ROAD MADNESS
ONE WAY SYSTEMS IN EXETER MAY HAVE LED TO A MILLION MORE MILES DRIVEN BY TAXIS SAYS COUNCILLOR
Active travel schemes in Exeter may have led to a million more miles a year being driven by taxis being forced to navigate round one-way systems. According to DevonLive, Devon County Council introduced a number of temporary measures in the city and other parts of the county last year, pro- viding safer routes for people walking and cycling following the Covid out- break. Some of the temporary changes have since been made permanent. But according to a councillor who has totted up the average additional carbon emissions incurred, there have been unintended consequences which have led to those who need to still drive through Exeter adding huge numbers of miles to their journeys. Speaking at a meeting of the Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC), Cllr Peter Holland acknowl- edged the schemes had helped cyclists and improved the areas for residents. But he said: “The Royal Mail use telemetry on all of their vehicles and taking just one van which serves Ludwell Lane, one of the schemes, it has measured an additional 20 miles a week to the eight delivery points at the bottom of the lane. “This grosses up to 1,040 additional miles per year. According to govern- ment figures and depending on the type of fuel and the size of vehicle and engine, this one journey over the course of a year generates 83.3kg of carbon emissions. “The taxi trade has, as of 29 September, 482 vehicles – each recording on average ten additional miles a day to navigate the road changes on behalf of their customers. “Working on a five day week and a 48- week year – some actually do more – this grosses up to over a million miles a year. The figure for carbon emissions in kilograms is phenomenal. “The taxi trade is but one sector which uses our roads. I class them as an
DECEMBER 2021
essential service. Much of their bread and butter activity during the day is to carry vulnerable people. None of these people can hop on a bike or walk. Public transport is patchy to say the least and not hugely reliable.” Cllr Holland added that roads outside of the schemes are seeing increased traffic volumes and therefore poorer air quality, affecting residents’ qualities of life, while also leading to longer commutes for health workers. “The schemes are well received by some, but I fear that Devon County Council has alienated a section of the wider commu- nity,” he said, with him requesting the committee ensured all stakeholders, including the taxi trade, are formally consulted on future road changes. The HATOC was also asked to pause fur- ther schemes until a “lack of meaningful
consultation,” congestion and air quality has been addressed, and that residents are able to choose ‘no action to be taken’ as an option on consultations. In response, Will Pratt, the council’s lead for transport, strategy and infras- tructure delivery in Exeter, said: “In relation to air quality, I think it is right there is a level of scrutiny of this, and when we have air quality data, which is published annually, we will be able to provide more information on that.” After Cllr Holland claimed the taxi trade hadn’t been consulted on the active travel changes, Mr Pratt said the hackney carriage association had been spoken to about the one-way setup on Queen Street and that all permanent changes are subject to ‘traffic regula- tion orders’ to which the organisation is able to respond.
CABBIE SLAMS GATESHEAD ROAD CLOSURE SAYING IT CAUSES “MAYHEM”
A taxi driver has slammed the closure of a Gateshead road to motorists which is causing traffic “mayhem” in the town. ChronicleLive reports that the changes, introduced in summer last year, have seen a bus only lane introduced on Askew Road and the introduction of a parallel cycle lane.
Stuart Anderson, a taxi driver from Newcastle, has said the changes have caused journey times in the borough to soar. He has now called for Gateshead Council to open the road to taxi drivers. “I don’t understand why they closed Askew Road to taxi drivers,” Mr Anderson said. “On Saturday it took me 29 minutes to get from Bensham to the Tyne Bridge. The traffic at the [civic centre] roundabout causes mayhem.” Mr Anderson raised fears that passen- gers spending longer in taxis because of traffic queues puts drivers at height-
ened risk of contracting coronavirus. He continued: “I’m worried about Covid. Some of the customers are coughing and you’re sitting there for 25 minutes. I try and keep a gap in the window but I get complaints about the cold.” Mr Anderson says the situation has got so bad he avoids fares to Gateshead. He added: “I would rather not go there knowing what it’s like. If the fare is for Gateshead at tea time its not worth it. Why would I want to battle through town to go to Bensham? “Taxi drivers get the short end of the stick, we’re a public service and we can’t get out of Gateshead.” Marc Morley, service director for high- ways at the council, said: “If we allowed taxis or other vehicles to use the A184 bus lane, we would need to stop the A167 traffic more frequently, which would cause worse congestion.”
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