CAPITAL NEWS
LONDON MAYOR URGED TO BAN OVER TEN-YEAR-OLD TAXIS
Three central London councils are urging the Mayor to ban taxis over ten years old in a bid to reduce pollution and improve air quali- ty. The call for action over old taxis comes as part of a wide-ranging letter to the Mayor call- ing for him to take more action over poor air quality in the capi- tal including measures to improve the per- formance of buses. In a letter jointly sent by the leaders of Camden Council, City of Westminster and City of London, the three authorities have called on the Mayor, Boris Johnson,
to
review the current 15- year age limit black
cabs for and
reduce it to ten years. The letter calls for funding or grants to be offered to taxi driv- ers to help them upgrade their taxis. A spokesman for Camden said that
pollution from taxi exhausts “accounts for 20 per cent of the tiny, yet dangerous particles from vehicle sources in the air in the Borough of Cam- den. These particles, known as particulate matter, can cause serious health prob- lems as they can travel deep into the lungs and cause inflammation, which can lead to respirato- ry
and
vascular diseases.” Councillor
cardio- Phil
Jones, Cabinet mem- ber for sustainability, Camden Council, told Air Quality News: “We urge the Mayor of London to take decisive action to ban taxis over the age of ten years old and protect air quali- ty in Central London. “In order to do this, we need to focus on the worst polluters and our evidence suggests that black cabs account for a
significant concentra- tion of dangerous particles from vehicle sources in the air in Camden. If the Mayor and TfL are serious about improving air quality they should be offering incentives and assistance to London cab drivers to help them reduce pollution while keep- ing
the capital
moving.” The three authorities are also urging the Mayor to reduce emis- sions from buses and to improve the per- formance of the Low Emissions Zone in order to further reduce the risks of air pollu- tion to residents’ health in Central Lon- don. In their
letter the
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three boroughs state: “We are writing as leaders of Camden and the City of West- minster, and Chair- man of the Policy and Resources Commit- tee at the City of London Corporation, because poor air quality is one of the most pressing envi- ronmental and health issues facing Central London. A study you commissioned attrib- uted over
4,000
premature deaths to it in London in 2008. Poor air quality also has significant eco- nomic effects e.g. through exacerbating sick absence due to respiratory and other diseases. It is a major concern for our resi- dents and workers.” They continue: “We support your Air Qual- ity
strategy, but
further action needs to be taken urgently. Members and officers from our authorities have started to work with the GLA and TfL to this end. We met recently with them and outlined what needs to be done.”
OLYMPIC SPY CAM TO SNARE NON-VIP VEHICLES
Drivers straying into VIP car lanes during the Olympics will be snared by hidden cameras and immedi- ately fined £130. And
campaigners
have lashed out at the secret £500,000 net- work which reads registration plates. The Olympic cars have exclusive access to the 109-mile con- gestion-free
lanes
linking posh hotels with venues. The cams will be placed on the 30-mile central London stretch to catch intruders and automatically fire off fines. But Steve McNamara, chief of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Associa- tion, told the Sun on Sunday:
“We’re
going to end up with chaos.”
And civil liberties cam- paigner Nick Pickles, of Big Brother Watch, said: “It will be a disas- ter if
legacy is the kind of state
the Olympic surveillance
you’d expect in a sci-fi movie.” But operating officer Garrett Emmerson said: “Games lanes will ensure we get ath- letes and officials to events on time.”
HAIL A PANDA CAB AND IT MAY BE A FREE OLYMPIC RIDE
London cabbies are giving free rides dur- ing the Olympics in black taxis painted with pictures of giant pandas to help save the
endangered
species. The 50 “panda taxis” carry black and white stripes and cartoon images of the animal. A total of 1,600 free trips will be on offer during the Olympic and
Paralympic
Games, with the cost of the fares picked up by the Chinese city of Chengdu. The
initiative is
designed to raise awareness of the fact that only about 1,600
Photo courtesy of Tim Stewart News
pandas remain in the wild worldwide. Pas- sengers hailing the panda taxis will not know if
they have
scooped a free ride until the end of their journey. Chengdu spokesman
Yan Chen told the Evening Standard: “With only 1,600 giant pandas left
in the
world, it is vital that we continue to work together to protect such an amazing ani- mal.”
TFL ONLINE TOUTING REPORTING TOOL
Taxi and private hire drivers are reminded that they can report suspected
touting
activity directly to TfL at the following web address
www.tfl.gov. uk/cabenforcement. Information and intelli- gence
gathered
through the online reporting tool enables the TfL Taxi and Pri- vate Hire Compliance team to strategically manage deployment and target those areas that are of the greatest
risk to public safety. The Metropolitan and City of London Police deployment also takes into account reports received through this tool to conduct intelli- gence-led operations. Helen
has recently been a sig- nificant drop in the number of
reports Chapman,
Deputy Director of Lon- don Taxi and Private Hire, said: “Touting is one of the key issues raised by the trade and this online tool is the best way to provide us with information about illegal activity. There
received for touting offences through this reporting tool, and I would urge people to resume reporting sus- pected offences directly to us.” Enforcement
including arrest figures and licence revoca- tions, are also available to view to show what is being done and to serve as a warning to drivers who operate illegally.
PHTM JULY 2012
results,
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