traffic - Shanghai bans outside car licenses

The already swanking car policies in Shanghai took a new turn today as the city announced an agreement with 15 surrounding cities not to issue non-Shanghainese license plates to its citizens, writes the Shanghai Daily. Last year up to 20,000 people went to neighboring cities to avoid the limitations of Shanghai license plates. In 2002 the number was about 5,000.
Not only is the annual number limited, the licenses are auctioned off, raising prices up to 40,000 Renminbi (US$ 4,800). That difference is well worth a trip to Hangzhou.
Tracking down those cars after they were fined was only one of the problems Shanghai faced.
The question is now, whether Shanghai car owners will travel further to cities not included in the agreement or even find backdoor solutions in one of the 15 cities. The familiar cat-and-mouse game between the government and its citizens is in full swing.