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A96 Traffic

Traffic and travel conditions for the a96 12:57pm.

There are no current incidents or roadworks on the a96. Drag the map to show traffic incidents in the surrounding area.

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The following traffic incidents and congestion for a96 have been reported by Highways England, Traffic Scotland, Traffic Wales or Transport for London (TfL) in the last two hours:

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Traffic and travel updates, roadworks information and information on incidents and accidents across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire including the A90, A947, A96, A92, A9119, A944 and the A93

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A96 Corridor Review

The A96 is the trunk road linking the cities of Inverness and Aberdeen, beginning at Raigmore Interchange east of Inverness and ending at the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) Craibstone Junction. The A96 connects several communities along the corridor including Nairn, Forres, Elgin, Fochabers, Keith, Huntly, Inverurie and Kintore.

In August 2021, the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party Parliamentary Group agreed a Cooperation Agreement and a shared policy programme.

As part of this shared policy programme, various agreed principles regarding investment in the transport network were set out. In relation to the A96, the Scottish Government committed to take forward a transport enhancements programme on the A96 corridor that will improve connectivity between surrounding towns, tackle congestion and address safety and environmental issues. This will include:

  • dualling from Inverness to Nairn
  • bypassing of Nairn, Keith, Elgin and Inverurie accompanied by measures to remove through traffic from the by-passed town centres
  • targeted road safety improvements where needed, for example between Fochabers and Huntly and Inverurie to Aberdeen
  • the development of an A96 “Electric Highway”

Other commitments given in relation to the North East of Scotland included developing a programme of enhanced public transport improvements which include:

  • work to improve the resilience, reliability and efficiency of the Aberdeen to Inverness rail corridor, alongside our commitment to decarbonise the rail network, to make it more competitive to road and encourage modal shift for both passengers and freight
  • working with Nestrans, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils on the feasibility of a mass rapid transit system for the region, and also a rail link between Dyce and Ellon and further north to Peterhead and Fraserburgh
  • reviewing the A96 corridor with a view to implementing appropriate bus priority measures

The Cooperation Agreement noted the current plan is to fully dual the A96 route between Inverness and Aberdeen. The Cooperation Agreement also confirmed there would be a transparent, evidence-based review to include a climate compatibility assessment to assess direct and indirect impacts on the climate and the environment.

The A96 Corridor Review covers the transport corridor from Raigmore Interchange at Inverness to Craibstone Junction at Aberdeen. The review findings will be used to test our current plans for dualling outwith the Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) scheme, which runs from Inverness to Hardmuir and already has Ministerial consent.

The review is taking into account the higher reliance of car use in rural areas of the corridor when compared with urban centres. Reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2045 is a key part of the Scottish Government’s policy to address the global climate emergency along with its policies to encourage the use of low emission vehicles in travel options.

The A96 Corridor Review is being undertaken in accordance with the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) and brings the A96 Corridor Review in line with the methodology used in the recently published second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) .

The A96 Corridor Review is being carried out by design consultants Jacobs AECOM acting on behalf of Transport Scotland. Jacobs AECOM currently support Transport Scotland undertaking STPR2. The review is considering transport problems, such as road safety, and opportunities, such as encouraging the uptake of low emission vehicles within the A96 corridor. It is also looking at the changing policy context and other key considerations, such as development and growth aims for the corridor and surrounding area. It is also considering the impact of the global climate emergency and the Covid-19 pandemic on how people work and travel within the corridor.

  • A96 Corridor Review Story Map

Public engagement is extremely important to us – it’s a vital part of our works as we progress through the review. The purpose of our Story Map is to keep you informed with the progress of the A96 Corridor Review and allow you to feed-in to the review by completing consultation surveys. This Story Map will provide you with an overview of key details of the A96 Corridor Review, what it is looking at, and how you can input into the review.

For the best experience we recommend viewing this interactive Story Map using a desktop/laptop. Although the Story Map is compatible on handheld devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, some of the maps may not work as expected and images may be altered or cropped.

Our Story Map is also compatible with most web-browsers available - however if you do experience any issues we recommend using Google Chrome for best results.

Public engagement and consultation

Engagement on the A96 Corridor Review to date has included:

  • Stakeholder engagement and public consultation on problems and opportunities as well as suggestions, ideas or interventions for the corridor
  • Stakeholder engagement and public consultation on appraisal outcomes

Further engagement is planned for 2023 and will include stakeholder engagement and public consultation on appraisal outcomes.

All feedback received will be published in consultation reports.

As part of the A96 Dualling Programme, a wide range of engagement and consultation has already been carried out on different sections of the A96 route. The substantial design and development work undertaken to date is vital to inform the review.

Following the public consultation which was carried out from 12 May 2022 to 10 June 2022, the consultation received a total of 4,687 responses.

The online consultation feedback survey asked you to share your feedback on existing problems as well as opportunities across the full extent of the A96 corridor. We also asked about what transport-related suggestions, ideas or interventions you felt would best address the problems and opportunities for the corridor.

All 4,594 consultation feedback responses and 93 emails received have now been analysed and results summarised in the published consultation report .

We would like to thank stakeholders and members of the public for taking part in the A96 Corridor Review consultation survey. All feedback received during the consultation period has been reviewed by the A96 Corridor Review Team and is informing the next stage of the A96 Corridor Review.

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch please email the project team at: [email protected]

Alternatively, you can call the stakeholder team on 07506 879562.

If you want to write to us instead, the address is:

A96 Corridor Review, Transport Scotland Buchanan House 58 Port Dundas Road Glasgow G4 0HF

We'll be updating our project Story Map to share information about the work being undertaken as review work continues.

Environment

A96 corridor review strategic environmental assessment – screening determination.

As per Section 8(1) of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, Transport Scotland has undertaken a screening exercise to determine the need for a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the A96 Corridor Review.

The SEA Screening Report concluded that the A96 Corridor Review would be likely to lead to significant environmental effects and therefore an SEA would be required. After reviewing the SEA Screening Report, the SEA Consultation Authorities (Scottish Environment Protection Agency, NatureScot and Historic Environment Scotland) agreed with this outcome. Therefore, Transport Scotland, as the Responsible Authority, has determined that the A96 Corridor Review will be subject to an SEA.

For further information on the SEA please contact [email protected] .

STAG appraisal

The A96 Corridor Review is being undertaken in accordance with the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) and brings the A96 Corridor Review in line with the methodology used in the recently published second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

STAG is the best practice, objective-led approach to transport appraisal and provides a consistent framework to identify and appraise transport interventions.

Consultation and feedback from members of the public and stakeholders is an essential element of the STAG process and aims to ensure that the views of stakeholders are considered in an inclusive, open, transparent, and appropriate manner.

Initial Appraisal: Case for Change

The Initial Appraisal: Case for Change has now concluded and a report detailing the outcomes has been published .

The Initial Appraisal: Case for Change report sets out the evidence-based problems and opportunities identified in the transport corridor and covers all modes of transport within the A96 Corridor Review study area.

The report presents details of the Transport Planning Objectives (TPOs) and sub-objectives that have been developed for the A96 Corridor Review, which align closely with those developed for STPR2.

The report also sets out the approach to the generation, sifting and development of options for the transport corridor. A wide range of multi-modal options were generated from a variety of sources including previous studies, stakeholder workshop sessions and the online survey responses.  Over 11,000 potential options were generated and an option sifting and refinement process was applied to reduce this number for appraisal.  The options were assessed against a range of criteria to ensure that any options sifted out at this stage of the process were done so in a robust and transparent manner.

Following the option generation and sifting exercise, 16 options are retained and are being carried forward to the next stage of the STAG Appraisal process.

Subsequent phases of the STAG process, the preliminary and detailed appraisal phases, involve more detailed appraisal work, considering the feasibility and performance of options to tackle the identified transport related problems and opportunities and will be developed as the process moves forward.

Aberdeenshire

  • A90 Fraserburgh to Peterhead at junction with B9033 Crimond
  • A90 Fraserburgh to Peterhead Lonmay near Caledonian Stone Company
  • A90 Fraserburgh to Peterhead near St Fergus Gas Terminal (Fixed)
  • A90 Peterhead to Fraserburgh near A952 Mintlaw Road Junction
  • A90 Peterhead to Fraserburgh near Inverugie
  • A90 Peterhead to Fraserburgh near North Milton of Philorth
  • A90 Peterhead to Fraserburgh near Rathen
  • A90 Peterhead to Fraserburgh near St Fergus
  • A92 Aberdeen to Stonehaven near Cookston Road
  • A92 Dundee to Aberdeen road near Hillside Portlethen
  • A92 Stonehaven to Aberdeen near junction with Walker Drive Muchalls
  • A92 Stonehaven to Aberdeen near to Hillhead of Cowie
  • A92 Stonehaven to Aberdeen road near Newtonhill Aberdeenshire
  • A947 Aberdeen to Banff at Whiterashes
  • A947 Banff to Aberdeen near Dounepark
  • A947 Banff to Dyce near Keilhill
  • A947 Banff to Dyce near Turriff
  • A947 Dyce to Banff road at Newmacher
  • A947 Fyvie to Oldmeldrum near Norvite Farm and Country Shop
  • A947 Fyvie to Turriff near B9170 Junction
  • A947 Fyvie to Turriff near Kingsford Junction
  • A947 Newmacher to Dyce near Uppertack Farm
  • A947 Oldmeldrum to Fyvie near Bethelnie Junction
  • A947 Oldmeldrum to Newmachar at Hattoncrook
  • A947 Oldmeldrum to Newmacher near Woodend Farm Junction
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  • A947 Turriff to Fyvie near Hatton Estate
  • A947 Turriff to Fyvie near Tifty-Gourdas Junction
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146,000 cameras monitor Moscow streets. And the government is just getting started.

by WWW User — June 14, 2017

If you’re walking a dog in Moscow, make sure you clean up after it.

Moscow’s government is upgrading its network of 146,000 cameras to better monitor city streets and make sure residents, businesses and visitors are staying in line.

Moscow’s government has steadily built out the massive network of cameras over the past five years. They’re posted along streets, giving the government a 24-7 view of street activity. They are mounted on everything from street lights to buildings and construction sites.

As governments around the world plant more eyes on the streets, people may have no choice but to be upstanding citizens. Crime might drop. But questions about privacy and civil liberties will also be raised. How much surveillance will people put up with? And what happens if camera data falls into the wrong hands?

In Moscow, the technology is a double-edged sword, according to Mark Galeotti, a senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations in Prague.

“It’s this funny combination of big brother in both the negative and the positive sense of the word,” Galeotti told CNN Tech. “It’s an authoritarian regime that wants to have all the capabilities for a security state. At the same time, [the Moscow government] is genuinely committed to providing public services, and is committed to a wired up city and pushing the various ways that new technology can actually make it better.”

Galeotti said he’s been struck on his visits to Moscow by the number of city services that can be accessed on a smartphone.

Currently, the cameras are used to check if the trash is picked up, crack down on speeding and red-light running, make sure on-street advertising is legal and track snow removal. Roughly 75,000 violations are caught per day, according to Andrey Belozerov, senior adviser to the Moscow city government’s chief information officer. Violators generally receive a fine.

But the local government isn’t content with its success. It sees far more potential in the cameras, which have cost $250 million, according to Belozerov. It’s working to make its system more intelligent so that video footage can be analyzed more deeply. Computer programs could analyze footage, automatically doling out tickets.

“For the future, we would like to have more algorithms, starting from whether a seat belt is fastened or not, or is a person talking [on] a mobile phone,” Belozerov told CNN Tech.

Related: This company offers U.S. cops free body cameras

Moscow’s experimentation is possible due to recent breakthroughs in computer vision. Engineers in the field are highly sought after.

“If you see a computer vision person walking down the street, you grab them by the neck,” said Andrew Moore, dean of Carnegie Mellon University’s school of computer science. “So many products depend on having great computer vision engineers.”

The dream of computer vision researchers is to one day empower machines to see as well as humans. It’s unclear when this may happen, but the implications of computers’ new abilities will be vast.

And that’s why dog walkers in Moscow should get used to cleaning up after their animals. In a matter of years, governments will be able to monitor and enforce good behavior like never before. Belozerov can foresee using cameras to automatically identify when a person doesn’t clean up after their pet. Leave your dog’s waste behind, and you risk getting a ticket in the mail.

In theory, a government could do this already. But it would require humans manually monitoring thousands of video feeds. That would be too expensive. But by automating the task with computer vision algorithms, it would become an affordable option for identifying bad behavior.

Related: New Nest camera zooms in and recognizes faces

Earlier this year, Belozerov did a pilot test of facial recognition technology outside Moscow subway stops. Some cameras were able to recognize faces with 95% accuracy. Belozerov envisions making the technology available to the police department to aid in looking for criminals.

For now, the technology is still a work in progress. Some cameras in the pilot proved ineffective, due to the lighting or the vantage point.

As the cameras have proliferated, the city has had to address privacy concerns.

“The technology is relatively neutral. The real question is what is the political, economic and social context in which that technology is deployed,” said John Verdi, VP of policy at the Future of Policy Forum.

There are more than 15,000 people in Moscow’s local government who can access the video footage, some with restricted access, according to Belozerov. For example, school officials can only access video from the cameras outside schools. The police department gets first dibs if it wants to point a camera in a given direction, or zoom in on something. All of Russia’s federal agencies can receive camera footage upon written request.

Video recordings from the cameras are stored for five days.

“If we had more money,” Belozerov said. “We’d probably buy more storage.”

Fenton

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Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Apr 24 2017

City Street Guides by f.d. walker: A Street Photography Guide to Moscow, Russia

moscow-guide-cover

*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!

At over 12 million people, Moscow is the largest city in Russia and second largest in Europe by population ( Istanbul is #1). An urban, cosmopolitan metropolis with more than enough glitz and glam to cater to the elite, but without losing its fair share of Soviet era roughness around the edges. It can be fast paced, brash, busy, and trendy like other big cities, but it has its blend of West meets Russia atmosphere and beauty that provides plenty of unique interest. The Red Square is as famous as it gets, but there’s so much more to this city, including the most beautiful subway system you’ve ever seen. It would take years to capture all of Moscow, but that means you have an endless amount of areas to discover.

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So here’s a Street Photography guide so you can be ready to capture all that Moscow has to offer before you even arrive!

  • Patriarch’s Pond
  • Old Arbat Street
  • Maroseyka Street
  • Tverskoy Boulevard

Top 5 Street Spots:

1. red square.

The Red Square is the most famous square in not just Russia, but all of Eastern Europe. The name actually doesn’t come from the color of the bricks or communism, but from the name in Russian, Krásnaya, once meaning “beautiful” before its meaning changed to “red.” This large plaza is what you see on the cover of guide books and magazines for Moscow, with St. Basil’s Cathedral being the center piece next to Lenin’s Mausoleum surrounded by the Kremlin Wall. Of course, the Red Square attracts hordes of tourist due to the main attractions, but all that activity around an interesting atmosphere does provide street photo opportunities. It’s also the central square connecting to the city’s major streets, providing a good starting point to explore outward.

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You’ll also find the popular pedestrian only Nikolskaya Street connecting the Red Square to Lubyanka Square. This line of expensive shops includes plenty of activity, while also leading you to another popular square. Filled with history rivaling any city, the Red Square and surrounding areas are the heart and soul of Russia.

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2. Patriarch’s Ponds

Patriarch’s Ponds is one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Moscow. Despite the name being plural, there’s only one large pond, but it’s worth a visit with your camera. It’s a popular spot for locals and expats to come relax or take a stroll around the pond. You get an interesting mix of young and old too, from young love to “babushkas” feeding pigeons. It’s a very peaceful park atmosphere in one of the nicer areas within the city center, while bringing enough activity for street photography. 

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The pond is shallow and in the winter becomes a popular spot for ice-skating too. The area is also well-known for the location in the famous Russian novel, The Master and Margarita. 

3. Old Arbat (Stary Arbat)

Old Arbat is the most famous pedestrian street in Moscow, and dating back to the 15th century, also one of its oldest. Originally, it was an area of trade, but soon became the most prestigious residential area in Moscow. During the 18th century, Arbat started attracting the city’s scholars and artists, including Alexander Pushkin. Cafes lined the streets and impressive homes filled the neighborhood. Since then, New Arbat street was created as a highway in the area, while Old Arbat was paved for a 1km pedestrian only walkway.

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Due to the historic buildings, famous artists that lived here, and the bohemian atmosphere, Old Arbat has become a big attraction for tourists today. Now, there’s a mix of cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, street performers, street merchants and other attractions for visitors, and some locals, to come enjoy. It can get really busy here and there’s usually something interesting going on so it’s a good street to come walk with your camera for guaranteed life.

4. Gorky Park

One of the most famous places in Moscow is Gorky Park. The official name is Maxim Gorky’s Central Park of Culture & Leisure, which gives you an idea of what goes on here. When built, it was the first of its kind in the Soviet Union. Divided into two parts, it stretches along Moscow River. One end contains fair rides, foods stands, tennis courts, a sports club, a lake for boat rides, and more. This end brings more active life due to its number of attractions, while the other end is more relaxed, where you’ll find gardens, trees, older buildings, and an outdoor amphitheater.

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Gorky Park attracts mostly locals so it’s a good spot to capture the non-tourist side of Moscow life. Muscovites come here to escape the city and unwind in a picturesque setting. The park remains alive outside of the warmer months too, especially when the lake turns into the city’s largest outdoor skating rink. I’d recommend taking the metro out here to spend at least half a day exploring the massive park’s life with your camera.

5. Maroseyka Street

Maroseyka Street is a popular area not too far from the Red Square. The long, winding street turns into Pokrovka and is lined with restaurants, cafes, bars and places to stay. It’s actually where I like to stay when I’m in Moscow due to its location and solid street photography opportunities itself. You have Kitay-gorod station near and if you keep walking southwest, you’ll get to the Red Square. But if you walk northwest, as it changes to Pokrovka, you can find a long street of activity for photography with its own interesting atmosphere.

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6. Tverskoy Boulevard

Tverskoy Boulevard is the oldest and longest boulevard in Moscow, beginning at the end of Nikitsky Boulevard, and finishing at Pushkin Square, a spot to come for activity itself. The boulevard is made up of two avenues, with pedestrian walkways in-between. You’ll find grass, shrubbery, trees, benches and more walking it’s almost kilometer length. Many people come here to enjoy some relaxation, walk their dog, or just to use it to walk wherever they’re going. Its center location also provides a nice place to walk with your camera near plenty of other spots you’ll want to check out anyway.

Sample Street Walk:

For a full day of Street Photography, covering some of the best spots, you can follow this sample street walk for Moscow:

  • Start your morning walking around the Red Square (1), while exploring the surrounding area, including Nikolskaya Street
  • Then walk northwest to Patriarch’s Ponds (2) and slowly walk the pond and surrounding area with your camera
  • Next, walk east to the Pushkin Monument and stroll down Tverskoy Boulevard (6)
  • Once Tverskoy Boulevard (6) ends, it will turn into Nikitsky Boulevard. Follow this down until you get to the start of Old Arbat Street (3), across from Arbatskaya station
  • After you’re done walking down Old Arbat Street (3) for more street photography, spend some time checking out Moscow’s beautiful metro stations
  • To finish off the day with more street photography, get off the metro near Red Square (1) again, Maroseyka Street (5) or wherever you’re staying for the night.

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3 Things I’ll Remember about Shooting in Moscow:

1. museum metro.

The Moscow metro system was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union and today includes 203 stations across 340km of routes. The elaborate system has some of the deepest stations in the world too, with escalators that seem to go on forever. None of this is what makes it so special, though. Many of its stations feel like stepping inside a museum, making it without a doubt the most interesting and beautiful metro system I’ve been in.

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When built, Stalin wanted to make the metro stations “palaces for the people” with marble, chandeliers, and grand architecture. The best part is the variety of architecture and styles used, making many of the stations a completely different experience visually. You could easily spend a whole day traveling the stations and there are even tours available for people who wish to do just that. My advice, though, would be just to buy a ticket and hop on and off at different stations, while exploring different lines. The museum-like surrounding mixed with the crowds of characters can make for a great photography experience.

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Since there are so many stations, here are some of my favorites to check out:

  • Novoslobodskaya
  • Mayakovskaya
  • Elektrozavodskaya
  • Komsomolskaya
  • Ploschad Revolyutsii
  • Dostoyevskaya
  • Prospekt Mira

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2. Moscow is Big

It’s no secret that Moscow is a big city, but it can feel even bigger with how spread out much of it is. This is especially true if you compare it to cities outside of Asia. If I compared it to cities in Europe, I’d probably say only Istanbul would warrant more time to really discover the depths of this city. Most only explore around the Red Square and surrounding area, but that is such a small part of the city. Although, that central area does give you plenty to see on its own.

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Fortunately, I had a good friend living in the city to show me around, but it opened up my eyes even more to how much there is to discover in Moscow. It’s a big city with a variety of atmosphere that can take you from “east” to “west” and trendy to rugged depending on where you go. I’d imagine you’d have to live here a while to really know the city.

3. Cosmopolitan Mix of East meets West

Modern skyscrapers mixed with amazing architecture, a world-class metro system with museum-like beauty, trendy fashion and chic clubs, Moscow is a rich mix of Russian culture and history in a more western cosmopolitan package. There is a push to keep the Russian culture, while also pushing forward with a modern metropolis the whole world will envy. This comes with an impressive skyline, that continues to grow, and endless modernities, but with soviet nostalgia and atmosphere mixed in for good measure.

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Mixed in with this grand western cosmopolitan atmosphere, is a strong national pride in Russia. This includes their famous leader, Vladimir Putin. Maybe no other place will you see a country’s leader more often. All over, from the pricey tourist shops to the underground walkway stalls, you’ll find goods with Putin’s likeness covering them. From t-shirts to magnets to Matryoshka dolls. There’s a strong national pride that can be seen around the city, which also extends to their leader. Moscow is many things. It’s East meets West, modernizations meets Soviet era, and a whole lot more.

What To Do For a Street Photography Break?:

Eat at a stolovaya.

Stolovayas are Russian cafeterias that became popular in the Soviet days. You grab a tray and walk down the line of freshly prepared local dishes, and select whatever you want from the chefs. They’re usually inexpensive and a much better value than restaurants, while giving you the opportunity to try from a wide selection of everyday Russian food. They’re also very tasty. I always include some borsch on my tray and go from there. The places themselves are all over Moscow and usually come with Soviet-era aesthetics to complete the experience.

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Street Safety Score: 7

*As always, no place is completely safe! So when I talk about safety, I’m speaking in general comparison to other places. Always take precaution, be smart, observe your surroundings and trust your instincts anywhere you go!

Being the 2nd largest city in Europe with over 12 million people, you’re going to have your dangerous areas, but for the most part, it feels safe walking around. Russia is statistically higher in crime compared to most of Europe, but this generally doesn’t apply to tourists and visitors. Around the Red Square and surrounding city center, you should feel completely safe walking around. Pick pocketing can happen, but no more than other touristic places. I always explore Moscow freely without coming across too much to worry about. It’s a spread out city, though, so of course it matters where you are. Just use basic street smarts, know where you are and Moscow shouldn’t give you a problem. 

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People’s Reaction Score: 7

Moscow is fast paced, big city life, which usually means people aren’t too concerned with you, or your camera. I don’t find people notice or pay much attention to me when I’m out taking photos in Moscow. For the most part, people just go about their day. You shouldn’t get too many looks or concern. But it can depend on the area you are in. The more you stick out, the more you might get noticed with suspicions. I’ve never had any problems in Moscow, or Russia, but just be careful who you’re taking a photo of if you get out of the city center. Other than that, it’s about average for reactions. 

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Street Tips:

Learn the alphabet .

Much of Moscow, including the metro system, doesn’t use english. The Russian alphabet uses letters from the Cyrillic script, which if you aren’t familiar with it and don’t know the sounds, can be hard to decipher the words. This is most important for street names and metro stops when trying to get around. It can save confusion and make it easier getting around if you learn the basic alphabet. At the very least then, you can sound out the words to see which are similar in the english conversion, which can help matching them to maps. When out shooting street photography, getting around is as important as anything. So save yourself some time and frustration by learning the Russian Alphabet.

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Use the metro

While Saint-Petersburg feels very walkable for a city its size, Moscow can feel very spread out, even for its bigger size. Outside of the Red Square area, you can have plenty of walking before getting anywhere very interesting, so you’ll need to take the metro a lot if you really want to explore the city. Maps are deceiving here too, it will always be further than it looks.

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Another reason it’s less walkable than Saint-Petersburg is its completely different set-up. Moscow’s streets are mostly contstructed in rings with narrow, winding streets in-between. This is common with medieval city cities that used to be confined by walls, but you usually don’t have it in a city this massive. Saint-Petersburg has a more grid-like pattern that also uses the canals to help you know your way around. When it comes to navigating on foot in Moscow, it can be more difficult, so bring a map and take the metro when needed. It’s why Moscow’s metro carries more passengers per day than the London and Paris subways combined.

Explore other areas if you have time

Moscow is really big. While most people stay around the Red Square within the Boulevard Ring, there’s so much more to the city. I covered some other spots outside of this circle, but if you really want to see the city, you’ll need time. If you do have time, some other areas I’d check out first are Zamoskvarechye, along some of the south and western Moscow.

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Inspiration:

For some more inspiration, you can look through the Street Photography of Moscow photographer Artem Zhitenev  and check out 33 of my photos taken in Moscow .

Conclusion:

Moscow’s name brings a certain mystique, but once you’re there it might bring a different atmosphere than you expect. It’s big and sprawling, but beautiful in many ways. It can feel like a European capital on a grand scale, but you can definitely find its Russian side in there.

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The urban sprawl of Moscow can be intimidating, but give it enough time and you’ll be rewarded with plenty to discover. All with the world’s best metro system to take you around.

I hope this guide can help you start to experience some of what Moscow contains. So grab your camera and capture all that Moscow has to offer for Street Photography!

If you still have any questions about shooting in Moscow, feel free to comment below or email me!

(I want to make these guides as valuable as possible for all of you so add any ideas on improvements, including addition requests, in the comment section!)

Click Here For More City Street Guides!

(A New Guide Posted Every Other Wednesday)

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  • Small kitchen appliances

I'm a Toaster Oven Lover. And I Really Love This One That Doubles as an Air Fryer.

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro with a yellow illustrated border around it.

Listen, I’ve been through some things with a toaster oven. When I lived in Beijing as an adult, most kitchens were ovenless, so expats like myself had to buy large toaster ovens in order to bake or roast things at home. On Thanksgiving, I’d lug mine to a friend’s house so we could use both our ovens for the holiday meal—a 14-pound turkey flirting with the heating element in one, and green beans, sweet potatoes, and herbed stuffing cycling through the other.

Suffice to say, I demand a lot from this appliance. Even then, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro impresses me. It heats quickly and evenly, combining the gentle consistency of a full-size oven and the crisping power of an air fryer.

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Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

An air fryer toaster oven that really does it all.

This reliable, versatile oven can coddle fragile bakes or deliver super-crunchy tater tots in one sleek, if splurgy, machine.

Buying Options

You save $80 (20%)

It really can do all the things

Brownies baking in a Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro.

We’ve done a lot of testing on this genre of appliances: plain ol’ toaster ovens , air fryers (the pod-shaped ones), and air fryer toaster ovens . In short, if it uses a heating element to zap your food, we’ve spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about it.

Senior staff writer Michael Sullivan, who did the original research and writing for all of these guides (plus our slot toaster guide ), can tell you in his sleep that it’s really hard to combine the speed and power of an air fryer with the evenness, versatility, and sheer volume of a nice, big toaster oven. In other words, for a long time we thought that you can’t really have your (evenly baked) cake and an air fryer, too. But the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro nearly proves us wrong.

It roasts and bakes

My family’s wall oven is old, with a faulty door that doesn’t close all the way and unreliable temperature regulation. So I eagerly volunteered to test the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer at home. Ever since, we’ve come to rely on this toaster oven even for big-oven tasks like roasting a whole chicken (or braising one in our dutch oven).

It’s great for veggies, too. We’ve broiled green beans and roasted brussels sprouts in it. Once, my husband threw together some basic potato wedges that were so uniformly crisp on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside that you almost can’t say the word “potato” in our house without a child running up to you, a bright hope in their eyes, to whisper-ask, “...wedges?”

We’ve also baked cakes, brownies, and cookies in it, with terrific results. It’s even pulled off more finicky projects like chewy meringue cookies.

It air fries

Of all the large toaster ovens we’ve tested that promise air frying capability, the Breville oven came the closest to actually acting like an air fryer (albeit a larger, slower one). In our test kitchen, it produced frozen french fries with crispy shells and creamy insides, and crunchy-but-still-tender fish sticks. And it made them faster than our favorite convection toaster oven pick, the Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven TOB-260N1 .

At home, we’ve seen similarly delightful results with all sorts of frozen foods: chicken nuggets, tater tots, hash brown patties, french fries, and shrimp tempura, just to name a scant few.

If you’ll permit me one piece of unsolicited advice: Don’t use the frying basket. Everything tastes better (and crisps up faster) when you use the included baking tray—or, as we commonly do, a Nordic Ware quarter-sheet pan .

Toaster ovens inevitably take longer than slot toasters to get your morning slices golden brown, but with our pick from Breville, what you sacrifice in speed, you can make up in volume.

When we have a loaf of sourdough in our house, I cannot toast those slabs (or slather them with butter) fast enough before the carb monsters I call my children inhale them and cry for more. We can pack out a single rack of the Breville oven with six to eight slices of sourdough, preventing our kitchen table from turning into the latest Hunger Games arena.

Although the Breville oven didn’t toast quite as evenly in tests as our runner-up air fryer toaster oven pick , it still does a pretty great job.

And it’s a dream to use (with a few small quirks)

Small details on this oven’s interface make it feel fahn-cy. Printed on the oven door are guides for where to slide in the racks and trays if you’re air frying versus toasting versus baking. The door also has small magnets so that when you open it, the rack will automatically slide out. This makes it easier to check for doneness or pull out your food.

The screen and dials combine sleek technology with intuitive manual controls—you spin the time or temperature dials to adjust them to your desired settings—so warming up your leftovers doesn’t feel like you’re taking the SAT.

I also love that the timer automatically pauses when you open the door to check on your goods. It does, however, have one annoying quirk: The timer doesn’t run while the oven is preheating, but as soon as it hits the set temperature, the clock starts ticking. Rarely am I standing in front of the toaster oven, poised to slide in my cookies right when we get to 375 °F, so I almost always have to fiddle with the time when I start my bake. But, in the grand scheme of things, that’s a small nit to pick.

It is kind of massive, though—and pricey

With a footprint of 19 by 16 inches, this toaster oven requires no small amount of counter space. And it’s heavy, so you probably don’t want to be moving it around. All this volume also means it takes longer to heat up, so you won’t get cooking as fast as you would with a dedicated air fryer .

And the Breville oven’s luxe experience comes at a price—$400, to be exact. If you have the counter space and would benefit from our pick’s impressive versatility, the investment is worth it. This is one of the truly do-it-all kitchen appliances we’ve tested, and it will last longer than your average toaster or air fryer.

If you can find it on sale, even better. Our Deals team has tracked low prices on it during the spring and the week of Black Friday for the past few years.

These small tasks help your oven last

The Breville oven’s quality build also makes it easier to care for than any other toaster oven we’ve tested. The nonstick interior wipes down easily, as does the brushed stainless steel exterior. And the crumb tray is easy to remove and slide back in.

The accessories, like the baking tray and the racks, have also held up fine to occasional hand-washing. And should you lose or break any of the accessories, Breville sells those individually on its website.

I empty the crumb tray fairly often and wipe down surfaces when we remember, but by no means am I religious about it. Still, the Breville oven is working like it’s brand-spanking-new after a year and a half of consistent use. Like most Breville appliances, the Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro also comes with a two-year limited warranty.

All this means it’s likely to tempt me with a parade of tater tots for years to come.

This article was edited by Rachelle Bergstein and Catherine Kast.

Meet your guide

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Marilyn Ong

Marilyn Ong is a supervising editor for Wirecutter’s kitchen team, covering everything from ice cream makers and Instant Pots to toasters and trash cans. Prior to this, she was an arts and then restaurants editor in Beijing, and she also took time away from blinking cursors to be a caretaker for her three young kids. Cooking for her family gave her a healthy obsession with finding the best affordable tools for the kitchen—but when she’s cooking for herself, all she needs is instant ramen and an egg.

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COMMENTS

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    Like other businesses, hotels and vacation rentals use surveillance cameras for two reasons, said Michael McCall, a Hilton Hotels Fellow in the School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State ...

  21. City Street Guides by f.d. walker:

    Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera! Moscow. Overview:

  22. Richard Ayoade & Greg Davies in Moscow

    Richard and Greg Davies attempt to extract the essence of Moscow in two days, as they clash with army tanks, head into space and visit one of the strangest c...

  23. The Best Cleaning Deals We've Found From Amazon's Big Spring Sale

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  24. We Were Skeptical, but This Combo Toaster and Air Fryer Can Really Cook

    Of all the large toaster ovens we've tested that promise air frying capability, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro came the closest to actually acting like an air fryer.