Taxi Driver Online

56 fines handed out but taxi drivers still ignore Nottingham Station ban

Taxi drivers are ignoring a ban on waiting outside Nottingham Station – despite 56 fines being dished out in a council crackdown.

Cabbies are playing a cat-and-mouse game with wardens who visit the site daily, with dozens queuing on both sides of the street at peak times, blocking the route for buses.

Nottingham City Council says Carrington Street has become an "unofficial taxi rank" and launched action with CCTV cameras and traffic wardens in July. Now commuters want more to be issued because they feel the message is not getting through.

The council said traffic wardens were visiting the site every day but is now looking at increasing their hours to continue the enforcement into the evenings.

Nathan Waterstone travels from his Easthorpe Street home in Ruddington to the city every day.

The 27-year-old shop worker said: "I can't actually see any improvement with the taxis stopping outside the station.

"Late in the evening you have them parking up on both sides of the road and it blocks the buses.

"It's good that some people have been fined already but the taxi drivers aren't listening and the council should be fining every driver."

And Rob McCandless, 51 of Ruddington Lane, Wilford, added: "It's an issue that needs fixing because it's rife. The problem is people think that's where you get taxis from now so if they change people will get confused."

An official taxi rank runs along Station Street.

Taxi driver Gian Purwaha, 68, of Wollaton, who uses the official rank, condemned those breaking the rules.

He said: "It's not fair to those who are queuing properly. The council should be prosecuting people. More should be done about it.

"I would never be tempted to do something like that. We're a community of drivers that relies on fairness."

While the council could not reveal how many of the 56 tickets were handed to taxis, traffic wardens said the "vast majority" were given to hackney carriages.

The authority also plans to extend the rank further along Station Street – to take up around three quarters of the length of the road – when work to shut the junction with Carrington Street is finished.

Jamil Ahmed, chairman of Nottingham Licensed Taxi Owners' and Drivers' Association, was not available for comment but has previously said: "Some taxis unfortunately take advantage when there is a weakness in the system."

Pete Mitchell, head of licensing, permits and regulations at the council, was "very pleased" with the early stages of the enforcement.

He added: "We had a combination of an ANPR camera outside the train station, and officers on the ground who were initially instructed to talk with taxi drivers parked illegally and move them on, rather than issuing them with tickets.

"They have been making daily visits to the area and have provided a strong visual deterrent. Aside from the odd taxi, the vast majority of drivers have been very receptive.

"However, in the middle of August we encountered a major problem with the camera during a routine software upgrade which took six weeks to remedy. That camera is now operational again and has been turned on this week."

The council would be looking at increasing the number of hours the camera is manned.


Read more: http://www.nottinghampost.com/They-re-a ... z3EXAU2yAn

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Cameras cannot be used for parking enforcement where it is possible to use Civil Enforcement Officers. See Pepipoo for details.

If they're causing an obstruction like they are doing and effecting the flow of commerce like they are doing a camera can be used.

I've dropped off there a few times in the last week and they're parking like turbomongs, they won't shift so busses and other traffic can get round they just sit there on single yellows obstructing everything.

Keep fining them.