Kazan suburbs cut off by blizzard, residents stranded

Due to multi-day snowfall, Kazan«s suburbs and residential complexes have been cut off from the rest of the city. Taxis and deliveries are not reaching them, forcing some residents to switch to remote work and others to order cars at exorbitant prices. A 116.RU correspondent spoke with residents of such neighborhoods about how they are coping during these abnormally snowy days.

For example, taxis and couriers are not reaching the Privolny settlement, local resident Elvira said.

«Delivery doesn»t come to us. The nearest store has a very poor selection of products, and the bus runs once an hour. If there«s traffic — even less frequently. Taxis don»t come to our streets. If I set the address, they refuse the order. I had to choose an address on the main road and take a «business» tariff,« Elvira complained.

The forced one-way taxi ride during the snowfalls cost her 2,000 rubles (about $22 at current rates).

«There was no other way to leave. I work at a secure facility, with a shift at 06:50. The bus doesn»t work for me. I can«t miss work either,» lamented the settlement resident.

Kristina Petrova from the Kadyshevo residential area decided to avoid going out until the weather calms down.

«I don»t leave the house these days, at most to the garden. The tractor cleans the streets, however it doesn«t keep up and not always well. But it seems there»s no SOS situation. We have a big problem with trucks that come from the highway and get stuck on the hill, thus cutting off our settlement from civilization. We really need a sign prohibiting the entry of heavy trucks,« she shared.

In the Voznesenskoye settlement, they also complain about trucks. On Saturday, one such long vehicle got stuck on a duplicate road at the turn to Iman Street and created a traffic jam.

«People couldn»t drive home, the road turned from two-lane to one-lane. The «ZhK Garmoniya» bus stop, located in Voznesenye, is buried in snow. There«s no pedestrian path to it,» complained Voznesenskoye resident Elizaveta.

According to her, people are forced to leave their cars near stores and walk through snowdrifts and the roadway on foot, because there«s no way to drive up to the houses. The trip to the grocery store is also very problematic.

According to Elizaveta, during snowfall, it«s impossible to leave the settlement either by one»s own transport or even by taxi with a price tag from 1,500 rubles (about $17 at current rates).

«Taxis get stuck. There»s only one public transport — the number 70 bus — which runs once every half hour. In a snowstorm, even less frequently. It«s also hard for it to pass: there»s ice under the snow, the wheels have nothing to grip, and the roads aren«t treated with reagent,» our interviewee said.

She noted that local kindergartens are working, despite the weather, since not all parents have the opportunity to stay with children at home.

Maria, a resident of the «Mechta» residential complex in Ametyevo, has been staying home with her child and working remotely for the second week, as there«s no one to leave him with.

«We were sick last week, just got discharged and immediately went into distance learning. The road to school is very difficult — with a huge snowdrift on the sidewalk. I have my own car, but it»s hard to get out. My tall car slips, and low cars don«t even try to leave the yard. But we»re still okay. On the weekend we went to grandma«s in Glushko, there the snowdrifts are above human height, there»s nowhere to stand at all, in some places only the width of one car is cleared, you can«t pass or even walk,» she shared.

Recall that last week, due to heavy snowfall, the State Traffic Inspectorate suspended the trips of 13 school buses that transported children from the suburbs. Demand and prices for taxis have grown. Later in the city a «Blizzard» emergency mode was introduced. Students of educational institutions were switched to distance learning. The mayor«s office warned that snow removal might take more time.

Today, Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin announced that restrictions in the city have been extended for another two days. This is necessary so that city services can «dig out» the capital of Tatarstan from the snow. According to him, in January the amount of fallen snow exceeded the indicators for the entire past winter.