Most Russians don’t even know how to drive and rely on public transport
Really we have more cars per family than many European countries. Moscow, SPB, Nizhny Novgorod, etc are most traffic jammed cities in Europe. It is a consequence of USSR car deficit, it was very hard and expensive to obtain one. Everybody want to own a car. Or even few. Just because we was deprived from cars in USSR. Only insane ecology obsessed hipster private car haters crazy on all that "smart city" and public transport stuff (I'm shure you know such dumbfucks) have no cars among all who is able to drive.
Also, you did not know, but in Russia nearly everybody who live in cities have "dacha". It is a small lot (~0.2 acre) of land outside the city (10-70 miles), far from highways and railways with not very big house. In USSR government gave out that land to workers/employees as a recreational places. Everybody have them. That lots was grouped by factory/enterprise/institute/etc. And in soviet times employer provide a dedicated bus for transportation of employees to dachas on weekends. That often was the only decent way to get to dacha without a car, otherwise you had to walk for few hours to get to closest public transport point. After USSR fall that practice of employer buses disappeared, but we got a lot of cheap used European and Japan cars. Since nearly everybody have dacha and there are usually no any public transport from city to dacha, even families who work in building next to their apartments in city have cars to drive to dacha on weekends.
For countryfolks, car is a must. Your life will be just miserable, if you have no car in rural area.
After USSR fall car become a symbol of freedom here. And it is still a very important symbol.
Take away the busses and subways and you guys are limited to 5 miles maximum distance lol.
Did you ever examined a map of Russia? Or lurked over satellite images of Russian cities? There are enough maps in internet, try it, may be you will find out how ridiculous your assumption is.
Really we have more cars per family than many European countries. Moscow, SPB, Nizhny Novgorod, etc are most traffic jammed cities in Europe. It is a consequence of USSR car deficit, it was very hard and expensive to obtain one. Everybody want to own a car. Or even few. Just because we was deprived from cars in USSR. Only insane ecology obsessed hipster private car haters crazy on all that "smart city" and public transport stuff (I'm shure you know such dumbfucks) have no cars among all who is able to drive.
Also, you did not know, but in Russia nearly everybody who live in cities have "dacha". It is a small lot (~0.2 acre) of land outside the city (10-70 miles), far from highways and railways with not very big house. In USSR government gave out that land to workers/employees as a recreational places. Everybody have them. That lots was grouped by factory/enterprise/institute/etc. And in soviet times employer provide a dedicated bus for transportation of employees to dachas on weekends. That often was the only decent way to get to dacha without a car, otherwise you had to walk for few hours to get to closest public transport point. After USSR fall that practice of employer buses disappeared, but we got a lot of cheap used European and Japan cars. Since nearly everybody have dacha and there are usually no any public transport from city to dacha, even families who work in building next to their apartments in city have cars to drive to dacha on weekends.
For countryfolks, car is a must. Your life will be just miserable, if you have no car in rural area.
After USSR fall car become a symbol of freedom here. And it is still a very important symbol.
Did you ever examined a map of Russia? Or lurked over satellite images of Russian cities? There are enough maps in internet, try it, may be you will find out how ridiculous your assumption is.