RANK RUMBLINGS
THREE NEW TAXI RANKS IN PENRITH TOWN CENTRE
Three new taxi ranks in the centre of Penrith have been given the green light by Eden district councillors. According to the Lake District Herald, the new ranks, which will oper- ate from 8pm-3am, will be outside the NatWest Bank in Devonshire Street, at Market Square, between King Street and Grahams Lane junction, and
Middlegate, near Queen Street junction. More ranks were needed in Penrith as the town currently had only one at Sandgate serving the needs of 85 licensed taxis, Eden Council’s licens- ing committee recently heard.
Committee chairman Roy Fisher said it was a pity that the new ranks would not oper-
ate full-time, as they were also needed dur- ing the day.
United Utilities has offered to pay the £1,500 cost for the ranks as a goodwill gesture because of the disruption and inconvenience caused by utility works at the Sandgate rank.
Councillors agreed to review the three new ranks after six months.
TEMPORARY CHANGES TO LONDON BRIDGE STATION TAXI RANK
Work on a dramatic facelift of London Bridge bus station began at the end of last year. The next phase of the works is to remove the canopy roof. This work will be carried out over four weekend closures of the bus station in March, which in turn will close the taxi rank at the station.
During this time the rank will be temporarily
relocated to the rank on Duke Street Hill/Tooley Street (no 5471). This will be fed from the rank opposite More London in a bay on the south side of Tooley Street (no 5652). To assist travellers there will be increases in capacity at the exist- ing ranks in Duke Street Hill/Tooley Street which will be enlarged from one to three taxis. The sur-
rounding loading bay will be suspended dur- ing the weekend closures.
The rank opposite More London will be increased from four to ten taxis and the load- ing bay there will also be suspended. These steps will provide capacity for a total of thirteen cabs. Taxi marshals will be also be employed to help passengers.
CABBIES DON’T RATE HEMEL HEMPSTEAD RANK
The new rank in Hemel Hempstead’s Water- house Street opened last May, after furious cabbies threatened to block roads if nothing was done to ease over- crowding at the rank in nearby Marlowes. But drivers say it has not solved their prob- lems. “People don’t use it. There are no signs and nobody knows it is there,” taxi driver Andrew Jellis told the Berkhamsted and Tring Gazette.
Cabbies also com- plain that they cannot get to the new rank, as other vehicles park or stop illegally on the rank.
This means the busy Marlowes stop is still regularly double and sometimes triple parked with taxis. A two hour survey by Hemel Hempstead Taxi Association coun- ted 200 vehicles pass- ing through the no entry signs illegally. The association has called on Dacorum
Borough Council to tackle the overcrowd- ing problems. Tony Clarke, secretary of the group, said: “We need proper enforce- ment, to stop private vehicles blocking the roads, and we need more ranks through- out the town.
“If the council does not do something soon, taxi drivers will take action and block the streets.”
Mr Clarke added that “far too many” taxis are licensed by the council.
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NORTH SHIELDS DRIVERS’ FURY AS THEY’RE HIT BY REDEVELOPMENT WORK
A rank row has erupt- ed amid claims taxi drivers are being forced out by regener- ation plans.
North Shields Metro Station once had room for around 25 cabbies in an unofficial taxi rank. But that space vanished last month, to make way for builders who are demolishing the station in a £3m
redevelopment plan. Furious cab drivers say it has become impossible for them to work because they have only been left eight taxi rank spaces - created by North Tyneside Council - in two separate areas, in Nile Street and Rail- way Terrace.
The cabbies have now called upon the coun-
cil to take action. A North Tyneside Council spokesman told the Newcastle upon Tyne Evening Chronicle: “We will continue to explore locations for other taxi ranks in the area but we must balance this with the parking needs of shoppers and local business- es.”
KETTERING TOWN CENTRE IS “NIGHTMARE” ON THE WEEKEND
Kettering taxi drivers say pressure on limit- ed town centre bays is leading to disputes between cabbies. Heated arguments have broken out as taxi ranks, already limited by the construction work in Horsemarket, are blocked by mem- bers of the public. Kettering Taxi and Pri- vate Hire Association has called on Ketter- ing Council to take action to help its strug-
gling drivers.
Chairman Myra Blake told the Northampton- shire Evening Tele- graph: “It’s a complete nightmare along Silver Street when you drive up it at night.
“Everybody wants a taxi and they are get- ting into PHVs in the street. We are just being pushed aside by Kettering Council. Nobody is listening.” The taxi rank in Horse- market has been
removed while work is carried out. Short-term parking bays in nearby Silver Street were changed into seven taxi bays - one fewer than was in Horsemar- ket - and another is in Newland Street, but members of the public have continued to park in the spots, blocking them from taxis. When the work is fin- ished in March a further ten bays will be available.
RANK ROW COULD SPELL FINE FOR ABERDEEN DRIVERS
Taxi drivers in Aber- deen could face a fine of up to £1,000 for picking up passengers on side streets.
City council chiefs have raised concerns about cabbies ignor- ing new nighttime ranks on Union Street. The three ranks were introduced in 2009 because they have better lighting and are in more open areas. Now a report to the licensing committee by solicitor Paul Con- nolly has warned
drivers who avoid these ranks to pick up hires on side streets could be punished. He told the Aberdeen Evening Express: “The nighttime ranks were introduced to assist with public order and safety. Passengers can queue in greater safety as there are marshals keeping order. There is also good CCTV coverage.” Mr Connolly said police had raised concerns about taxi drivers con- tinuing to use ranks in
side streets, which are closed between mid- night and 5am at the weekend.
He said: “When taxi drivers use the closed ranks it causes friction between those drivers who use the nighttime ranks properly.” And he proposed: “A taxi driver picking up at a closed rank when the nighttime ranks are in operation would be committing an offence, punishable by a maximum fine of £1,000.”
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