74 PRIVATEHIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
MAY 2009 MENTIONING.. PETERBOROUGH RECRUITS MARSHALS TO ASSIST CLUBBERS
Orange-clad taxi mar- shals are the latest recruits tomake life safer for women enjoying a night out in Peterbor- ough city centre. The link-up between Peterborough city cen- tre nightclubs in the New Road complex and taxi firm Betta Cars is thought to be the first of its kind in the city, and has been praised by a charity and police. The aim is to encourage revellers,
particularly
womenand teenagers,to plan their night ahead and help them get home safely. Marshals inside the ven- ues’ shared reception, which has a taxi office, will accompany them to a vehicle outside. There will also be logos flashed up on the night- clubs’ walls toward s closing time to remind revellers to think about how they will be getting home.
The hope is that alco- hol-fuelled disorder will also be cut, as it will stop clubbers hanging around for long periods as they wait for a taxi. A spokeswoman for national personal safe- ty charity the Suzy Lamplugh Trust wel- comed the initiative. She told the Peterbor- ough
Evening
Telegraph: “This scheme means women avoid walking to a minicab office. They may often be alone and worse for wear through drink. “It also ensures they are getting in a licensed cab. We praise clubs and bars that are arranging this.” She
added that
schemes could go even further by recording who was getting into each cab. A police spokeswoman said: “We support the idea and commend these local businesses
for taking steps to pro- vide their customers with a safe service.” A spokesman for Peter- borough City Council said it supported any safety initiati ve that ensured the well-being of people leaving a club or bar safely, as long as it was carried out law- fully. Managing director of all four clubs Geraldine Young said a similar scheme in Ipswich fol- lowing the murders of five women had proved a success and had prompted the Peterbor- ough initiative. She said: “It’s about encouraging
cus-
tomers to think about the entirety of their night.” Director of Betta Cars Mohammed
Shabir
said: “It’s a great idea for customers, espe- cially females, so they can get home safely at the end of the night.”
TAXI MARSHAL FUNDING CLEARED IN EARLSDON
Earlsdon councillors have welcomed funding for three taxi marshals on Earlsdon Street from April 3 for a year. Marshals were intro- duced over Christmas and New Year following the implementation of an experimental taxi
rank in the area. Ward councillor Allan Andrews told the Coven- try Telegraph: “This funding is paramount to the evening economy in Earlsdon, ensuring that taxis that operate in the area on a weekend are managed in a safe way.”
Taxi ranks were intro- duced after complaints about late-night noise and safety problems. Fellow ward councillor Cllr Ken Taylor said: “It is vital that people who visit the area at week- ends have a means of returning home safely.”
NORWICH MARSHALS GIVEN 15K FUNDING BOOST
The city’s late night taxi- marshalling scheme has proved such a suc- cess that it has been handed a cash boost which will keep it run- ning for the next year. After a successful bid to the Home Office £15,000 has been allo- cated which will keep the project running for the next 12 months. The scheme, introduced by the Safer Norwich Partnership with the sup- port of the city council and Norfolk Constabu- lary, came into effect last October on a six month trial basis. Since then around 6,000 taxis have
been dispatched, provid- ing around 15,000people with a safe passage home. Bert Bremner, executive member of Norwich City Council for community safety and community cohesion, told the Nor- wich Evening News: “The news about fund- ing is a real boost for the city. It means that every weekend people can go out and enjoy themselves knowing that the marshals are there to help get them home safely.” Money for the scheme will pay for fivemarshals tomanage the Tombland
basedtaxi rank everyFri- day and Saturday night from 10pm to 3am, and for two of the marshals to patrol the streets from 5pm to 10pm to ensure the taxi rank is clear of privately owned cars. Norfolk police’s Inspec- tor Mike Austen, who helped to secure the funding, said: “We can see the value of this scheme in helping to reduce crime and anti- social
behaviour
around taxi ranks.” In the past few months it has also been sug- gested a second rank could be a possibility in the riverside area.
SEE US ON STAND 34
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140
