European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 2, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Finding a cab in Moscow anything that moves by Philip Taubman new York times a none who has tried to Hail a taxi i Manhattan on a wintry night would appreciate the frustration of muscovite stranded downtown in Arctic conditions this time of year. Although the Moscow subway is justifiably renowned for its grand stations and fast trains the stops Are spread out particularly in new residential neighbourhoods and service is suspended in the Early morning hours. Bus service also stops. Every night there Are clusters of people along Moscow s Broad thoroughfares waving pointing sometimes lunging into the Street imploring taxis to Stop. Like new York Moscow has far fewer taxis than riders. As a result a flourishing Gypsy cab business has developed that makes the no medallion taxi Trade in new York seem tame. In Moscow the Driver of any vehicle including a private car a truck and even an empty ambulance is Likely to Stop and offer a ride for the right Price. The business is strictly illegal but no one seems to mind the free Enterprise. Foreigners As Well As russians use the Gypsy cabs. An american who has lived in Moscow for several years described the time the Driver of a tractor trailer truck gave him a lift delivering him somewhat incongruously to the door of his apartment building on the outskirts of Moscow. A muscovite recalled the time he was picked up by the Driver of a Street cleaning vehicle who finished with his Day s work did not mind taking a Detour on the Way Back to the garage for five rubles. The Only vehicles shunned Are those that belong to foreigners. The vehicles carry special License plates red and White for diplomats yellow and Black for journalists and businessmen that clearly Mark them As off limits. Regular soviet plates Are Black and White. Muscovites desperately trying to get a taxi at night often Retreat to the sidewalk and lower their arms if they see that an approaching car belongs to a foreigner. Private cars have also been turned into floating liquor stores. With the government crackdown on drinking making it More difficult to obtain Vodka enterprising car owners have taken to stashing a dozen or so bottles under the front seat and Selling them on the move. The practice has become extremely common and at night after liquor stores close people Flag Down taxis and cars to see if Vodka is for Sale. Automobiles still seem to be held in a certain amount of Awe by Many russians probably because the mass production of cars is a More recent phenomenon than in the West and private ownership of cars is relatively new for Many people. One result is that once a russian Hunters Down behind the wheel of even the smallest Sedan he seems to feel he owns the Road. Several muscovites said they were told in Driver s education courses that they should never yield to pedestrians. There seems Little danger of that. At any intersection in Moscow when the Light turns Green traffic bolts ahead regardless of pedestrians. This produces a familiar sight around Moscow and other cities groups of pedestrians dashing toward the relative safety of the Middle of the Street and standing there trapped As cars and trucks Roar by on both sides. Soviet Law stipulates that pedestrians have the right of Way but several newspaper articles earlier this year reported that when dozens of muscovites were questioned at crosswalks none knew about the Law. When a foreigner stops to let pedestrians pass people at first Stop and stare in disbelief. Traffic control is the responsibility of special traffic police from the  Automo Binaya inspects a the state automobile inspection Bureau. They Are far More numerous and Active than their counterparts in new York. Stationed at every major intersection in Moscow often in a Small observation Booth elevated above the Roadway these militiamen run their turf like Small duchies dispensing Justice with a flick of a White Baton that signals Drivers to Stop. Apart from giving the City a militaristic air they seem ubiquitous in their heavy Gray uniforms Black boots and White belts the traffic police enforce a variety of Laws ranging from the mandatory use of seat belts to Speed limits and prohibitions against driving while intoxicated. They Are equipped with the latest in Western and soviet technology including two Way radios made in the United states soviet radar and breath testing equipment. They collect fines on the spot. A seat Belt violation costs three rubles. In some cases according to russians the police demand to be paid for violations that do not exist telling Drivers particularly those from out of town that it will Cost 5 or 10 rubles to continue on their Way. Although there Are 11 million cars on the Road in the soviet Union few Are used for travel Between cities. There is nothing remotely comparable to hopping in the family car and driving from new York to Philadelphia or Washington. One reason is reliable Low Cost train service. Another is the roads or Lack of them. The main Highway Between Leningrad and Moscow equivalent to travelling from Boston to Washington or san Francisco to los Angeles is two lanes most of the Way. On a recent trip no private cars were spotted for 350 Miles. Trucks mostly Flat bed behemoths carrying everything from turbines to computers had the Road to themselves. There were also no cars visible in the dozens of Small villages along the route. The Small wooden houses had television antennas but villagers could be seen carrying water from Central pumps to their houses in buckets Hung from yokes resting on their shoulders. If cars were absent the presence of the government was not. Every 30 Miles or so there was a vehicle inspection Booth from which the police monitored traffic. When a foreigner drives along the route he must notify the authorities in Advance and his Progress is checked from Booth to Booth. If a car fails to reach the next station within the expected time police officers Are sent out to search. Shopping continued from Page 15 correctly. Soviet jeans thin and shapeless stand unnoticed and unwanted. Word that foreign clothes Are available can cause chaos. A foreign student attending Stalin s towering Moscow University put up a notice that she had a pair of jeans to sell. The Dingy underlie Hall was soon filled with russian girls in their underwear taking turns checking the fit. Foreign jeans will bring a 100 rubles $130and the state has taken to Selling its imports at that Price. But not All of those foreign products Are foreign. The soviet press periodically runs an expose of some factory manager caught using the state facilities to manufacture a private line with More Appeal than those authorized by the party. It s a profitable business but one that can end with a firing squad. The chronic shortages Are reflected in the number of second hand and specially repair shops along the streets of Moscow. Watch repair shops Are among the commonest but others handle Only shoes televisions or even handbags. Not that the presence of a repair shop necessarily solves the problem. In a Corner of Marina s Kitchen there is a useless washing machine. She explained that it broke Down about two years ago and the repair shop could t get the part it  now she periodically hikes up the Snow covered Hill behind her apartment to a laundry to Wash sheets. In the bathroom of her Home is a Basin where she scrubs the family s clothes by hand. The washing machine sitting Idle is stacked with newspapers. A new shipment of shoes attracts Long lines of shoppers to a Moscow store. Sunday March 2, 1986 the stars and stripes up photo Page 17