VOX POP
What do people who live near Lenexpo think about the Economic Forum?
Published: June 17, 2011 (Issue # 1661)
Alexander Aksakov / The St. Petersburg Times
Yulia Yakusheva.
Yulia Yakusheva,
25, babysitter.
“There is some inconvenience when roads are closed or places are off bounds. But the district does become much cleaner.”
Yevdokia Sotova,
85, pensioner.
“I don’t often go outside, so I don’t feel the impact of the forum. But there are too many cars parked in the yards.”
Dmitry Lebedev,
29, painter and decorator.
“There are more police, and all the local alcoholics and homeless people are moved out of the area.”
Alexander Aksakov / The St. Petersburg Times
Alya Ryazankina.
Tatyana Nashchyo-kina,
62, doctor.
“I don’t notice any inconvenience. Every year they clean the streets and plant flowers.”
Alya Ryazankina,
37, store assistant.
“On the one hand, the forum is a very good thing. At the shop where I work, people buy expensive bags, and anything with images of St. Petersburg on it is being sold. On the other hand, you always have to have documents to get to this district. I tell my son to take his passport with him everywhere as the police may stop him and check his documents. And there are problems with transport. Most streets are closed. Last year I was trying to get here from Palace Square by trolleybus. It took me about two hours.”
Igor, 62, a pensioner who declined to have his photograph taken.
“We can’t walk where we want to; to get to the store, we had to make a major detour because of the closed streets. During the early years of the forum being held here, when everything was just being built, Nalichnaya Ulitsa was fully repaired before the visit by the authorities. But nowadays they just quickly patch it up.”
Alexander Aksakov / The St. Petersburg Times
Andrei.
Yelena Popova,
41, store assistant.
“We always need to have documents with us. To go to the post office, for example, on Nalichnaya Ulitsa, you have to pass through a checkpoint and show your passport. The police are on the lookout. It’s a good sign; there is order.”
Andrei, 29,
sales manager.
“The district is in good shape. An excellent park has been laid out near our building, the streets are well looked-after, everything is clean and attractive. I think the effects of the forum are mostly positive.”
Vladimir Vasilyev,
56, security guard.
“The roads are completely closed and it’s necessary to carry your passport. The good point lies in the deals signed during the forum.”