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A major police crackdown at the city’s intersections over the weekend saw officers being attacked by angry commuters and more than 40,000 motorists, cyclists and pedestrians being hit with penalties.

There were more than 21,000 cases of illegal parking and 3,000 violations committed by pedestrians and people on bikes. Ten people were detained for obstructing law enforcement.

It marked the beginning of a three-month enforcement campaign to reduce traffic congestion across the city.

Police in Huangpu District said that yesterday morning alone, over 500 offenders were issued tickets.

At some intersections on Nanjing Road W., a busy downtown commercial street, three or four policemen were patrolling during the day, giving warnings or handing out tickets to violators.

Over the weekend several traffic offenders were detained for attacking police officers when approached.

A woman surnamed Wu who rode an e-bike through a red light at the intersection of Jinzhong Road and Xiehe Road in Changning District on Saturday morning refused to stop when asked to and kicked a policeman in the leg. She was detained and fined 50 yuan (US$8).

That afternoon, in Hongkou District, a man surnamed Zhu, who committed an infraction at the intersection of Wusong Road and Wujin Road, fled the scene. The officer injured his face and hands when he tried to stop the vehicle. The man, who did not have a license, turned himself into police.

The biggest violators of all were e-bike riders, said police.

“There are no lanes for bikes, but that's no excuse for violations, because they can ride along nearby streets,” said a policeman assigned to an intersection on Taixing Road.

A policeman on Shimen No. 1 Road said the violations were “rampant.”

“Many violators seem to be either unaware of the rules or are just used to ignoring them,” he said.

A policewoman told Shanghai Daily: “Most violations here are from food delivery people who are always in a hurry and say they fear getting complaints from customers.”

One e-bike rider almost ran into a parked taxi on Nanjing Road W. yesterday afternoon, said police.

In Pudong, a food delivery person was fined 20 yuan for riding in the vehicle lane on Century Avenue toward Pudong Road S. on Saturday morning.

In Yangpu District, a young woman surnamed Peng was caught riding a motorcycle without a plate on Saturday morning. Police said she narrowly avoided being detained after refusing to cooperate and laying on the ground. She was fined 200 yuan.

Over 50 violations were punished on Saturday morning alone on Huaxia Road E. toward Miaojing Road in Chuansha Town, and in most cases e-bike riders were caught riding in the wrong direction or had an illegal passenger, Pudong police said.

Police also targeted illegal parking, a major cause of traffic congestion. Officers in Huangpu District deployed 21 tow trucks, including two advanced vehicles that can haul away luxury cars, which normally cannot be moved by conventional tow trucks because their electronic parking brakes lock the four wheels. Police towed away eight cars on Sunday morning alone.

A blue Porsche Cayenne that was illegally parked on Luxiangyuan Road near Renmin Road and blocking traffic was towed away, and a Mercedes-Benz parked near the Fairmont Peace Hotel on Nanjing Road E. was taken away way a few minutes later.

Huangpu police vowed that it will continue to focus on illegal parking over the next few months, cracking down at Metro stations, large shopping centers, major transportation hubs and hospitals.

Meanwhile, Yangpu police said they will soon use unmarked cars to take video footage of traffic violations to use as evidence.