The Casey Column
By Wayne Casey
(LL SC)
“Don’t blow it - good planets are hard to find.”
Quoted from Time Magazine
Spare the children was reported in France in 2004 that 11% of all imagine they like taxis driving around our city
O X Q J F D Q F H U F D V H V L G H Q W L � H G L Q S H R S O H R Y H U centres looking for somewhere to rank up.
I think last year was my best writing year for taxi years of age were caused by vehicle emissions. The DfT might have a view on the damage
talk Magazine, so this year, according to the law Indeed, the same report estimates that seven caused by pollution, in actual fact they do,
of statistics will either be better or worse. percent of all cases of cardio-respiratory they did a report on it and they said: “The
diseases are also caused in the same manner. Government takes the threat of climate change
0 \ I U L H Q G L Q 0 D Q V � H O G W R O G P H D W W K H H Q G R I very seriously, and is committed to taking
November that his council, sick of complaints , G R Q � W N Q R Z L I L W K D V H V F D S H G W K H N Q R Z O H G J H R I action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
from people with possibly too much time on their O R F D O F R X Q F L O V � U V W O \ I X H O L V D U D W K H U H [ S H Q V L Y H Unfortunately, whilst they take it “very seriously”,
hands, despatched the police to clean up Dodge commodity to burn whilst driving around looking the grand plan appears to be everybody in the
City. In other words, cabs were fouling ranks, in I R U � Y L U W X D O � F X V W R P H U V W K D W D U H V L P S O \ Q R W UK being able to own and operate their own
part due to either a lack of rank spaces (created there!), or alternatively, the fumes from our W D [ L V L W W L Q J R Q U D Q N V Z K L F K D U H Q � W W K H U H K H Q F H
by too many taxis), or a lack of work (created exhausts do actually kill people. Not any people the best practice guidance. In all seriousness,
by people not having any money to spend in either, it tends to be the most vulnerable, the old I am at a loss here; we have environmental
shops). Any drivers found illegally ranking can and young. And with a bit of luck some of the issues shoved down our throats from a daily
expect warning letters, council appearances and clowns in the town halls! Of course, if any local diatribe of TV, newspaper, local and national
possible suspensions. authority would like to write in and categorically J R Y H U Q P H Q W S U R S D J D Q G D , � P H Y H Q Z L O O L Q J W R
V W D W H W K L V W \ S H R I W K L Q J L V Q � W K D S S H Q L Q J R U L V Q � W accept the need to do my bit. I will, therefore,
His council, like many others, strictly tow the going to happen we are quite prepared to watch my wife put the right paper, plastic and
commissariats line, if the rank is full proceed listen to the argument before allowing our new tin cans in the correct recycle boxes, because
with all possible haste to the next rank, not found lunatic left wing environmentalist friends woman like doing things like that. Without a
I R U J H W W L Q J W R � S O \ I R U K L U H � D W D O O S R L Q W V L Q E H W Z H H Q W R D Q V Z H U W K D W � O O E H M X V W E H I R U H W K H \ D U U D Q J H doubt, I understand why local and national
J R R G O X F N 6 R O H W � V O R R N D W Z K D W \ R X U F R X Q F L O D S U R W H V W D W \ R X U F R X Q F L O R I � F H V F R P S U L V H G R I government have entire departments dedicated
are asking you to do. people in matching red cagoules and beards. to reducing our carbon footprint, bringing
forth policies such as Euro emissions etc. I do
Well essentially, by not providing adequate I have seen my sins and, quite conveniently I however completely fail to see how government,
ranking spaces your council are making you might add, I am now a believer. Yes, we are all both local and national, can do the above with
ply for hire within the district, unless you going to die from global warming, sometime in one hand, then with the other tell cab drivers
decide to push your vehicle that is, this in turn December 2012 and anything we can do to stop that if a rank is full (due to their neglect in not
will swell greenhouse gases accelerating the taxis roaming our streets, belching out fumes providing adequate standing) they must drive
natural climatological cycles. Your council is that pollute our environment, because they around arguably the most polluted part of a
making you drive around a City or Town centre, F D Q Q R W � Q G V X L W D E O H U D Q N L Q J V S D F H V K R X O G E H district, wasting fuel and creating even more
this sequentially increases CO2 emissions avoided – it might even save us from extinction. S R O O X W L R Q R W K H U Z L V H W K H \ � O O O R V H W K H L U O L F H Q F H V : K R
which go up to the stratosphere, thickening the , G R Q � W Z D Q W P \ F K L O G U H Q W R K D Y H W R I D F H W K H runs these departments, Rudolph Hess is it?
blanket of greenhouse gases that are heating results of my destructive ways which are forced
up the planet. X S R Q P H E \ W K R V H Z K R V L W L Q Q L F H F R V \ R I � F H V Indeed one council came up with the following
� [ L Q J W K H L U K D L U R U V F U D W F K L Q J W K H L U D U V H V Z L W K gem of information:
heaters blowing up their proverbial in the winter,
coupled with air conditioned backsides during ' L G \ R X N Q R Z W K D W H D F K F D U L V R Q D Y H U D J H
the summer. U H V S R Q V L E O H I R U H P L V V L R Q V R I W R Q Q H V R I
F D U E R Q G L R [ L G H H D F K \ H D U Z K L F K L V D P D M R U
F R Q W U L E X W R U W R J O R E D O Z D U P L Q J ( [ K D X V W
J D V H V D O V R F D X V H P D M R U D L U T X D O L W \ S U R E O H P V
D W W K H O R F D O O H Y H O S D U W L F X O D U O \ L Q F L W L H V
Now, if you bear in mind a taxi does say
3 L F W X U H G D E R Y H : K D W 0 D Q V � H O G F R X O G O R R N 40,000 miles per year single shifted, which is
O L N H L I W D [ L V G R Q � W J H W D G H T X D W H U D Q N V S D F H V about four times the average mileage of the
D Y H U D J H P R W R U L V W L W � V I D L U W R S U H V X P H H D F K
The Earth, through gratuitous ignorant and Pictured above; A minicab in London slowly cab is responsible for about 18 tonnes of
V H O � V K F R X Q F L O V Q R W S U R Y L G L Q J D G H T X D W H U D Q N N L O O L Q J K X P D Q V \ H V W H U G D \ F D U E R Q G L R [ L G H H D F K \ H D U , G R Q � W N Q R Z Z K D W
space and policies of taxi deregulation, is W K D W P H D Q V E X W , G R Q � W W K L Q N , F R X O G O L I W L W $ V ,
heating up; our polar ice caps are melting. I wonder what the Department of Health think wrote recently, ranking space is very rarely a
7 K L V P H O W L Q J G R H V W Z R W K L Q J V � U V W O \ L W � O O V W K H about all of this? Well their website says: consideration when delimitation is considered,
sea up with extra water, this water leads to “Reducing vehicle emissions is a key transport one book basically states if ranks are full - cabs
O R Z O \ L Q J D U H D V E H L Q J � R R G H G V H F R Q G O \ Z K H Q issue, which has been agreed as priority across must go to the next, then to the next and so
water evaporates, because the earth is getting Government.” R Q � D J D L Q , G R Q � W W K L Q N W K D W F K D S L V D P H P E H U
warmer, goes up into the atmosphere and of the Green Party. Furthermore, the same book
F D X V H V P R U H U D L Q % H F D X V H \ R X U F R X Q F L O L V Q � W The old Wayne Casey would have quite liked tells us that the congestion caused by additional
providing cab ranks and is allowing every Tom, W K H J R Y H U Q P H Q W � V V S L Q R Q W K L V U H G X F L Q J Y H K L F O H W D [ L V L V G L I � F X O W W R W U D Q V O D W H L Q W R U H D O L W \ , G R Q � W
Dawid and Abdul to become cab proprietors emissions by making us drive around town centres think the chap thought that one through to be
W K H ( D U W K � V W H P S H U D W X U H J H W V K R W W H U , Q S O D F H V L V D Q D U F K L F W R V D \ W K H O H D V W , W � V D F U D ] \ S O D Q honest. Mind You, the same bloke gave the
with warm temperatures you have diseases like maybe crazy enough to work! (Or maybe not). I world the following generalisation;
malaria, yellow fever and chikungunya spread G R Q � W N Q R Z Z K D W W K H ( Q Y L U R Q P H Q W $ J H Q F \ D F W X D O O \
around by insects such as mosquitoes, which do, anecdotal evidence suggests they wander “Provided a local authority maintains quality
according to sources, are on the way to this around our countryside wearing green Wellington control, delimitation is not a problem for hackney
country because our temperature is rising. It E R R W V D O W K R X J K W K D W F R X O G E H I D U P H U V E X W , F D Q � W carriage services”
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