Maybe red for HCs and green for PHVs. Seems such a simple idea, and again something I’ve long believed in, though I’m sure many will disagree, and probably there’d be technical issues which would not enable this to work.


I do have to state for balance that I know only too well that such attacks have also been committed by licensed drivers in licensed cars. The only thing I can add to this is that there is more chance of the driver/car being identified and caught with the specific vehicle markings.


MAJOR CITY FIRE


We had a major fire at one of the oldest hotels in the city on the seafront. The Royal Albion hotel was built in 1826 so that would make it nearly two-hundred years old with a second west wing section added in 1847 and was Grade ll listed. In 1998 it suffered a bad fire due to the poor kitchen extraction which took the hotel out of action for a while. But in July 2023 the hotel suffered a catastrophic fire which ripped through the building at a very unfortunate windy time that fanned the flames and increased the velocity of the rage. On a personal note, my dad was the restaurant manager during the 60s and I still have some memorabilia from the hotel, including a brochure which has a photo of the restaurant with my dad. And I still remember him taking me down there on his shoulders showing me where he worked.


The fire brigade worked continuously to contain the fire and even had help from colleagues from London. However, very sadly the fire gutted the hotel with the result that the later west-wing is in the process of being demolished at the time of writing this and probably the original east-wing will also have to go. Fortunately, no injuries or loss of life have been reported.


Putting aside the loss to the city, the result of this disaster has had an enormous effect on the traffic, as the seafront by the pier roundabout has been shut off. This means that all the traffic that would normally pass this way is now directed into the city. Many millions of cars pass through the roundabout each year, so you can imagine the chaos this is causing. The knock-on effect to the trade is appalling with drivers reluctant to go for booked jobs in the city


PHTM AUGUST 2023


centre so people are kept waiting. And then there’s the moral issue of a customer on board with the meter ticking away and stuck in traffic. I will often judge the situation and take the meter off the time mode - of course not every driver would do that or is even obliged to do it.


The last time this happened was during the bombing of the Grand Hotel in 1984 which brought the city to a standstill, again with the seafront main road being closed and the local taxi service and of course buses were very restricted in what they could do. However, there is always the silver lining and, in this case, Uber took the usual advantage once


again with


implementing ‘Surge Pricing’ during this chaotic time, so those Uber drivers have been able to cash in on this unfortunate event in the city.


NEW LICENSING COMMITTEE


With the recent local elections and with the Greens being obliterated, we now have the joy of a new Licensing Committee being made up of 90% brand new councillors. Having watched the web-cast of the first meeting, I think we have our work cut out (as we do every four years) in educating these nice people who know very little of our trade, which is not their fault as they are there to do their job. Hopefully, other trade reps will now step-up as I would like to take a step back in what I do. I’ll still be around, but others must take more responsibility, and not just whinge.


CORRECTION


In the July edition of PHTM I incorrectly quoted Section 64 (1) Transport Act 1980 as: “There shall not in any part of England be displayed on or above any vehicle which is used for carrying passengers for hire or reward but which is not a taxi; The correct quote is: Roof signs on vehicles other than taxis “There shall not in any part of England be displayed on or above the roof of any vehicle which is used for carrying passengers for hire or reward but which is not a taxi;” I’m grateful to John Rendell, Licensing Manager of Sommerset Council for contacting me on this.


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