Route along the M4 highway. Federal highway M4 "Don

Traffic jams on the M4 Don are now displayed on the online map and show the situation on the road today in real time. This function becomes especially useful with the beginning of summer holidays, when tens of thousands of tourists from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine rush by car towards the south and the Black Sea.

The Don highway will be in a state of local-permanent road construction work for several more years, incl. I strongly recommend that you monitor the situation on the road, otherwise it is likely to spend from 5 to 20 hours for the entire trip on useless traffic jams, especially in the Rostov Region and the Krasnodar Territory.

The data collected in the article is relevant for 2019, and as new information becomes available, the article will be supplemented and corrected.

Traffic jams on the M4 Don highway now on the online map

The online map of traffic jams on the Don highway allows you to assess the scale of the traffic jam, see the current speed of the flow in a particular place and understand exactly where you should turn off the road in order to bypass a large congestion of cars and not stand idle under the scorching sun, practically without traffic, for several exhausting hours.

The maps are interactive and allow you to move around the entire area, as well as zoom in and out using the mouse scroll or the "+" and "-" buttons on the left side.

Yandex traffic jams

A map with Yandex traffic jams online shows the operational situation on the roads today and within the next week. The information is updated every 4 minutes and is automatically corrected on the diagram without requiring any action from you.

Above the problem area in the upper right corner, the degree of its workload in points and the time of the last check are displayed.

If you click on the gear, a window with a slider will appear, with which you can predict the probability of an increase in traffic flow in the next hour. Under the slider, it is possible to check the "Road events" checkbox - in this case, the map will immediately display all the places where repairs are being carried out, an accident has occurred or the passage has been closed.

The "Statistics" tab accumulates information about traffic jams by day of the week for the past 2 months. By selecting the desired day and moving the slider to the desired time of day, we will see a traffic situation simulated with a high degree of probability, which should be expected in the near future.

By clicking on the button in the upper left corner in the form of a black arrow, you will move to your current location.

Traffic congestion avoidance scheme

Below we will consider the most problematic sections of the M4 highway, where protracted traffic jams are observed during the holiday season. In addition to traffic avoidance routes, online maps with current traffic conditions have been added.

The village of Losevo is located on the M4 "Don" in the Pavlovsky district of the Voronezh region. Below is a detailed description of how to bypass the traffic jam in Losevo from and to Moscow.

Method 1 - any direction

Residents of Voronezh and the region have studied the bypass routes best of all and, in their opinion and experience, today the Sredniy Ikorets - Liski - urban-type settlement (not to be confused with the neighboring village) Kamenka - Pavlovsk is considered the undisputed leader. The bypass road is good, takes 1 hour and adds an extra 90 km.

If you go in the direction of Moscow, then, before reaching Upper Mamon, you can leave the toll road a little earlier and stick to the following settlements: Derezovka - Novaya Kalitva - Rossosh - Liski.

Vladimirovka - Gran - Pokrovka - Losevo - frankly not the best route, passing through villages with rather poor asphalt coverage and through fields with forests on a rolled primer (10-12 km) with deep puddles. But, despite this, vacationers go here and do it often. In dry weather, Astra, Mazda 5 and 2110 level puzoters pass without problems. Total 50 km, hook 25 km, time - 1 hour.

M4 - Berezki - Poddubny - Losevo - the road is generally tolerable, without gravel roads and forced marches across the field. In Poddubny, the asphalt is good, but outside it, as usual in the village.

Video with alternative routes

Under the video player is a playlist where you can choose the appropriate way to bypass.

Traffic jam around Kamensk-Shakhtinsky (Kalinovka)

The city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky and the Kalinovka farm in the Rostov region in the summer become another obstacle for tourists seeking to quickly get to warmer climes or return to their favorite work.

But it doesn’t matter, I’ll tell you how to safely bypass the traffic jam in the Kamensk-Shakhtinsk area.

Option 1 - South

In Kamensk-Shakhtinsk itself, we turn right in front of the interchange from the M4 highway to the street. Geroev Pionerov, after about 3 km we run into another interchange, where you need to drive into it from the back to go left through the railway track, immediately to the right and go around the park along the street. Likhovskaya, on the circle we keep the main (straight) along the street. Profile, we pass the next circle, to the right onto the A-250 highway, soon it will sharply bend by ~ 45 degrees, leading to the street. Marine.

After about 5 km, do not miss the turn to the Volchinsky farm, followed by Svetly, past Uglerodovsky, through the railway, through the Likhovskaya microdistrict along the street. Pushkin, at the end to the right and, slightly wagging, this road will take you back to the Don highway after ~ 8.5 km. Total mileage 55 km, time - 1 hour.

In the village of Molodyozhny we turn off the M4 and keep along the railway tracks, we pass the railway station Bozhkovka, after 1 km to the left, past the village of Topolevy, through the village of Bozhkovka and x. Volodarsky. Hook 40 km, takes ~40-50 minutes, the coverage is fine, with a few exceptions, but nothing to worry about.

We go around the traffic jams of Rostov-on-Don

In the Rostov region, toll sections of the M4 Don highway will be built for a long time, so there is no full-fledged ring road yet, and in the summer the entrance to Rostov is catastrophically overloaded with transit cars of tourists. In order not to waste precious vacation time, breathing the exhaust gases of hundreds of smoky cars, use the suggested recommendations.

Traffic jams in Rostov now on Yandex map

We leave the M4 for Novocherkassk-Bolshoy Log-Aksai.

Direction to Moscow - we leave the Don highway at Vodyanaya Balka.

Moving towards the capital, if you slipped through a stationary traffic police post and drove into Tsukerova Balka, you will have to move onto a well-rolled field road. Local "entrepreneurs" offer uninformed travelers escort for 500 rubles.

If the final (intermediate) point of the trip is planned in the Anapa region, i.e. it can be the Kerch ferry and Gelendzhik, then the traffic jams of Rostov-on-Don can be bypassed from the other side of the city and keep the path to the sea along the Azov highway.

It will look like this: on the M-4 "Don", after the Red Kolos, before reaching the village of Rassvet, we turn right to the Red Crimea, through the Leninavan farm past Koisug we get to the Novoaleksandrovka farm. We continue to drive past the dacha non-profit association (DNT) Michurinets-3, through Peshkovo to the villages of Starominskaya and Staroderevyankovskaya (Kanevskaya). The further path to the South is described below under the spoiler "Scheme 2".

How to bypass the traffic jam in Timashevsk?

Through Timashevsk, a dense flow of cars of vacationers travels towards the Kerch crossing, but the city greets guests with serious traffic jams due to the railway lines passing there.

The current state of affairs on the roads

In order not to get into a transport collapse on the road to the sea, use the proposed scheme of detours.

Moving from Bryukhovetskaya on the ring in front of Timashevsk, we ignore the turn to the right and continue straight ahead (to Krasnodar). We are looking for a turn into the city on the street. 50 years of October, we drive to the street. Shevchenko, where we again leave to the right to the intersection with the street. Brothers Stepanov, at this intersection turn left towards the street. profile. We cross the railway crossing and turn left onto the street. Victory or Voroshilov.

The described option, although it eliminates certain troubles, is still not without some disadvantages due to driving around the city.

This route involves completely eliminating Timashevsk and driving past it: the Don highway - the village of Kanevskaya - Bryukhovetskaya - Novodzherelievskaya - Grechanaya Balka - Slavyansk in the Kuban.

We leave behind Kanevskaya and in Pereyaslavskaya we leave for Bryukhovetskaya, through the Pody farm we reach the village of Novodzherelievskaya and through Rogovskaya we get to Grechanaya Balka. Next will be the villages of Novonikolaevskaya, after it Starodzherelievskaya, Poltava and at the end of Slavyansk-on-Kuban. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that transit transport is forbidden to go through it, so we use the ring road. The hook turns out to be only 15 km, but there are no unnecessary unplanned long stops.

Video of Timashevsk detour according to scheme 2

Dzhubga - traffic jams and their detour

The Krasnodar Territory during the holiday season is famous for its epic traffic jam Goryachiy Klyuch - Defanovka - Dzhubga. But tourists go on vacation to Gelendzhik, Tuapse, Sochi, Adler and Abkhazia along this section of the M4 Don highway. In order not to waste your nerves and irreplaceable hours of a long-awaited vacation, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with an alternative route to the sea, passing through the Shahumyan Pass.

Current online congestion level

I’ll clarify right away that for the most part there is no asphalt surface, and you have to drive along a normal gravel road at an average speed of 20-40 km / h, it takes 25-30 minutes to do everything about everything. In rainy weather with low ground clearance, it is better not to meddle in the pass, but in dry weather, lowered cars with a ground clearance of 10 cm calmly pass.

I describe the direction towards the sea: before reaching the Goryachiy Klyuch, we leave the M4 highway to the village of Saratovskaya and Kubanskaya, we pass Apsheronsk and Khadyzhensk, we fly over Shaumyan and get to Tuapse.

How to drive along the M4 Don without wasting time?

To minimize the chance of getting stuck in traffic jams for a long time, try to follow simple tips based on the experience of tourists who are personally "lucky" to survive all this torment.

Surely every country wants to create high quality roads. This enhances the prestige of the state. Modern autobahns make it possible to expand the transit of cars and commercial vehicles, which ultimately brings in a lot of money, filling the budget. Understanding the importance of the issue, the Russian government gave the green light to the construction of a route from Moscow to the northern capital of the Russian Federation - St. Petersburg.

Today, our attention will be occupied by the federal highway M4 "Don": toll sections, cost in 2018 for the passage of certain categories of vehicles. We will find out the traffic schedule for toll sections of the M4 highway and find out how many of them have been put into operation.

About tariffs for certain categories of vehicles

Vehicles with a certain number of axles are divided into four categories:

1. Vehicles with two or more axles, including motorcycles with and without a sidecar. Two-wheeled vehicle with a trailer.
2. Freight and passenger transport without a trailer and with it.
3. Cargo and passenger vehicles with a height of 2.6 / 2 m.
4. Trucks and passenger cars with a height of 2.6/3 m.

Let's find out how much it will cost to travel on the new road.

How much does it cost to travel on the M4 Don highway in 2018

All vehicles (vehicles) mentioned above can travel on the autobahn by paying the fare. This can be cash deposit or entry with a T-pass card. It must be understood that the fare on the M4 Don 2018 toll highway for each vehicle category is different:

1. For the first category, the cost of travel in cash is 80 rubles, with a T-pass card it is 24 rubles cheaper.
2. Travel for the second category of cars for cash - 100 rubles. On the card - 70 rubles. Saving 30 rubles.
3. For the third category of transport, movement along paid sections of the M4 autobahn is real money, it will be 120 rubles. With a T-pass card 96 rubles. Savings - 24 rubles.
4. The fare for this category of car for cash is 240 rubles. on the map - 192 rubles. The savings is 48 rubles.

The indicated cost of toll sections of the M4 Don highway 2018 is relevant for today, the last tariff changes took place on May 28, 2018. It is necessary to monitor the relevance of tariffs, which will change for each category of transport.

Toll collection point on the M4 Don highway.

The tariff scale is valid until September 30th. The fare change time is 00.00 Moscow time.

If you need to know how many toll sections are on the M4 Don highway from Moscow to Rostov, pay attention to the map. The photo shows toll sections of the strategic autobahn, marked in orange. There are 10 paid sites in total.

It is relevant to know the possible ways of maneuver. The fact is that construction work can be carried out on the track in the summer. Many kilometers of traffic jams are created due to the narrowing of the road. Drivers have three ways to solve this problem:

1. Stand for several hours, swallowing dust and breathing exhaust fumes.
2. Drive around the problem area in the fields, which will significantly affect the technical condition of the car.
3. Determine in advance a bypass route for the congested part of the M4 and use the hints.

note!

The diagram shows detours and free roads, which are marked in green and gray, respectively.

Moscow region

The length of the section is 21-93 km. High quality road surface. Lighting fixtures are installed throughout.

The presented segment is already overgrown with infrastructure: hotels, cafes and gas stations located on both sides.

In the photo, the M4 highway, the Eurasia hotel in Aksai.

The maximum speed that the equipment can develop is 130 km / h in the segment from 51 to 71, from 76 to 94 km. Cars can move at a speed of 110 km/h on sections of the road from 21 to 51 and 70 to 76 km.

The free section of the route starts from the Moscow Ring Road and runs along the Kashirskoye Highway. It ends at junction 117 km. The total length is 106 km. The driver makes a small detour - only ten km.

In the photo, the M4 Don highway is a map with detailed information about alternative routes.

Moscow and Tula region

The length of the section of the M4 toll road is 118 km. (93-211). You can get around this segment by laying the route: Stupino-Kokino-Shemetyevo-Gremyacheye-Red Lakes. The driver will have to drive an additional 45 km.

Map of the M4 "Don" highway of the Moscow and Tula regions with kilometers of movement.

Bypassing the city of Bogoroditsk. The condition of the Don highway M4 today on this section does not cause any complaints. The road is in excellent operational condition. A stretch of 35 km (225-260) is free for high-speed movement.

Most trucks, in order to save money, go around it. Therefore, the permitted maximum speed is 120 km/h.

An alternative free option is the route: Krutoy Verkh-Bogoroditsk-Kuzovka. The driver will not have to wind extra kilometers: there is no difference.

Alternative traffic areas exist and operate in the Rostov, Lipetsk, Tula regions, and the Krasnodar Territory. There is no point in describing them in detail. It is enough to use the information of the Avtodor construction company indicating the segments. See below. The first three sections: 21-93, 93-211, 225-260 are painted as an example.

Reading this post will take no more than 4 min

January brought bad news to motorists: new toll sections appeared on the M-4 Don highway.

In fact, the M-4 today is a continuous toll highway: from Moscow, where the decision was made to introduce a collection of money for travel, and all the way to the outskirts [of the Voronezh region]. Unless even in the Rostov region and in the Krasnodar Territory, the Don highway has not yet managed to acquire paid terminals.

Now I will not waste time describing the routes around toll sections, how to drive free of charge along the toll sections of the highway, etc.

I’ll just give advice to everyone who has to travel along the M-4 Don in the near future, and who doesn’t burn to pay their hard-earned uncle Rotenberg: there is an awesome detour route for at least half of these paid sections.

My parents live in the Lipetsk region, and this time from Moscow I decided to go to them without spending a single ruble on ghouls trying to suck on my wallet.

To do this, I chose an alternative route to the M-4 Don toll road, and so far it is absolutely free. When the railway workers in the Ministry of Transport, who decided to warm up on vehicles, catch on and understand their jamb, fares will be introduced here as well.

M-2 "Crimea", as a free alternative to M-4 "Don"

So, for the first time in years of traveling from Moscow to Yelets and back, I chose the Simferopol highway - M-2 "Crimea" as the route for movement.

1. Because it's sick of paying various freeloaders and spinogryz.

I am not against paying for the fare, but only to the STATE, and not to various beneficiaries from among the oligarchs. And there is no need to sing war songs about the fact that the state corporation "Avtodor" allegedly collects money for the passage. In our country lately, there have been too many and more and more such "state" corporations have appeared and are appearing, with controlling stakes in the hands of incomprehensible uncles ...

2. Because the free "Simferopolka" today is in no way inferior to the paid M-4 "Don".

Is that a smaller number of brick and toilets that stink from afar. Well, there are not so many roadside cafes, to be more precise, there are almost none from Moscow to Tula.

But the speed limit on the M-2 "Crimea" highway for the entire (!) Way from the capital to the regional regional center is limited to 110 km / h (all road signs are on a green background).

The asphalt of the roadway on the M-2 is in excellent condition, no worse than some paid sections on the M-4.

Alternative routes of the toll highway M-4 "Don"

Alternative routes to the new toll sections on the M-4 Don highway are so ugly described in the decrees of the government of the Russian Federation introducing these same toll sections that you have to spend a day just to lay a detour path on the map.

We should also not forget that in all settlements on alternative sites, as if by magic, a speed limit of up to 40, 30 and even up to 20 km / h was introduced, and speed bumps were stuck on. This is despite the fact that traffic rules set a speed limit in settlements of 60 km/h.

In general, freaks do everything to make motorists drive on a scarf, and pay, pay, pay.

So, leaving Moscow along Simferopolka (M-2), after a couple of hours you will pass Tula, and soon you will turn onto Efremov, after which there will be an exit to the M-4 Don highway. Just in the place where the alternative detour goes to it (through Efremov). Thus, there is only one idiotic toll section to go to Yelets, which can be bypassed through Babarykino and Yarkino.

Why I called this section idiotic: because it was built by a very cunning creature, just a few kilometers before the turn to Stanovoe and Yelets. Those. I would drive 8 km calmly along the M-4 before turning into my native Yelets, and Avtodor would after this turn and build a payment terminal, as everywhere on the M-4. But no, the road builders have gone crazy here: you see, I have to either pay 100 rubles (as of 01/3/2015) for a piece of a paid section before turning home, or take a detour through the villages, these ridiculous 8 km until the same turn.

Let me summarize. An alternative route to the M-4 "Don" toll highway, which I will use until the authorities realized it and started collecting money here, and which I recommend to you, on the segment from Efremov to Moscow will allow you to pass at least 4 paid sections with a total length of more than 200 km.

How to turn from M-4 Don to M-2 Krym

From Moscow to Yelets, the journey along the Simferopol highway took me exactly the same time as on the toll M-4 Don, whose advantages I do not diminish in the least. The difference in mileage from Yelets to Moscow is only 7 km.

How to turn onto M-2 from M-4 when moving towards Moscow?

In front of Efremov there will be signs “Toll road” and “Efremov. Free pass". Immediately after the road junction bridge, turn right onto the bridge and into Efremov.

After 500 meters, at the traffic police post there will be an intersection with a traffic light: straight (to the left) - to Efremov and Tula (you go there), to the right - an alternative detour of the paid section of the M-4 highway.

I illustrate what was written below: the route of the turn from the M-4 towards Tula and the Simferopl highway is highlighted in green.

A section of the M-4 highway is highlighted in blue on the map, which today has been completely converted into a toll road.

Come on, goodbye track "Don"?

PS. While driving and taxiing, I remembered that in the mid-1990s, when the new Kashirka was still being built, with my father on a Kamaz from St. Petersburg to Yelets, we somehow drove along Simferopolka and also through Efremov. Apparently the nineties are returning to all areas of our lives 🙂

The whole journey of 1500 km took us 3 days and along the way we still stopped by for a day, it is almost on the road. In principle, this path from Moscow to Gelendzhik / Sochi / Anapa can be covered in a day (18-25 hours), but I am not a fan of such long movements in one sitting, especially at night and when there is no one to replace you, the risk is unjustified. Driving over 500 km is the most, the driver does not lose concentration.

If you want to go faster and without stopping, then it’s better by plane (via /), indeed, faster and at the same time much safer. Especially when it comes to a vacation of a couple of weeks.

If you go with two overnight stays, then the most optimal stops will be in the Voronezh region and in Rostov-on-Don. Thus, the path will be divided into 3 sections of 500 km. On the one hand, in these cities there is a lot of housing on the same (link is my detailed post about the service and a bonus of $ 33), on the other hand, entering and leaving the city takes time, so to save time it would be better to stay not in inside the city, and in roadside hotels on the highway.

If you are not in a hurry, then you can easily rent a normal odnushka on the outskirts for 1500-2000 rubles (I recommend an apartment,), and a comparable hotel will cost twice as much.

As an option, plan a route with only one overnight stay, for example, leave Moscow during the day, get to Voronezh in the evening, spend the night in a hotel in front of it, and move further immediately to the sea from early morning. Or planning a single overnight stay in front of Rostov, where the route passes through several settlements, where there are motels and private housing.

Picky travelers can generally spend the night in a tent in the forest belts, and "truckers" drive 18-25 hours without rest and overnight. I personally do not want to take risks, so I try not to make long hauls, as I get tired and lose concentration, especially at night. Yes, I could do those 1500 km in one sitting, but I don't see the point.

If Sochi is the ultimate goal, then driving along the Tuapse-Sochi section without a preliminary break is not pleasant, there are serpentines, traffic jams, and this segment can take a decent amount of time, 2-3 times more than usual (when compared with gentle sections). Ideally, drive through it early or early in the morning, while there are still few cars, or at night. My average speed was 45 km / h, there were sections with one-way traffic (repairs), plus trucks, although they sometimes let pass on the rises, but in general it still didn’t work out fast. Only closer to Sochi and after it is normal speed. In settlements (and they are all there) there is often a limit of 40 km / h, on the highway 70 km / h.

In Gelendzhik, I usually go through Dzhubga, I like it better there, a calm road, but there is an option to go through Novorossiysk. It is better to go to Anapa, leaving the M4 highway after 100 kilometers after Rostov to the village of Kanevskaya, and then drive through Timashevsk, Slavyansk-on-Kuban, adhering to the Temryuk direction, but the road there is so-so. After Slavyansk, it will be necessary to go to Anapa.

Travel time

As I wrote above, it all depends on how many nights you want to make on the road and whether you want to at all. We all went to the sea together, so we made 2 overnight stays, as a result, the road took 3 daylight hours at a calm pace.

On the way back I was traveling alone (my family had flown by plane) from Adler to Moscow. I got there in 26 hours, of which I slept about 5 in the car near the gas station. That is, the journey itself took 21 hours. Pretty fast I think. Somewhere around 20-25 hours and it is worth counting, without taking into account long stops for sleep.

Highway M4

Stripes and coating

On the way to the Black Sea, I have already traveled many times. The track is slowly, but changing for the better.

• First of all, they almost made two lanes in each direction from Moscow to Goryachiy Klyuch. Almost, because, unfortunately, there are still sections with one lane. For example, in the Voronezh region, near the villages of Losevo - Pavlovsk - Upper Mamon, a section about 100 km long.
• In the Rostov region, a metal separator with an oncoming lane periodically disappears, markings disappear, bumps, cracks, etc. appear (I was already driving in the dark, it was quite uncomfortable), however, as in the Voronezh region. In fact, the best piece of the M4 is between Moscow and Voronezh, in theory it should be like this all along. Will wait:)
• After Goryachiy Klyuch to Dzhubga, one-lane traffic with a periodic lane for overtaking. She appears there quite often.
• From Dzhubga to Tuapse, the pattern is approximately the same, only a small serpentine and a third lane are quite rare. There is also one lane from Dzhubga to Geledzhik, but there is almost no serpentine, so the section is passed quickly.
• From Tuapse to Sochi there is a concrete serpentine and there is almost no way to overtake.
• From Rostov to Anapa, there is a single lane with a bunch of trucks and old Kamaz trucks, and only after turning from the Temryuk highway to Anapa, they disappear. We tried to use the navigator to drive bypass roads (we drove from Rostov to Azov and then to bypass cities), but there are bad roads in places, the distance is generally longer, but plus that there are few cars. Whether they won or not, I don't know.

Fines and cameras

There are a lot of cameras on the road, so it’s not a problem to run into a fine for non-compliance with the speed limit. But it is for the best, we will all be more alive. Everywhere I moved at a maximum speed of +15 to the allowed one, that is, mostly 115-125 km / h.

For the whole trip there and back, I usually get 1-2 fines for 500 rubles (with a discount of 250 rubles). Apparently, somewhere I think and start to go faster. Realistically, the route is conducive to this.

Paid sections

In total, there are 13 toll sections on the highway now, most of which are between Moscow and Voronezh. Visually, they are not much different from other sections of the route, I did not notice any serious differences. The speed limit on paid sections is 110-130 km / h (mainly 110), on free sections with the sign "Motorway" also 110.

For the price: 30-210 rubles per plot. All the way through all paid sections in 2019 costs 1520 rubles during the day and 850 rubles at night. Night rates are cheaper. Remember, in some areas it is necessary to show a check when leaving, so do not throw away checks.

Rest en route and refueling

We mainly stayed at Lukoil, because there is a civilian toilet, a mini market, a playground and tables outside for snacks. At least in the first half of the M4, Lukoil gas stations are equipped in this way, then they go smaller and without such a set. On the map, just in case, I marked a very large Luikoil after Voronezh, where you can eat normally and stand in the shade. In previous Lukoil cafes, there were only coffee / tea and buns, but here there are direct dishes.

Well done Lukoil - many gas stations have playgrounds and tables for snacks
Mandatory nap stop. He holds a toy with his chin, also a must

Right next to the Osetrovsky bridgehead, a beautiful place with a difficult history
Around the Russian open spaces ... In the background M4

The territory of this gas station was very large and many stood at its far end, where there is shade and benches with tables. So, in order not to go anywhere, people immediately relieved themselves behind the partition, from which there was a wild stench, heat. I was surprised not even by laziness to walk 100 meters to the toilet, but by the fact that the stench did not bother anyone, people sat there calmly and ate. Hmm.

For those who don't know, there are also parking lots along the way. But they are, to put it mildly, not very pleasant: a lot of garbage and crap toilets to death. Moreover, if there is some kind of infrastructure in the parking lot, for example, illegal cafes, then there is much more sracha. Therefore, it is better to stop for a break, either at gas stations, or just along the way in the forest belt, or in parking lots where there is no cafe.

And another such nuance, it is better to go to the toilet ONLY at gas stations.

Parking with infrastructure, that is, with cafes
Cafes can look like this, completely unpresentable

Toilets in parking lots are a sad sight
Toilets at bus stops are cleaner, but don't be fooled.

Lots of rubbish in places
Instead of parking on the M4, you can just stop somewhere along the side of the road

And at the same time enjoy the sunset, scoring on the trash
One last sunset

Travel impressions

The top impressions are still the toilets with their parking lots and smoking trucks, in this regard, unfortunately, nothing has changed in 5 years. From the pleasant - the road has become better, and the open spaces around have not gone away.

After Rostov-on-Don, I got sick of the one-lane road, but this is more relevant for those who go to Anapa, Temryuk, that is, they leave the M-4 to the right.

We drove this last stretch for a very long time, solid trucks (apparently they go just to Port Kavkaz). The trucks are dead, not only are you dragging 50-60 km / h behind them, but also in clouds of smoke, no cabin filters will save you. What if I had asthma? And it's hard to overtake, the flow is continuous. First, they exceed the permitted load, loading goods 2-3 times more in weight, so that the car cannot crawl up the hill and is killed, and then they buy a state MOT ticket, although this is no longer a car, but a steam locomotive, and they go further.

Smoking trucks on the road, the closer to the south, the more of them, every second
The road to Anapa, sometimes covered by waves

For some reason, Megaphone catches quite badly along the way. You stop at a gas station so that the child can eat, you want to check your mail at the same time, post a photo, and the Internet is almost dead. Surprisingly, I tested the SIM card from the last trip, it really works better.

Radio everywhere for an amateur, either Russian retro or chanson. You need to take CDs or a flash drive with you. And by the way, not every radio tape recorder will steadily catch a signal at such distances from large cities.

Yandex.Navigator takes the shortest route, even if it's a dirt road, there is no choice of "fast" or "short". And, if a navigator is not really needed for a trip along the M4 (there is nowhere to get lost there), then for inspections of any surroundings away from the highway, it is better to use normal navigators.

A short sketch of what a toilet looks like on the most modern highway in Russia, on the M4.

The government recently “pleased” drivers with the introduction of a fee on another section of the M-4 highway from 117 km to 225, so now the fare from Moscow to Voronezh will cost 400 rubles instead of 300 rubles. Or maybe more.
I decided to write a post about the paid-free M-4 highway and how they differ.
In early November, I went to Voronezh along the M-4 highway. I left the Moscow Ring Road at 8 am and rolled along a good free (so far) highway, listening to music. After driving quite a bit, at 48 kilometers, you fall into the tenacious paws of Avtodor.

Having paid 35 rubles (and I was in a car), I was glad that the state takes care of its citizens without imposing unbearable financial expenses on them for traveling on a toll road. (In fact, what is 35 rubles in our time? The cost of a loaf bread.) By the way, at the first payment point from Moscow, the cashier said that you can pay with a VISA, MAESTRO card. But didn't check. Someone wrote, what will happen if I forgot my wallet at home and have already arrived at the payment point? You will be allowed to turn around so that you rush back for the money.

I'm going further. I needed to be in Voronezh in the afternoon, so this time I drove there along paid sections, not looking for free detours (although I went back and forth both on paid and free routes). The sun came out, the fog cleared and from time to time I admired the beautiful views of fields and copses. Eh, Russia! The beauty!

The thought came to mind that now we just pay for the toll road, and what if some tyrant-official comes up with the idea to take extra money for a road with a beautiful view. They will surround the track with a fence, you will drive like in a tunnel. Do you want to admire Russian beauties? Pay extra and go to the road with beautiful landscapes. These are fantasies. The most important thing is that such an idea really does not come to anyone.))

But the permitted speed of 110 km / h under good road conditions seems to me a mockery. What's stopping you from doing more? 130-140 km/h for example. And regulate with the help of these scoreboards. Road conditions worsened, it began to rain, snow, fog, immediately reset the speed limit on the scoreboard to one hundred or 80 kilometers.
I did not exceed, more than 120 did not go. After all, cameras are carefully placed on the road with the necessary frequency.

By the way, what do we have on the toll road? Out of interest, I called the toll-free number 8-800-1000-432 and asked what services are provided on the toll road. They explained to me that a person on the highway can call this number and report a breakdown or emergency. If there is no phone, then you need to run to the box with the inscription SOS in order to contact the operator. They said that if the fuel runs out on the highway, they deliver it for FREE, if the car breaks down, then they will drag it on a tow truck, as they said, to the NEAREST SAFE place, further 50 rubles per kilometer.

There are no free coffee machines on the highway.)) Only at Gazpromneft gas stations, as usual. In general, it seemed to me that this toll road has very few comfortable places to stay. To stop, stretch, throw garbage into the container. Although, there are garbage containers, but not many.
As for coffee machines, I'm throwing an idea at Avtodor. A glass booth is placed on a penny for rest, and inside there is a coffee machine. Of course not free. A man throws money and enjoys a glass of coffee. And they will use it. For example, a family is traveling. They poured tea into a thermos, and the driver wants to fill up with coffee. And stop at a gas station, go into the room, stand in line at the cash register ... Not everyone wants to.
I hope that Avtodor, if they take advantage of such an idea, will not forget to write to me that I have the right to free coffee.))
Cameras are watching us closely.

The next time Avtodor takes you in pincers for 225 km (although, according to new information, the barrier for payment was stuck at 117 km, but when I drove the last time, it was not at 117 km.) when bypassing the city of Bogoroditsk in the Tula region. There, for 35 km you pay not 35 rubles, but 60. (Unless, of course, you are driving a car. Trucks and trucks in all areas pay 3-4 times more than cars.) And of course, they don’t forget to say thank you on the check to try to cheer up a spoiled mood.))

On this paid site there is a large recreation area with a couple of tables and benches where you can get your food, have a bite, and stretch. There is a toilet and, importantly, a flyover. You can stop by to see if something creaked and rattled from below.

The toilet, also known as the toilet, is an important thing on the road. There is almost no forest on this track so that you can hide in the bushes and do it. They are especially needed in winter, when there is deep snow on the side of the road that you cannot climb through. Somehow I decided to "inspect" the toilet on the M-4 highway. There is this detached bright building on the side of the road with the inscription MF.

Inside, the picture is, of course, expected.

Well, it all depends on us, the people. If a person is a pig, then he will definitely shit past the hole.

But the funny thing is that in such a toilet there is no door at all. You go around the corner and sit down. Still, it’s unpleasant when you sit down, and then some uncle comes up silently like a ninja and you from around the corner: “Ku-ku!”. So out of surprise, you can plug this hole with your ass. But it's free!

By the way, I noticed a couple of trucks with Ukrainian numbers in the parking lot, the drivers of which were resting. As I was leaving, a third one arrived. They carry something, they don’t just ride around like that .. Although the news tells us that Ukraine’s trade with Russia will be almost completely stopped. I am only for strengthening economic ties!

Not having traveled even 30 kilometers, namely near the city of Efremov, Tula region, you are offered to get around it, driving less than 34 km for the same 60 rubles. We get 60 and pay. But it's starting to get boring.

I'll tell you how once I decided to drive on a free road near the city of Efremov, Tula region. I saw a poster that there was a toll road ahead and turned onto a free one. I drove 300 meters and then the good road just ended. Once and all.

And such a slalom began!

Don't go off the rails!

I will not tell you with what words I scolded both the road builders and the government and Avtodyr. I think, yeah, here it is a free road! Has stopped. Moreover, cars regularly drove through these potholes. Doubting that I had turned in the wrong place, I returned to the highway, drove a little ahead and here it is - a free road through Efremov! And she's normal!

I realized that I turned off before the signpost, and this "monorail" and "mortar fired" road led to the nearest villages near the city of Efremov. I felt sad that some people have to drive through such shit. I hope that in the Tula region they will get to these local roads, otherwise it’s even a shame.

But what about the free road actually? Quite normal. Just not as fast. More often one lane in each direction, sometimes expanding to two.

Here is a truck dragging along and while you choose the opportunity to overtake it. And the sign is 70 km/h.

Somewhere around 30.

And somewhere overtaking is prohibited.

But there are also beautiful landscapes on the free road. In the Bogoroditsk area, you can drive through the "dense Pskov" forests.))

Winter version of this road.

Oh, Russia is beautiful!

But we go further, to Voronezh for a fee.
And very soon, at the 330th kilometer, the empire (Avtodor) delivers the final blow (in your pocket).
I drive up to the payment booth, put my 60 rubles in the tray, look at the cashier with kind eyes, wait for the barrier to rise. But he doesn't get up. Somehow I reasoned that they took 60 rubles 2 times, probably the same this time.
But the aunt from the booth looks at me like an owl (her eyes looked at me like an owl angrily and were wide open. She silently showed me a cardboard with a number drawn with a felt-tip pen. The number 120 was drawn there. (Apparently, people like me who shoved 60 rubles by inertia, it was a lot.))
- A thousand devils, the price has doubled, the transponder is in their ass!! .. I take out 120 rubles, pay, I pass.
For 120 rubles, in addition to travel, you definitely get free coffee or tea !!! Or wiping headlights and glass from dirt.
But in fairness, I must say that this paid section is large, more than 80 km.

By the way, at the checkout there is a sticker with Visa and Maestro cards. It is necessary to clarify whether they can pay off here.
Expensive 120 rubles, but this payment will allow you to bypass Zadonsk and Khlevnoye in addition to Yelets. If you go on a free road, you will jump on speed bumps with all your heart! There are a lot of them in the villages. So if you don’t need to go to Zadonsk itself (for example, to the Zadonsky Monastery), but further along the highway, then it’s better to pay. Checked. Here, on the screenshot from the screen, you can see how the toll road bypasses Zadonsk and Khlevnoye.

Before Voronezh, this was the last payment and after driving a little more, at exactly 14 o'clock we were in the city. Whoever goes further along the M-4 will pay another 35 rubles for bypassing Voronezh. My payments were one way to Voronezh 35 + 60 + 60 + 120 - I entered Voronezh. TOTAL: 275 rubles for 500 km. (Now it's more, 400 rubles.) With a fuel cost of 34-35 rubles per liter of the 92nd, it turns out 275/35 = 7.8 liters. Voronezh is 500 km from Moscow. A modern passenger car eats 6-8 liters on the highway. It turns out that in the absence of toll roads, we would have traveled 100 km more. Or 1/5 of the way. Or maybe all 150 km.
Spent 6 hours for 500 km with a leisurely ride and 40 minutes to run to the toilet, warm up.

If you need, for example, to Yelets or to some village nearby, Stanovoe, Trostnoye, Buevka, Ekaterinovka, then you can go free of charge through Yelets, supporting the American economy, having a cup of coffee in Yelets McDuck.

When you drive from Moscow, McDuck will be on the left.

When to Moscow, then on the right.

In Stanovoye you can see a monument. A woman with a child accompanies her father/husband to the war. Dedicated to the defenders of the Russian land, who survived and won the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 at the front and in the rear. Opened September 3, 2005 I read on the Internet that the WWII veteran L.P. Solomin opened the monument.

If, on principle, you decide to go only on free roads, I’ll tell you that I noticed either gouging or Avtodor’s marketing ploy, directing more people along the toll road. At the junction of the toll free road there will be an interchange to Yelets, Orel, Lipetsk. And there is a yellow poster that says that the repair of an alternative road to Rostov-Don from 354 km to 384 is underway. Here it is.

Here is the breakdown during the day.

You have to turn left under the bridge. There will be a pointer there. Yelets - to the right, Rostov-on-Don - to the left. After Yekaterinovka, follow the sign - Bolshiye Izvaly, just don't go towards Lipetsk, follow the M4 sign, and the free road will go next to the toll road. So, I drove on the free road and did not find any repair. There is not even a trace that somewhere there was a repair and the sign was forgotten to be removed. Here is such a move. But I repeat once again that despite the fact that there are signs of a free detour to Zadonsk, I still do not recommend driving through the free road through Zadonsk, Khlevnoye, etc. You know how to drive at a speed of 30 km / h through the villages. But there are pointers. There is no trick here.

After staying in the city for a couple of days, we gathered back. We had a good night's sleep, packed our things and at exactly noon left Voronezh towards Moscow. I decided to go back strictly on free, alternative roads. And then I came across a little trick Avtodor. In front of the first paid section from Voronezh there is a poster - a free road KHLEVNOE, ZADONSK.

I am driving, looking out with all my eyes for a poster that would indicate the exit to ZADONSK, KHLEVNOE. There is no such. There is a junction with a signpost HORSE-WELL, which I safely drive through and rest against the cash register and the barrier. At the first point from Voronezh towards Moscow, they offer to pay 80 rubles for a car.
I ask the cashier: "Where was the exit to the free road?" He replies: "It was necessary to move out at the interchange to the HORSE-WELL." I say: "There was a poster - a free road KHLEVNOE, ZADONSK. There was no pointer to HORSE-Well." The cashier shook his head.
In a word, again a marketing ploy, you are automatically directed to a toll road.

So, whoever travels from Voronezh towards Moscow, before the first payment point, leave at the interchange for KON-KOLODES and you will find yourself on a free road.

I made a screen, you can see on the map that the free road went to the HORSE-WELL.

Such tariffs are now on a paid section bypassing Zadonsk and Khlevnoye towards Moscow from Voronezh.

What about the free road? If you think that the toll road is as flat as a table, but there are potholes and ruts on the free road, then this is not so. Or rather, not really. The free road is now also monitored, the road surface, if not excellent, then good.
This is an old track. When there were no toll sections built, everyone drove along the M-4 there. Experienced drivers know. And already at the beginning of the 2000s, in 2003, we were driving south along this road, it was already busy then.

There are also enough gas stations on the free road to Voronezh. Lipetsk Fuel Company, Rosneft and something else.

As I said, I went back, trying to drive on free roads. And as luck would have it, as soon as you want to go for free, something gets in the way. Either there is no sign, then the repair of asphalt on the bridge. (There are three of them there). I had to stand for 5-7 minutes, letting cars pass in batches along one lane.

Well, when we go towards Moscow, everything seems to be more or less with signs. You can choose whether to go for a fee or for free. Free travel through Efremov.

There is a stop with a funny name. Do they sell vodka here?

There is a picturesque place in front of Bogoroditsky. A pond, a dilapidated church in the village of Kuzovka, Tula region. It is very pleasant to pass here at the beginning of summer. Or in autumn. although it will work in winter too.

We pass through Bogoroditsk in the same way. In Bogoroditsk, as I said, there is a memorial to those who died in the Second World War.
There is a small car service with tire fitting, a cafe, etc.
The fact that in the Tula region you can buy Tula gingerbread, I don’t even mention this, it goes without saying. What is on the toll road, what is on the free one, they sell everywhere.

A long time ago, a few years ago, I was driving home with a friend and I was terribly hungry. I saw Tula gingerbread, I really wanted it. Grabbed the largest, 30 centimeters in length. I took a bite 3 times and ate.)) They are sweet and very high-calorie. The remaining piece was devoured by friends at a former job, the gingerbread went for a sweet soul.

I noticed that all the fields along the roadsides are fenced off and are either owned or sold. There are simply fewer vacant lands. What is import substitution in action?

Behind the trees, too, the land is plowed up.

And here we are again approaching Moscow and the first payment post looms ahead with its 35 rubles.

Here I would pay, the amount is small. Otherwise, you will have to turn sharply to the right, then right again to get to the Kashirskoye highway and go through Nemtsovo, Pozdnovo, Belye Stolby microdistrict. At the crossroads, turn right at the sign for Moscow, Chelyabinsk, drive a little and exit onto the same M-4 km 20 from the Moscow Ring Road. Such maneuvers are justified if you need to immediately go to the Kashirskoye highway or you have a little time and a desire to save money.

I have come to a conclusion for myself. That if you go to Voronezh, then you can partially drive along a toll road, partly on a free one. Unless, of course, you're in a hurry. Then you need to go strictly on a paid basis. But the last piece to detour Yelets, Zanonsk and Khlevnoye, I think that it is more convenient for a paid one.

And giving our money at the payment points, we will remember that we not only pay for travel only on the toll road, but also finance the maintenance and repair of the free one, as Sergei Kelbakh, chairman of the board of the Avtodor state company, said in an online interview with Gazeta.ru.

The opinion of people who use all sorts of T-pass and transponders is interesting, whether they really help to save. By the way, recently there was a discussion about whether to make a section of the M-1 highway also paid.

It would be interesting to know who rides how. Till! Thanks for reading. Good luck to everyone on the road!
By the way, recently there was a discussion about whether to make a section of the M-1 highway also paid.