Mopeds targeted in drive drive, Mopeds, targeted

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Mopeds targeted in drive

　

Monday was a bad day to ride mopeds in Shanghai, as local cops handed out 2,600 tickets during a one-day crackdown on the motorized bicycles.

　　Moped production was once listed as a pillar industry by local authorities, a move that put hundreds of thousands of the smog-producing vehicles on the streets causing traffic congestion and environ-mental problems.

　　The government made an abrupt about-face in 1997 when it stopped issuing licenses for new mopeds in an effort to rid local streets of the vehicles by 2005.

　　More than 1,000 cops assigned to 38 major intersections spent Monday giving out tickets for a variety of offenses, including 1,000 tickets for riding on the road and 400 fines for carrying extra passengers.

　　"Mopeds are a headache for our traffic management," said Liu Xingwei of the city traffic and patrol police team. "They are slower than normal motorcycles, so they cause trouble, such as collisions and traffic jams, when they are on the road."

　　Moped riders are supposed to follow the same rules as cyclists, which speeds up traffic but puts the lives of many cyclists and pedestrians in danger.

　　"Because the moped is faster than a bicycle, many collisions take place," Liu said.

　　So far this year 1,000 moped-related accidents have been reported in the city, resulting in 13 deaths and some 200 injuries.

　　Police caught many moped riders without licenses or using a fake ones on Monday. Because it is still possible to buy mopeds, but impossible to get a new license many riders buy old plates for their new mopeds, which is against the law.

　　The city's crackdown has seen the number of mopeds on the streets drop from 700,000 in 1999 to 350,000 to-day, according to city police.