Got My tFirst Ticket on My Bike in Shanghai

Not a big deal but just wanted to share.

I was going south under the NanBei Highway on ChongChing Road during rush hour. As Shanghai riders know, motorcycles can't ride on that road. Right before HuaiHai Road I see a cop and the light turns red. I pull into the bike lane to hide behind the throng of bikes but too late, the cop sees me. Pretty obvious when I am the only one wearing a helmet.

The cop walks over and asks me to kill the ignition and move to the side and show him my ID. As I do so he proceeds to pull over a few more people. It is damn HOT and humid under the sun. Then he starts giving people citations one by one. There are the usual disagreements and haggling. There are more motorcyclists passing by and plenty of non-plated scooters. He waves to a few to pull over and they ignore him and keep going.

FINALLY it's my turn after 20 mins. I can't believe I am so anxious to get my ticket. I try to ask for leniency and get a lecture in return. Nevermind. He's carrying a mini-printer that prints my ticket out slower than the taxi drivers can print their receipts. Stupid printer it's mini and can only hold so much paper and the cop is printing 3 copies. One for him, one for me, and one for me to take to the court to sign. He runs out of paper and proceeds to walk to his bike to get more...

So the whole process takes 30 mins in the searing heat. Now I have a 200RMB fine and 3 points on my record and a nice tan on my arms. The whole time I am thinking, why don't the cops make this process more efficient and ticket more people? The city could make a killing off of illegally parked cars alone.

-Wrangler

Wrangler, thanks for that report. Shanghai clearly is in the midst of a stepped-up enforcement of motorcycle registration laws, so watch your back. I stopped at one checkpoint in Jing'an district where I live, and chatted up the cops. They were polite, but seemed to be taking the task seriously. Ironically, while we spoke, many unlicensed death-trip bikes screamed past, often ignoring (or pretending not to see) the officer signaling them to stop. Frankly, I hope they are vigilant. Most of the scofflaw bikes are not pitiable poor city residents who couldn't afford better transport; rather they were young turks in Jane-Fonda-in-Barbarella haircuts blasting through town without any respect for law or authority or life.

A pox on them all.