Thousands of Russian truck drivers probably made the thumbs down sign and said "Nyet" (No in Russian) after they were stuck in a 200-kilometre gridlock over the weekend.

The traffic jam along the M-10 motorway lasted for 44 hours and trapped more than 4,000 trucks. The gridlock was caused by heavy snow.

However, reports said the traffic was moving normally at 80 kilometres per hour again since the early hours of Monday, although the experienced led the Russian government to admit they need to improve things to prevent a repeat.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the build-up of vehicles was an indicator that clear road services did not work effectively.

To worsen matters, the road was in the middle of a forest and many drivers were stuck with no provisions or extra fuel in temperatures of minus five degrees Celsius.

The heavy snowfall started on late Friday night and to worsen the road nightmare for motorists, authorities maneouvered a snow plough through the vehicles to clear the road.  

The highway connects Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and one of the busiest roads in Russia. It goes through the Tver region.

Road experts attribute the worsening traffic problem in key Russian cities to the rising number of vehicles plying its thoroughfares and the decline in funds available for proper road maintenance.

As a result of the frequent gridlocks that Russian motorists suffer, the YouTube video below that provides tips on how to fool the traffic jam, Russian style, has almost 1.7 million hits so far.

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