New system takes aim at streetside violations

A color-coded, three-tier management system to indicate different levels of violation risk among streetside businesses will be implemented citywide this year, the head of Shanghai's urban management and law enforcement authorities said on Tuesday.

A database covering 246,900 streetside businesses in the city has already been established, covering their business mode and operators' information.

It will be updated this year, with Internet-plus supervision and management systems added, Xu Zhihu, director of the Shanghai Urban Management and Law Enforcement Bureau, told a radio program.

During the novel coronavirus epidemic, a system covering the health information and epidemic prevention measures of 46,000 streetside businesses in the Pudong New Area was applied by local urban management and law enforcement officials. They use red, yellow and green colors to indicate the risk level of supervision and management of different businesses.

The system's function is being expanded, showing the operation mode of businesses and their violation frequency, said Xu.

For example, fruit vendors are marked with red, representing high risks, as their operations could more easily exceed their registered business areas, while small catering businesses are labelled yellow for lower risks, the bureau said.

"The color is updated based on the inspection results of officials, and our inspection frequency will be adjusted based on changing colors," said Xu. "There has been good signs that the number of businesses marked green is expanding."

Another database of the supervision and management objectives of the city's urban management and law enforcement system, with 22 sub-databases, will be set up by the end of this year, said Xu.

The 22 sub-databases will cover the information of streetside business operators, transport and handling units of kitchen waste and waste oil, construction sites, catering businesses, those responsible for household garbage management, historical buildings and property management companies, among others, according to Xu.

The database will rely on the city's big data center, penalty records and complaints recorded by different authorities.

City authorities have given the green light to shops like cafes, milk tea and snack vendors, and handicraft sellers to operate stalls outside their business venues within certain areas if they are approved, but the bottom line is that they should not occupy sidewalks, automobile lanes and fire passengers, Xu said.

Catering businesses are banned from food processing and sales in extended operation areas, which should only serve as dining venues.

The number of seats at extended operation areas should be kept below 30 percent of their indoor venues and they should keep a clean environment, authorities said.

The city's urban management and law enforcement authorities are also trialing new technology-based enforcement methods in five districts like Yangpu and Hongkou, Xu said. These feature remote evidence collection for comparison with database information.

These efforts cover overloaded trucks, operations beyond allowed area, and violations involving construction sites and garbage transport vehicles, according to the bureau.