On Saturday, the traffic jam was five kilometers, they were stopped for 4.5 hours”, “I was stopped for two hours yesterday. Do you know what is the reason? Only five minutes”, “Every car is upside down. You completely download everything , even the smallest bag and carry it yourself on the tape. If you don’t want to unload, welcome to the scanner. As we did yesterday. But the queue is even longer. There is only one scanner. The buses pass without a queue, traveled two kilometers in four hours,” eyewitnesses recounted.
On social networks, vacationers stuck in traffic began to be invited to visit Anapa, which is only 1.5 hours from the Crimean bridge.
The situation was certainly tense. Many people go on vacation with small children, pets, and waiting in the sweltering summer is like a serious test. Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations organized four round-the-clock points for distributing water on the highway. In an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta yesterday afternoon, Temryuk district head Fyodor Babenkov explained that he was handed over by volunteers. Along the route, 28 dry closets were installed every 350 meters, employees of municipal companies monitor the state of health.
“Volunteers, employees of the district administration and the Taman rural settlement help drivers and passengers waiting in line. More than five tons of water were distributed per day,” the Kuban headquarters said. In order to quickly solve the problem, the regional authorities sent part of the employees of the inspection points on the Crimean side of the bridge to Krasnodar on Sunday. In total, 80 points were organized in the Temryuk district to control cars. “We do everything with love and care for people,” Fedor Babenkov emphasized. “And we hope they perceive temporary difficulties with understanding. After all, extensive checks are organized on the roads for the sake of our common safety.”
Drivers began to be warned to stock up on food in advance at cafes on the way to the bridge and to plan their route taking into account the weather in traffic. You can also use an alternative option: as before, railway buses run regularly from Anapa to Kerch. Against this background, some users of social networks decided to dilute the situation by inviting vacationers to visit Anapa, which is only a 1.5-hour drive from the Crimean bridge.
At the time of signing the issue, the average waiting time for motorists in a traffic jam on the Crimean Bridge was still four hours.
Just in case. We do not recommend driving to the Kerch ferry. Although it is operating normally, only trucks with medicines and perishable products are allowed to be transported to the port of Kavkaz. Therefore, those who are in cars should not rely on this “loophole”. They just don’t let you get on the ferry.
We check the situation on the other side of the Crimean bridge. In the opposite direction, the traffic jam is still not that big. At different times of the day, it decreases to 100 meters or extends for a kilometer. The wait takes 15 to 50 minutes. There are fewer cars at night and the queue gets shorter. And in the morning it grows again. Authorities are monitoring the situation and trying to expedite the search.
Inspectors ask drivers how long they have been stuck in traffic. The Rossiyskaya Gazeta correspondent was personally convinced of this. Before projection, the tail splits in two. Those who have few things are sent to search manually, it is faster. The inspection of passenger cars usually takes between 10 and 15 minutes.
At the entrance to the bridge on the Crimean side along the route, dry cabinets were also installed. So far, they are not in demand, but they may be needed when the holiday season ends and tourists are attracted. For the future. The last gas station is located on the Tavrida highway, 12 kilometers from the Crimean bridge. There is a cafe and a shop, places of rest. We advise you to stop by, stock up on fuel and drinking water to be able to survive the traffic jam without any problem.
there are options
How to get to Crimea without traffic jams on the bridge
The best way to avoid traffic jams is to travel to Crimea by train. “Tavria” constantly passes over the Crimean bridge. By the summer, additional trains were released, carriages were added.
From Moscow, for example, you can get directly to Sevastopol, Evpatoria, Feodosia, Kerch. Or you can go to Simferopol, and from there by bus or taxi to any point of the sea.
Many complain that there are no tickets, that the dealers are disarming them. Let’s check. Tickets are best viewed on the website of the operator of passenger transport to the Crimea “Grand Service Express”. But they are also on the Russian Railways website, on Yandex and other aggregators. Today, for example, you can freely buy a ticket from Moscow to Simferopol on July 20. A compartment for the Tavria train No. 028 costs 10,400 rubles. True, only the first places remained. There are lower racks on other trains that take longer.
On July 3, a ticket from Moscow to Simferopol on July 20 could be freely bought. In a compartment of the train “Tavria” No. 028, it cost 10.4 thousand rubles. we review it
If you do not buy tickets at the last moment, but take care of yourself in advance, there will be lower places. On weekends in July there are fewer places available. But during the week they are enough.
By car, of course, cheaper. “Of course! – Anatoly, the conductor from Volgograd, gave us his lineup. – If the four of us take train tickets, then it will cost us a penny. And it is more convenient to drive your own car. If you wanted, you stopped.” We would argue with the latter. It turns out the other way around – they did not want to, but stopped. However, everyone decides for himself.
And with this decision it is worth hurrying. The Christmas season in Crimea is gaining momentum. All the beaches are open. Thanks to subsidies from the government of the Russian Federation, many of them have new infrastructure: playgrounds, open-air cinemas, rental of stand-up boards. By the end of June, the water warmed up to 22 degrees. But on July 1-2, a cold current approached, and the sea cooled down to +18. This is temporary, the water will soon warm up again. The hotels are filling up little by little. Many have announced discounts of 20-30% on accommodation until the end of the season. A room in a three-star hotel near the Yalta embankment costs from 6,000 rubles, there are places. In Yevpatoriya at the Four Stars Spa Hotel, the price for a standard double room starts from 9,000 rubles.
On the Balaklava embankment, you are invited to boat rides. Not many want. “We have had a high season since July,” says the ship’s captain, Sergey. “People will come to Crimea. Have you seen the traffic jams near the Crimean bridge?”
