...COUNCILS YORK:


MOVE TO STUDY TAXI EMISSIONS IN YORK


The impact of York’s taxis on pollution and air quality in the city could be about to come under the spotlight. A City of York Council task group was to decide whether to launch an analysis of their emissions.


It could also consider how much greener York’s taxis would be if some of the cars were replaced with more environmentally frien- dly alternatives, al- though the time it would take to com-


plete such a study may be a stumbling block. The issue was to be considered by the council’s taxi licensing review task group, which is also looking at issues such as whether York has enough taxis and ranks, following a request by Conserva- tive group leader Ian Gillies for existing poli- cies to come under fresh scrutiny.


A report by scrutiny offi- cers stated: “Every- body needs to play their part; those who


OXFORD: TAXIS MAY HAVE ID NUMBERS ON THEIR ROOFS


Taxis in Oxford could have large numbers stuck on their roofs so they can be seen by police and CCTV oper- ators. Police officers said taxis were occasional- ly used by criminals and large numbers on the roofs would make them easier to track down in a chase. They pitched the idea at a meeting with rep- resentatives from the city taxi trade last month, but were met with a mixed reaction. If it goes ahead, police believe they could be the first force in the country to pioneer the idea. lan Woodward, secre- tary of the City of Oxford Licensed Taxi Cab Association, said: “Drivers were con- cerned that paintwork might start to deterio- rate and were concerned it would devalue their cars. “There needs to be some more investiga- tion done into the type of material that’s going to be used.” Mr Woodward said drivers were also con- cerned if numbers went missing or peeled off police might trace the wrong car by mistake.


MARCH 2011 PHTM


Det Sgt John Linsdell came up with the idea, and Oxford City Coun- cil is looking to take it forward in conjunction with local taxi compa- nies. The numbers could cost as little as £12, he said.


Det Sgt Linsdell told the Oxford Mail: “We would like to do it with the co-operation of the trade and with the sup- port of our partners. I have taken the idea to the trade and asked them to consider the issues. “Personally, I think it would be a good idea. The police helicopter and CCTV services would be able to see the vehicles clearly.” Det Sgt Linsdell said at the moment it could take time to trace the car a suspect got into, but being able to iden- tify the vehicle immediately would increase chances of the crime being solved. He also said CCTV in the city did not always pick up number plate details.


Julian Alison, Oxford City Council’s licens- ing team leader, said: “Oxford City Council’s licensing team is working with the police and local taxi


companies to look at taking this forward. “We are interested in assisting any initiative that will help make Oxford a safer place to visit, work and live in.” Mmmm… Yes, there is mixed emotion about this one. Perhaps Oxford may be the wrong locality to pio- neer the numbers- on-roofs scheme, purely because Oxford is one of the 59 councils that already allow private hire vehicles down their bus lanes, along with the hackney carriages. They have signage that makes this clear, and we have heard of no diffi- culties with identifying the PHVs. However, there are other localities whose police force says that allowing PHVs down bus lanes will cause an identification problem. Enter the roof number scheme! But we digress… Why would the entire taxi trade in Oxford have to be penalised – if indeed they feel they were being penalised – by having numbers stuck on their roofs, just to identify the odd get- away vehicle in a chase?! Sledgeham- mers? Nuts? Just checking… - Ed.


contribute more to the problem, such as buses and taxis, should be expected to do more to provide the solution. “To undertake a detailed study of taxi emissions in York, officers would ideally need to know, as a minimum, vehicles’ ages and fuel types and have an estimation of mileage over a set peri- od. Unfortunately, very little information is cur- rently held electron- ically about hackney carriages and PHVs in York.”


SOUTH NORTHANTS: TOUGH NEW RULES COULD COME IN


Tough new restrictions on people who want to become cab drivers in the south of the county could soon be imple- mented by officials at South Northampton- shire Council.


Experts from the authority have sug- gested that new rules should be brought in meaning people who want to become either officially registered taxi or private hire driv- ers in the area would not be accepted if they had too many points on their licence. At the moment, the council does not usu- ally give licences to people if they have


eight or more points on their licence. But the authority has said the maximum number of points allowed on a driver’s licence should now be reduced to six, to help protect public safety.


In a report which was considered by mem- bers of the council’s cabinet on Monday, February 14, the coun- cil’s environmental health manager, Jack- ie Fitzsimons, said the council’s licensing committee believed the move should be carried out to improve the safety of people travelling in cabs. She told the


Northampton Chroni- cle and Echo: “The fundamental aim of the licensing team is to ensure public safe- ty, by ensuring that the public who use taxis and private hire vehi- cles are protected from harm.”


Members of South Northamptonshire Council’s cabinet were to decide on the change in their licens- ing policies at their next meeting.


If they agree to make the change, the authority has said it will inform taxi and pri- vate hire drivers during a meeting of the area’s taxi forum on April 5.


BRACKNELL FOREST: PRIVATE HIRE RULES LEFT AS THEY ARE


Taxi drivers reacted angrily to a council decision not to force PHVs to differentiate themselves from hack- ney carriages with “no booking, no ride” signs. Hackney carriage driv- ers say the ruling will damage trade and could end in tragedy, but councillors at a heated meeting last month decided there was no reason for new rules.


The Bracknell Licensed Taxi Forum (BLTF) says PHVs are plying for trade around the bor- ough and particularly at the rank by the bus sta- tion in the town centre. It also says the situa- tion, caused by a minority of private hire drivers, is dangerous because passengers who have not booked a private hire are unin- sured.


Speaking at the meet- ing of Bracknell Forest’s licensing and safety committee last month, BLTF spokes- man John Yexley said: “We are in full support of PHVs with a sign on them saying ‘no book-


ing, no ride’ and to make that compulsory. “Our main objective is the safety of the pub- lic. The majority of the private hire drivers are honest and work to the rules. It’s just a minor- ity that don’t and we all know who they are. “I don’t know if this committee is aware that if a private hire driver picks up a fare without a booking then they are uninsured.” The committee, chaired by Cllr Marc Brunel- Walker, decided against the proposal.


Committee member Cllr Ian Leake said: “I come from the side of the fence that believes we should keep things as simple as possible. At this moment there doesn’t seem to be a problem.


“I heard what the speaker said. There was a comment about it being a small minority who allegedly engage in this practice and that they are well known. “If that’s the case, report them. I don’t think we should put the vast majority of pri-


vate hire drivers to the distress and expense of putting a sign on their cars.”


The other councillors on the panel voted in favour of Cllr Leake’s proposal not to intro- duce the rule, prompting shouts from taxi drivers at the back of the council chamber. Speaking after the hearing, John Yexley told the Bracknell and Forest Standard: “This council has the responsibility to care for their voters and their taxi drivers and they’re not bothered. “One day there will be an accident involving an uninsured PHV and they will have done nothing to prevent it.” Mmmm...Thank you, Bracknell Forest, for your reasonable ap- proach in considering vehicle owners. We refer everyone to the Telford and Solihull cases, which uphold that whilst the driver who is illegally plying for hire is uninsured and can be so prosecuted, third party risks are always covered. - Ed.


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