This is all true.

The crackdown started this year (as reported in the Shanghai news that it would), and it's not limited to Jing An District but most of the downtown districts, aka "The Forbidden Zone", where they have been conducting a massive increase in roadside inspections this year. The enforcement area typically coincides with the districts requiring the Hu-A plates (commonly and wrongly referred to as inside the inner ring). See Milton's post here which gives the accurate description: http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...ll=1#post70660 I'll simply refer to this collection of districts as "The Forbidden Zone".

Few guys I know already got stopped this year and received both fines and points for their infractions related to riding inside the forbidden zone (one with out of town plates - Chongqing; another with Hu-C plate inside zone; etc).

I ride with a Hu-A plates and in the last 4 years issues have been few to none. This year alone I've been stopped for "inspection" about 6 times. Mostly all occurring at traffic lights, including JingAn but also Luwan, Xuhui and even out in Hongqiao (Changning). In total I have received 2 警告 (warnings) for random things like being on a two-way street that becomes one-way for a few hours of the day = WTF?

For this violation, it was a street I rode down "the legal direction" and only going halfway down the block. I purchased what I needed, then came back the other direction. That's when the officer stopped to inspect my paperwork and then decided to give me the computer-recorded, electronic print out warning. I tried telling the officer that there was no sign indicating the street becomes one-way for a few hours of the day. He said there was a sign at the end of the street. I explained that I never got that far only going to the store 30 meters down to purchase some goods (I even showed him what I bought including proof that it was the store in the middle of the block). He didn't care.

Anyway, the warnings only stay on your record for 60 days. Provided you don't get another warning during this period it is removed. The second was in Luwan and they were stopping mostly scooters for being on a car-only road. I had just pulled onto this road, riding less than 50 meters. I told the officer if this is the case, I'll just continue on one of the side roads that are motorcycle friendly. It was too late, he was already typing my plate number into the wireless electronic device and printing out a warning.

It is what it is. Good luck out there fellas.