Potentially Moving To Inner Suburbs

Today's weather: High = 13 Low = 5
Cloudy

The recent batch of posts on Shanghai's latest move to ban fuel for scooters is discouraging, but it's always been my long-term goal to try and find a way to legally ride a motorcycle around, and to go through the proper licensing and registration channels.

To do that, part of the plan would very well require me move out of the downtown areas. Not very far mind you, just outside the middle ring road, which would allow me to register with the police in an area where I could then apply for a suburban license motorcycle plate, known as a C plate. Granted, this would still cause problems for driving into downtown for work, although I can justify it as my company is barely 10% distance inside the ring road. The commute would increase to perhaps 20-25 minutes in the area I'm interested in. The bike would then be required for work -- or else it would be up to an hour using subways or other means of transport.

From a commute perspective it's not the most attractive option, and downtown remains the best choice which I've been enjoying for the last year.

However, from an economics perspective, a move to the 'inner suburbs' between the ring roads may be the way to go. I have been in contact with the school over trying to increase my housing allowance, and it is not likely to happen. The rent downtown is going through the roof, and it will certainly go northward of 6000 RMB a month once the contract ends. The gap between the allowance and the rent would then be too much, and I'd end up with no effective salary increase.

In the area I'm considering known as "Minhang District" it is possible to live in a king's palace based on the housing allowance that I am already given -- and still pocket a bit of profit! It would be similar posh housing conditions as when I lived in Songjiang, with the added bonus of potentially getting a suburban motorcle license plate.

It certainly is tempting that's for sure. More research to be done, and I'll make a call by July what's going to happen as that's when my downtown apartment contract is up.