New regulation bans rickshaws from Chengdu's central areas

Most three-wheeled vehicles have been banned from Chengdu's city roads starting today, reported the West China City Daily.

The ban covers all lightweight three-wheeled passenger vehicles, including gas and electric-powered sanlunche, as well as 150cc motorbikes.

Such vehicles are forbidden from all Chengdu roads within the High-Speed Ring Road (sometimes referred to as the Fourth Ring Road).

The new regulations were announced on May 27 by the Chengdu Transportation Bureau.

The same department estimated that there are in excess of 930,000 such vehicles in the city. But less than 10 percent of those move within the Third Ring Road.

The other 90-plus percent mostly travel between the Third and Fourth Ring Roads, and these are the main target of the regulations.

The new laws also regulate the production, sales, registration, and model types of lightweight motor vehicles. They do not cover electric bicycles or electric wheelchairs.

Exceptions will be made for some vehicles that display a special permit allowing them to enter the city. Currently, just over 3,000 vehicles hold such permits.

Drivers who disobey the law will face an RMB100 fine and a deduction of 3 points from their driving record. The penalty for driving such a vehicle with no license—which is common in Chengdu—is RMB1,000 or 15 days in prison. For driving an unregistered vehicle, licensed drivers can be fined RMB200.

Share this article

This article was posted by Jane and published June 1, 2012

Next article: What's on Chengdu June 8-10
Previous article: What's on Chengdu June 1-3

Comments

- joe
  June 1, 2012
- The owners of SUVs & red plates have decided. Yes Sanlunche are a pain in the ass (too expensive, unsafe suicidal drivers) and I personally like that they kicked out within the 2nd ring road. But I don't understand why they can't operate outside the 3rd ring road, where they actually fill a niche, which is otherwise not covered by bus/taxi.
  Also what is the problem with motorbikes?
  I don't see any efforts made to even try to justify these restrictions (although the article mentions the emission restrictions LOL!)
  Oh at the end it also shows that more than 70% of the readers aren't too happy about this news.
- johnboy
  June 2, 2012
- I'm new here, so not totally up to speed on the issue, but from just a month in town I can say that the amount of three wheelers and motorcycles that drive on the sidewalk is a real menace. Hope this new ordinance, if enforced, will at least curb that practice.
- ggggg
  June 2, 2012
- I guess the main question is how much this regulation will be enforced. I personally think these vehicles are not that much disturbing though certainly they drive dangerous. They also mean the living for many people. For me this is another example how the Chinese government can destroy the living of many people from one day to the other.
- Pandarin
  June 3, 2012
- Fat chance, they can't even regulate traffic lights.
- misubi
  June 5, 2012
- This has absolutely nothing to do with traffic safety or transportation options. Their death in Chengdu is another sign of local government's attempt to raise the 文明ness of the city by doing away with all the charming things that made Chengdu a non-generic Chinese city when I first arrived. Soon all Chengdu will have are office blocks, shopping malls, subway lines, nicely paved riverways, and oh cute Pandas. Chengdu will be one big Jinli street.
- panman
  June 7, 2012
- This is so crazy. There is a huge difference between regulating to improve a servicce by making it safer and eliminating it totally.
  There is a popular saying back home that goes "where the fence is lowest, that is where the cows will jump" I guess the Sanlunche owners do not have much clout or power. Now that they have been eliminated I hope that the authorities will now turn their attention to the car owners who use the sidewalk as a parking lot thereby forcing pedestrians to walk on the streets. The taxi and other folks in their cars who try to run you down in the bike lanes even honking to get you out of a dedicated bikelane need to be targeted as well.
  I agree with Misubi, that lots of thing are changing and not necesarily for the better. With so much talk about Chengdu being a "people-eco friendly" cty, they are making the bike lanes less biker friendly, the sidewalks more car friendly and less pedestrian friendly. I see that they are literally converting sidewalks into parking lots with no regards for safety of pedestrians. In this modern times, there are so many examples of town and cities where good lessons of harmonizing traffic with people can be learnt from. It is sad, so sad, but then again ...........