Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    A MOTORIST whose car is registered in Shanghai was fined 300 yuan (US$48.39) and had three penalty points added to his driver’s license for violating a rule that bans non-Shenzhen vehicles on roads during morning and evening rush hour in Futian, Luohu, Nanshan and Yantian districts from Monday to Friday.

    The motorist was the first to be fined for violating the rule, the city’s traffic authorities said. The rule only exempts non-Shenzhen vehicles on some designated roads leading to the checkpoints in the four districts from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

    The vehicle was captured by an automatic plate-recognition camera driving on Binhai Boulevard three times between Monday and Wednesday. According to the rule, which took effect Feb. 1, police will fine violators after their third violation.

    The 81 automatic plate-recognition cameras installed across the city recorded a total of 2,350 motorists violating the rule during Wednesday morning rush hour, 262 of whom are suspected of having violated the rule three times. Police said it would impose fines after verifying these suspicions.

    The regulation is designed to relieve Shenzhen’s traffic congestion during rush hour on weekdays. It doesn’t apply during weekends or public holidays.

    Police said they could adjust the rule, such as expanding the restriction areas and extending the restriction hours, according to the effects that the rule’s implementation causes.

    Emergency vehicles, such as fire engines, military vehicles and police cars, as well as vehicles with dual license plates for Hong Kong and Macao or consular license plates, are not subject to the limitation.

    Heavy vehicles such as buses and trucks are not subject to the limitation either.

    A driver can only be fined once a day and can, for emergency purposes, apply for the right to drive during rush hour in the four districts once a month.