RANK RUMBLINGS
TORBAY CABBIES’ LICENCES SUSPENDED OVER BUS BAY PARKING
Seven cabbies had their licences sus- pended by Torbay Council last month. For 18 months the council has cracked down on hackney car- riage drivers who repeatedly park in bus bays. But
licensing chiefs decid- ed enough was enough and they called on the seven cabbies to explain their actions. Four of the drivers told licensing sub-commit- tee members why they had ignored three let- ters demanding they cease parking in bus bays.
The drivers said the main problem was there were too few taxi
council
rank spaces available to too many vehicles. Steve Cox, Torbay Council licensing offi- cer, told the Torquay Herald Express: “Every driver was written to, advising them of our concerns, that seemed to quieten it down for a bit. But the incidents began again and anoth- er letter was sent out.” One driver told the sub-committee that suspension of his licence would not guarantee he would not park in a bus bay again, because ‘we’ve all got families to feed’. Cllr Peter Addis, chair- man of the licensing subcommittee, told the drivers they were
there because they had broken clear guidelines and ig- nored warnings. After consideration, Cllr Addis and his fellow councillors informed the drivers that their hackney carriage licences would be sus- pended for seven days.
Mmm...so once again a brief suspension of licence is wielded as a punishment. Readers can see what minimal effect it will have. Can the council not see that these drivers are having to use the bus bay as a feeder rank due to lack of suffi- cient rank spaces? Would a co-ordinated site visit assist? - Ed
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insurance 3 Wellingborough Rd, Rushden, Northants NN10 9YE RIPLEY RANK MOVE PLAN IS REJECTED
Plans to move the main taxi rank in Ripley town centre from its current position on the Market Place to a new bay on Grosvenor Road have been rejected.
While a new evening rank will now be avail- able on Nottingham Road to serve the town’s late-night rev- ellers, Amber Valley Borough Council’s Licensing Board
decided the main rank will remain in its cur- rent place after business owners near the proposed new site objected to the plans. Drivers have expressed concern about the safe- ty of the Market Place bay on the one-way sys- tem but some felt the Grosvenor Road idea would have been worse. Taxi bosses wanted to see the Grosvenor
Road rank introduced in addition to the Market Place one to ease the problem of lack of rank space.
NPHA member Amber Taxis’ manager Siobhan Connor told the Ripley and Heanor News: “The council is trying to find more rank space but this will not solve the problem of too many taxi licences issued in Amber Valley.”
NEW TAXI RANK FOR PORTSMOUTH
A new taxi rank is set to be built to take drunk- en revellers home from a notorious nightspot - despite objections from hackney drivers. Portsmouth City Coun- cil agreed to create a second rank in King Henry 1st Street for people on nights out in Guildhall Walk.
But taxi drivers say the extra rank could cause congestion and con- flict between drivers
using the White Swan Road rank.
Hackney driver repre- sentative Ian Ogilvie told the Portsmouth News: “We feel there is possi- bly an ulterior motive for this, such as wanting us to move to the north end of Guildhall Walk in future, which is the orig- inal plan we fought against.”
But licensing manager Nickii Humphreys said: “The rank will only serve
as an additional rank. There is no proposal to revoke the existing rank whatsoever.
But the city council’s community safety boss, Cllr Jason Faza- ckarley, said: “There will be no taxi marshals there because we can’t afford them; there is a lack of CCTV coverage and the police are already stretched cov- ering the existing rank.”
COUNCILLORS TO VISIT BATLEY RANK
Councillors are to visit a taxi rank in Batley in a bid to resolve long- running problems. Police and council offi- cers say there has been continual abuse of a two-vehicle stand at Bradford Road, near Bar Street.
Hackney carriage operators have report- edly been abusing the rank during a trial peri- od with cabbies plying for hire by shouting to people to get in their cars.
Kirklees Council’s licensing panel have called for more infor- mation about the problem and are con- sidering a site visit before deciding what can be done.
A six-month trial of a two-vehicle stand in 2008 saw problems arise, with officers receiving complaints from a local private hire firm that taxis were touting for busi- ness at the rank. Licensing manager
Catherine Walter said: “We have had a number of complaints that the rank is being abused with cars lined up along the route, sometimes ten or 12,” she told the Dewsbury Reporter. It was agreed to adjourn the issue for more information. Mmm... now you’re talking! The NPHA has encouraged (and in some cases organ- ised) site visits for many years. Only way to fly. - Ed.
PHTM APRIL 2010
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