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PROTEST PLIGHT


AS IF THINGS WEREN’T TOUGH ENOUGH… Reports have come in from all over the country since last month’s PHTM went out, about the growing numbers of modifications (polite version) to existing rank space layouts and road layouts being attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. In such cities as Derby, Glasgow, Leicester, Hull and Milton Keynes, the number of rank spaces in these cities has been reduced to make way for the laying-out of new cycle lanes. We’ve heard reports of demonstrations once again in London over road closures to taxis. And you’ll see in this feature the latest council plan to reduce Durham city centre taxi ranks by a third due to concerns over social distancing. At the last hour of press deadline we heard that the trade in Durham have achieved a result; they’ve got their ranks back. MESSAGE: it’s worth having a go. Hopefully the same will happen in Cambridge; read on below. OVERALL MESSAGE:Why should the provisions of our industry be steam- rollered out of the way in favour of access for other forms of transport?! ONCE AGAIN, THE FORGOTTEN INDUSTRY!!


SOCIAL DISTANCING REASON FOR RANK SPACE SACRIFICE IN DURHAM


In Durham, a third of the main


rank


spaces in the city centre were blocked off by Durham County Council. The reason given to the trade by council offi- cers was “social distancing”. PHTM spoke with the chair of the Durham Licensed Taxi Association, Mike Anderson, fol- lowing a protest staged by their members on Mon- day 22 June. Mike told us: “While the majority of the pop- ulation were able to work from home or just stay at home with some pay, taxi drivers who fell through the cracks in the systems the government set up to keep people afloat had to work, regardless of the risks. “Between March the 10th and June the 15th from figures supplied from Dur- ham County Council licensing depart- ment, County Dur-


50


ham has lost 45 HCs, 13 HC drivers, 12 joint badge drivers, 11 PH drivers, 11 PHVs, and 6 PH operators. We won’t know the true figure until March 23rd 2021 at the ear- liest as some people won’t have surren- dered their badges and those who renewed


lockdown will


before let


their badges contin- ue hoping to get back into work. “In Durham City there are only 15 daytime


Taxis gather at County Hall


means a climb up the many steep banks


rank


spaces; ten of them are on North Road, the main street in Durham. All through the lockdown, des- pite the two-metre social distancing rule, the ranks were open and the main shops were open, everything worked well and there were no problems about social distancing. The disabled and the elderly who rely on those shops and the taxi trade to get them home to the door with their shopping, many of them live less than half a mile from North Road, but the only route home


around


Durham City. “When the Prime Minister announced the opening of non- essential shops on Monday the 15th there was a glimmer of hope that drivers could start


to


rebuild their lives, but


the Friday


before the shops opened we were informed


that


Durham County Council had enacted a “Temporary Prohi- bition of Loading/ Unloading, Stopping and Waiting Order 2020”, three days earlier to start on the Monday – which closed down the rank spaces on North Road. “Once again any chance of


taxi


drivers making a liv- ing was wiped out without a second thought, all to solve a problem that didn’t exist as noth- ing in Durham City was any different to the way it was dur- ing the three months of lockdown. “Following a first impromptu protest on the 18th of June, emails from the Durham Licensed Taxi Association, interviews on BBC Radio Tees broad- cast on Friday the 19th of June, and some interest from Tyne Tees television, Durham County Council released a press statement at teatime on the 19th of June stating that after a review of the order, half of the rank at the Millburn-


gate part of North Road would be opened from 6pm that day. “On Monday the 22nd of June a more organised protest was planned: at nine that morning the Millburngate part of the rank was sud- denly closed off again. Durham Coun- ty Council said that the closure was down to a ‘break- down in communi- cation’. The rank was opened again at five that afternoon.” On Friday 3 July Dave Lewin, Section Manager, Strategic Traffic Management at Durham County Council, contacted Mike Anderson with this result: “Over the past few weeks we have put measures in place to support social dis- tancing as part of the opening of our centres, with a com- mitment that these measures will be continually


viewed… I


pleased to advise that, following the review, we removed the cones and bay suspension in North Road which means


the use of these bays returns to nor- mal


conditions.


These measures will be


kept under


review as more shops open which will give time to dis- cuss with local members and con- sider appropriate measures. “If you want to look at measures across the County then contact Durham County


Council


Strategic Traffic. If you have any con- cerns about


the


changes or if you are concerned about social distancing in your area then please contact us at StrategicTraffic@dur ham.gov.uk” This is a perfect


example of a posi- tive result from an organised


and


civilised protest on the part of the trade. It would appear that more of


these


re- am


protests are going to be necessary in other parts of the UK over the next few weeks, as the relax- ation


of the


lockdown and the Government’s post- Covid plans are put into place.


JULY 2020


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