ROUND THE COUNCILS SOUTHAMPTON:
REMOVING PHV DOOR SIGNS PLAN SCRAPPED
Controversial proposals to remove operator names from PHV door signs in Southampton have been scrapped. According to HampshireLive, civic chiefs have decided PHVs in the city will have to continue to display door signs showing both the name of the operator and of the licensing authority, saying they help to protect passengers. The decision comes as councillors were asked to consider plans to remove operators’ names from PHVs’ door signs to allow drivers to work for more than one company at a time. Speaking at the meeting of the licensing committee, Southampton taxi driver, Emma Campbell, said: “The current system isn’t working. Customers are being let down but by removing the operators’ details on door signs we will enable more drivers to be registered with more companies meaning there’s a larger pool of drivers available and this would lead to less waiting time, less cancellation.” But Clive Johnson, Radio Taxi honorary chairman, said: the requirement was introduced almost 20 years ago: “The reason for that was the safety of our members of the public, as simple as that.” Phil Bates, licensing manager at Southampton City Council, asked members not to change the current policy and there- fore confirm plans requiring both the name of the operator and of the licensing authority to be displayed on door signs. He said: “I am satisfied that the current policy provides a measure of protection to particularly the vulnerable in our society and that should not be undermined by the desire to be more selective for the work that drivers accept.” The committee backed Mr Bates’ suggestion.
SCOTTISH BORDERS: DRIVERS ‘FED UP’ OF RANK PARKING ABUSE
Taxi drivers in Galashiels say they are “fed up” of receiving abuse from people parking in their allocated spaces. Drivers in the town say they are regularly targeted when asking other motorists not to park in their rank on Channel Street. According to the Border Telegraph, they fear there will be no resolution, despite complaining to Police Scotland as well as Scottish Borders Council. Frustrated taxi drivers said that before they can park in Channel Street they have to drive around the town two or three times before a space becomes free. One of the drivers, Hugo Santos, said: “Everyone is really fed up with the situation. “Channel Street is one-way and sometimes there are four
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cars in the rank with no one in the cars and we have to go around the town and lose time and money.” Mr Santos, who has worked as a taxi driver for the last three- and-a-half-years, added: “Taxis are very important in the Borders. It’s a rural area and the buses don’t cover every- where. We’re not supposed to get abuse. It’s completely unacceptable.” The drivers also say that they believe it is not clear who is actually responsible for enforcing the parking restrictions on the Channel Street taxi rank. “It’s beyond a joke,” said Alastair Macdonald of Quick Cabs. “Scottish Borders Council and the police keep passing the buck. No one can admit responsibility.” A SBC spokesperson said: “Taxi drivers have been provided with appropriate advice on a number of occasions regarding this matter. “In terms of enforcement, I can confirm that this is a matter for Police Scotland.”
CHESTERFIELD: CLAIMS ABOUT RANK MISUSE INVESTIGATED
Council chiefs are investigating claims that club and bar staff are parking on a late-night Chesterfield town centre rank. According to the Derbyshire Times, one Chesterfield taxi driver, who regularly picks up fares at the rank on Stephenson Place, said it was a serious issue which was causing traffic and safety concerns. He said staff from nearby licensed venues were regularly parking their vehicles on the rank, which is in operation from 11pm-5am, and ‘knew exactly what they were doing’. A spokesperson for Chesterfield Borough Council said the authority had been made aware and would ask for ‘additional night patrols’ if the problem persisted. The taxi driver said: “The council has been investigating it for months and it has been a problem for months. They don’t seem to want to do anything about it. “It’s causing safety issues because we have to pull in and pick up passengers at an angle and they have to open doors wider.” The taxi driver added: “The trade has moved across town lately and different ranks have come into play.” A spokesperson for Chesterfield Borough Council said: “We have asked for some more detailed information about this issue. If the vehicles belong to individuals from local licensed venues, we will raise this with the management of those venues and ask them to park elsewhere. “If the problem persists we will request additional night patrols from Derbyshire County Council’s civil enforcement officers.” The taxi driver said: “I really can't think of another town or city that would give up one of their main taxi ranks to pub and club staff,” he added.
DECEMBER 2021
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