ALL THINGS LICENSING
Article by Mike Smith, Senior Specialist for Licensing and Community Safety at Guildford Borough Council and Vice-Chair of the Institute of Licensing South East Region.
Please note that this article represents my own views which are not presented as the views of the IoL or Guildford Borough Council.
HACKNEY CARRIAGE STANDS
In this month’s article I wanted to explore the issue of, and issues arising at, taxi ranks or ‘hackney carriage stands’ as they are known in legislation. This follows a recent Saturday night in Guildford during the rail strikes, with the railway station subsequently being closed and the rank being resultantly quiet, with drivers who would normally ply for hire at the railway station heading into town.
Guildford has nearly 50 rank spaces throughout the town centre which operate during varying hours, plus an additional 13 spaces at both of the railway stations. As such, there should be plenty of space for the number of taxis licensed. However, some ranks are more popular than others and when the station was closed this caused additional demand at the principle and most popular rank in the town centre resulting in this rank becoming congested, with vehicles wishing to wait on the rank backing up onto the main carriageway and interfering with the traffic flow.
RANK RATIONALE
Taxi ranks are a vital part of the nation’s transport network. Ranks are a common feature in many towns and cities and provide a location where licensed taxis can legally park to wait for a customer who wishes to use a taxi, rather than have to drive around busy streets waiting to be hailed.
Similarly having well defined and managed rank locations improves public safety through
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allowing customers to easily obtain a licensed taxi and reduces the risks associated with touting and inconvenience
to customers searching the streets for a service.
Having limited rank arrangements may subsequently create
unmanaged, informal
arrangements at popular locations, which cause congestion and disorder placing an additional burden on the emergency increasing the risk of touting.
services and
Also, there are frequent public disorder issues caused by
customers congregating in one
location competing for a taxi after a night out which places an additional strain on the police who wish for customers heading home after a night out to disperse quickly. There is therefore a clear case for increasing provision in areas close to the premises popular with the night-time economy as this should reduce some disorder issues and reduce the problem of vehicles waiting in a disorderly manner in other popular locations causing disruption.
Taxi ranks are also the subject of complaints from members of the trade themselves, either due to lack of spaces, other vehicles using them as convenient parking, or other issues such as ‘rank etiquette’.
RANK REGULATION
Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976
A local authority can adopt areas on streets or private land as taxi ranks for either continual or part-time use under section 63 of the LGMPA 1976.
The creation of a taxi rank is not a straightforward process; the local authority must obtain the permission of the Highways Authority, give notice to the police and any other interested parties, such as landowners, publish a public advertisement in a local paper and take into account any objections or representations received within 28 days of publication, before a rank is appointed.
FEBRUARY 2023 PHTM
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