Why did they ban Motorcycles

[euphonius]

'maneuver, maneuver, signal, mirror' driving system,

Dear ZMC888,

You are far too generous using the term "maneuver", which in my online dictionary is defined as follows:

noun
a movement or series of moves requiring skill and care: spectacular jumps and other daring maneuvers.
• a carefully planned scheme or action, esp. one involving deception: shady financial maneuvers.
• the fact or process of taking such action: the economic policy provided no room for maneuver .

verb ( maneuvers, maneuvering , maneuvered )
1 move skillfully or carefully: [ no obj. ] : the truck was unable to maneuver comfortably in the narrow street | [ with obj. ] : I'm maneuvering a loaded tray around the floor.
2 [ with obj. ] carefully guide or manipulate (someone or something) in order to achieve an end: they were maneuvering him into a betrayal of his countryman.
• [ no obj. ] carefully manipulate a situation to achieve an end: (as noun maneuvering) : two decades of political maneuvering.

You get my point: No skill involved. I'd call the local practice "lunge, lurch, signal, mirror, but never look".

[bigdamo]

G'Day,

The suburbs near the international schools (Minhang, Hongqiao, Qingpu) have a lot of teenagers and adults on scooters, the noisy - non plated- annoying scooters mention in the SD story above.
Go to the Starbucks / Subway / Burrito Shack near the American School (Puxi Campus) and you know what I am on about, just up the road near the CitySupermarket outlet you find some scooter "tuning" shops that caters 99.9% to the laowei kids & parents......

No, I am not a teacher, just a lot of logistics and warehouse companies are located near the American school (Puxi)......

Whats wrong with being a "teacher"

[Nuhaus]

And when shouldn't I be looking when I turn?

Yeh, I got caught by that too. Must have forgotten my satire spectacles.

I saw plenty of foreign kids at the Jiaoji Lu moto mart. They used to walk up to me and ask questions as I was sitting there trying to get repairs. Most of them were riding the more expensive Yamahas, which had modding shops on the street and not in the back alley.

I agree though. The excuse of looking for foreigners on modded scooters is just a smoke show. The inclusion of skateboards in the article just makes it look like a "You damned kids, stay offa my lawn!" kind of attitude. Not the first time we've seen this though. In 2009 they had the big trucks full of confiscated scooters sitting at intersections as the cops pulled over everybody and anybody, looking for fake or "missing" plates. Then they got tired of paying for that and tried to make it illegal to buy gas within the city limits without legal plates. Wow, that really worked.

I very much respect that the government is trying to regulate something that is getting way out of control. However, claiming it's foreigners, kids, or little green men from mars just ignores that fact that the majority of them are Shanghairen trying to get from A to B.

[euphonius]

...I very much respect that the government is trying to regulate something that is getting way out of control. However, claiming it's foreigners, kids, or little green men from mars just ignores that fact that the majority of them are Shanghairen trying to get from A to B.

Dear Nuhaus,

The story reveals the roots of this crackdown's own undoing, noting that this is a "three-month-long campaign against illegally customized mopeds and scooters." Actually, it won't even last three months, and things will revert to form or get even worse.

Why not just enforce the laws all the time, equally, on everyone?

For bikes over 49cc and maybe even smaller, the law requires plate, valid registration and insurance for the bike, helmet and driver's license for the rider, and a vehicle in stock condition (hmm, I might have problems with that one). Penalties for riding illegally should be serious, and applied every time to every scofflaw. Yes, it's easy to evade checkpoints if you have a souped up scoot, but if enforcement becomes the norm, the risks and costs of evasion will rise to the point of not being worthwhile.

cheers

[Nuhaus]

Why not just enforce the laws all the time, equally, on everyone?

Very good question. I have no idea, other than to guess it has to do with money and the massive population in this city.

One more point however, without consistent enforcement of city laws, it makes it very difficult to convince people to buy legally registered motos. Why should the 2 foreigners I saw last week driving loud 250 motards in Xujiahui bother with plates and licenses if the cop just pretends he cannot see them as they drive by? I was trying to pretend I couldn't see them either as my Chinese friends were making much less than respectful comments.

[chinabiker]

Why not just enforce the laws all the time, equally, on everyone?

To say it in your own words euphonius

Since when is China ruled by laws?

[euphonius]

China in a nutshell:

[Steve_R]

The article also points out that regulations are outdated and people no longer have the same attitudes towards the regulations. The same article mentions that the legal limit for electric mopeds is 15 km/h.

No wonder the regulations are outdated.

Not that it's going to happen, but it would be nice if the people making the regulations could take a practical look at them see how to modify them to fit the 21st century realities.

For example, in Thailand, when you want to register a motorcycle or a scooter you just do it. Purchase the scooter, head on down to the DMV, do some simple paperwork, and you've got yourself a license plate.

It would nice if the registration procedures in Shanghai could also be simple, and that you could actually perform a similar process, but of course that is wishful dreaming.

[andre555]

The article also points out that regulations are outdated and people no longer have the same attitudes towards the regulations. The same article mentions that the legal limit for electric mopeds is 15 km/h.

No wonder the regulations are outdated.

Not that it's going to happen, but it would be nice if the people making the regulations could take a practical look at them see how to modify them to fit the 21st century realities.

For example, in Thailand, when you want to register a motorcycle or a scooter you just do it. Purchase the scooter, head on down to the DMV, do some simple paperwork, and you've got yourself a license plate.

It would nice if the registration procedures in Shanghai could also be simple, and that you could actually perform a similar process, but of course that is wishful dreaming.

That is not possible, China is special, because there are too many people. Havent you got the memo?

[TB-Racing]

Safety talk brought to expat pupils
2012-3-3 | Shanghai Daily Newspaper


YOUNG foreigners on skateboards and souped-up scooters are creating road safety hazards and annoying other residents, according to police.


Police say they have received complaints about skateboarders and riders zooming around residential complexes and roads.


While no serious accidents have been reported involving this group, officers are now going to international schools to teach road safety.


"It's important to establish such communication," said Cai Xin, director with Changning District immigration police office. "They'll learn basic traffic knowledge in China, which will obviously benefit them."


Cai said a lack of knowledge of China's traffic laws sometimes led to misunderstandings.


Officers already visit complexes to advise skateboarders, and university campuses, following complaints about noisy customized mopeds.


Yesterday, police visited a foreign school in Changning District, home to one of Shanghai's biggest foreign communities.


Staff welcomed the initiative. "In the United States," said Faustina Martinez, principal of the Livingston American School, "police and fire departments go to schools to do this."