St. Petersburg is set to implement new restrictions on street vending, establishing prohibited zones and imposing fines for violations starting July 1. The city government has drafted an order outlining these regulations, while a separate bill has been submitted to the Legislative Assembly to establish liability for illegal hawking.

The restrictions will be enforced across all districts of the city, targeting areas with high pedestrian traffic and sensitive locations. Specifically, hawking will be prohibited within a 100-meter radius of all metro station vestibules and within a 50-meter radius of public transport stops, pedestrian and underground crossings.

Additionally, the rules extend to areas near educational, cultural, healthcare, and sports facilities. A 50-meter radius restriction applies to these institutions, reduced to 25 meters from the entrance if the institution has a fenced territory.

Beyond these specific locations, hawking will also be banned on 189 public roads of regional significance, pedestrian areas managed by the Committee for Improvement, and all public green spaces. This includes building arches, lawns, flower beds, landscaped playgrounds, and recreation and sports grounds.

The proposed bill outlines significant fines for those who violate the new regulations. Individuals caught trading in prohibited zones will face a fine of 4,000 rubles, while legal entities will be fined between 200,000 and 300,000 rubles. Repeat offenses will result in increased penalties, with fines of 5,000 rubles for individuals and 300,000 to 500,000 rubles for legal entities.

Compliance with the restrictions will be monitored by officials from district administrations, as well as employees of the Committee on Industrial Policy and the Committee for Property Control. The move comes after observations that central streets, including Nevsky Prospekt, have become saturated with unregulated hawkers.