ABSTRACT
Urban transportation services are considered both theoretically and practically in the Soviet Union as vital to the existence of any city or settlement. A strong concept of Soviet planning, for example, has always been the desire to locate residences and respective workplaces next to each other. The dominance of core service zones and the existence of huge industrial complexes provide further support for rail service implementation. One of the most interesting elements of Soviet urban systems is the numerous and expanding trolleybus lines. Streetcar service in the Soviet Union has been in an ambivalent policy situation for some time. Taxi service in the Soviet Union is reasonably well developed, and vehicles are readily available, at least at the principal activity and tourist nodes. There are relatively few pedestrian amenities along regular paths and sidewalks, although practically every city has exceptions in the form of formal boulevards and allees.
