Part of the Department of Transport Moscow, the Moscow Traffic Control Center has launched a new bike patrol that will be trained in first aid as well as record and remind motorists not to block bike and pedestrian lanes. They will also be in connection with the Situation Center at the control center if a security event or accident occurs out on the roads.

Bike Patrol is a special service that is designed to provide roadside assistance to cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. In the arsenal of the patrol personnel is a first aid kit and water, a repair kit for a bicycle, chains and a camera, a pump, a fire extinguisher and Euro-protocol blanks. Employees know how to help in an emergency, and are constantly in touch with the MTCC Situation Center.

In addition, the Bike Patrol will ensure that motorists do not occupy bike lanes, pedestrian crossings and sidewalks during operation. Violations will be recorded using the Moscow Assistant application. “Fines are not the purpose of the service, therefore, if possible, employees will conduct explanatory conversations with drivers and ask them to leave the place where parking is prohibited. All actions of the patrol officers will be recorded on a breast registrar, ” said Yegor Chernov, Deputy Head of the Directorate for Photo and Video Recording of the the Moscow Traffic Control Center.

The Situation Center of the MTCC will online monitor the movement of the Bike Patrol staff and, if necessary, direct them to the scene of an accident or where assistance is required. In addition to their main functions, they will monitor the road infrastructure - the condition of signs, traffic lights, navigation steles and other objects. In addition, they will identify chaotic parking spots, dangerous and inconvenient areas. To resolve such issues, information will be sent to the appropriate divisions of the Moscow Traffic Control Center or the Moscow Department of Transport.

Chernov recalled that Bike Patrol first appeared in Moscow in 2018, during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and immediately established itself as a convenient and useful city assistance service for road users. “For the last season (from August to November 2020), Bike Patrol helped several dozen cyclists and pedestrians, reported 198 faulty signs and traffic lights, provided first aid to a person who fell from a bicycle, quickly disassembled six accidents, issued European protocols, and also identified 78 drivers that parked on bike paths and sidewalks, interfering with other road users,” said Chernov.