RANK RUMBLINGS
BRIGHTON & HOVE CABBIES RAIL AGAINST PLAN TO MOVE RANK OUTSIDE HOVE STATION FOR CYCLE LANES
Taxi drivers have railed against plans to move the longstand- ing taxi rank outside Hove railway station as part of a redesign to create cycle lanes in Goldstone Villas. Brighton & Hove News reports that the bad feeling has been made worse by claims that they had been consulted about the proposals and were happy with them. There are concerns that they will be pushed out of sight, with a new rank proposed in Station Approach although passengers would have to cross two lanes of traffic instead of one. As drivers reacted to the proposed revamp, Cllr Jackie O’Quinn posted on a cab trade Facebook page: “They want to instal three zebra crossings around the station for pedestrians. Just by pressing the button on one of them you activate all three – totally unnecessary. “I was told at a meeting last week that the taxi trade were very happy about having their taxi tank moved to Station Approach.” After drivers made clear that they were not happy, Cllr O’Quinn said: “It was very naughty of them to imply you had been consulted. I asked what the taxi trade thought of being moved and would they lose any spaces. I was told you were quite happy with the change.” As more drivers made clear that they had no knowledge of the newly announced scheme, she added: “I’m really annoyed about this. A bit typical of much that has taken place in the last couple of years.” Andy Peters, from the Brighton and Hove Cab Trade Associ- ation, and PHTM contributor, said: “On Monday 4 July the taxi trade reps received an email from the council with plans
ABERDEEN COUNCILLORS APPROVE RANK REINSTATEMENT
Councillors in Aberdeen have agreed to reinstate a city cen- tre taxi rank which was closed at the start of the pandemic. AberdeenLive reports that the 11-vehicle rank in Aberdeen’s Back Wynd was shut when the central section of Union Street between Guild Street and Market Street was pedestri- anised. The Licensing Committee approved the plan on Tuesday 5 July, which will see the rank operating from 5am until midnight, as previously. The move follows a consultation with the public, the taxi trade, Police Scotland and Aberdeen City Council’s Roads and City Centre Masterplan teams. The majority of responses were in favour of the rank being reinstated, and the reopen- ing will take place once road markings and signage are back in place.
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to remove the rank from the top of Goldstone Villas, Hove, and to put it around the corner in Station Approach, effectively out of sight. “We have reliably been informed by a Licensing Committee councillor that she was told that we ‘are happy with the rank moving’.On behalf of the trade, I can categorically state that we are not happy at all. “Furthermore, we are extremely upset that there has never been any consultation on this, even though we had a trade meeting with the council in April. “Additionally, we have only been given extremely short notice to submit our grave concerns about not only the removal of the rank but also about the severe lack of consul- tation as major stakeholders in this issue. “We would like to make it very clear that this rank has been in place for well over 40 years and to effectively shove it out of sight is absolutely unacceptable. “We have worked extensively with the council on the Valley Gardens Project with several one-to-one meetings so for this plan to suddenly appear without any prior consultation with the local taxi trade can only be described as an insult. “We have always tried in earnest to work with the council but it cannot go without saying that we feel as if we have been completely dismissed.”
PLAN TO RETURN RANK IN MANSFIELD TO EIGHT SPACES
Mansfield Council plans to increase taxi rank spaces in the town centre after saying it is becoming difficult for people to access cabs at ‘all times of day’. Chad reports that the authority has outlined a number of solutions to address the problem and says its plans come in a bid to improve taxi services as the town becomes a ‘visitor destination’.
Under the plans which went before the council’s licensing committee on 14 July, the authority proposes increasing the existing Queen Street taxi rank back up to eight spaces. The rank, behind the Old Town Hall, was cut to four spaces to accommodate extra disabled car parking spaces, but the council says these are no longer needed. The council is also proposing to remove the rank at the former bus station, on Rosemary Street, due to a lack of demand as the site is redeveloped into fast-food takeaways and a hotel.
Susie Rhodes-Best, council licensing manager, says the proposals will help visitors to the town as it undergoes a ‘radical transformation’.
AUGUST 2022
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