About 80 drivers who violated a new ban on vehicles with non-local temporary number plates were caught by police at roadblocks across Shanghai early yesterday.
Shanghai Public Security Bureau announced on April 1 that vehicles with non-local temporary plates would be banned from using roads on and within the Outer Ring Road from April 10.
Police said signs advising drivers of the ban have been put up at locations across the city.
Police in Yangpu District told Shanghai Daily that the number of cars with non-local temporary plates on the streets "dramatically dropped" yesterday, but 13 drivers failed to observe the ban and were punished by the police at the intersection of Songhuajiang Road and Huangxing Road.
The drivers said that they took it for granted that the new ban was to take effect on Monday.
"They thought the police would cut drivers some slack over the weekend, but they were wrong," said Li Bin, a Yangpu traffic police officer.
Drivers violating the ban are subject to a 200 yuan ($31) fine and have three demerits on their license for "ignoring ban signs."
In China, drivers who are given 12 demerits in any one year counted from the day they get their license have their licenses revoked. They also have to complete a seven-day traffic regulations course and sit a written test before they are allowed to drive again.
In Pudong, at the intersection of Longdong Avenue and Tanglu Highway, which runs into the Outer Ring Road, a driver surnamed Ling was stopped by the police at about 12:40am because he had an expired non-local plate. Ling was fined 50 yuan for not carrying his license with him and 200 yuan for driving without a plate. He was also given 13 demerits.
Shanghai local car plates are hard to get due to the limited number available at auction, which leads to long delays in obtaining them. Drivers can still get behind the wheel if they get a local temporary plate, which is valid for a maximum of 30 days, but they are only allowed to apply three times.
Many drivers apply for non-local temporary plates from other provinces after using up their local ones.
The new ban aims to relieve traffic congestion in the city.
