The GIBDD Guys

GIBDD, the State Street Traffic Safety Inspectorate, has officers posted all around the city to enforce automobile regulations. They can stop you if they notice any violation of rules, inspect vehicles, and impose on-the-spot fines. That's the good news. The bad news is that GIBDD officers are horribly underpaid and use their powers to stop motorists and extract fines for real or imagined violations, and foreign cars are their favorite target. The really bad news is that they have the legal right to shoot at your vehicle if you fail to pull over.

GIBDD officers wear a dark blue uniform with a distinctive silver shield on the left breast and carry a lit or striped baton. If an officer points his baton at you, you are to pull over right away. If you speak Russian this is the time to use it; the better your Russian, the better chance you have of negotiating your way out without losing your pants.

Drawbridges that cross the larger rivers rise with a vengeance at different times between 02:00 and 05:00 to let ships pass through when the river isn't frozen solid. Note that although the smaller bridges come down again for a time, the large bridges crossing the Neva River stay up for the entire interval. Plan ahead and remember...up means up.