Taxi Driver Online

https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/politics/blackpool-landau-driver-told-dont-use-mobile-phone-while-on-the-hoof-3569826

Blackpool landau driver told 'don't use mobile phone while on the hoof'
A Blackpool driver has been punished for using a mobile phone – while in control of a horse drawn vehicle.

The wrongdoer was at the reins of one of Blackpool’s famous Cinderella carriages when they were caught looking at their screen while driving passengers along the Promenade.

They claimed to have been checking the time for the next change-over of horses.

A council enforcement officer, who was on duty monitoring Blackpool’s landau fleet, spotted the transgression last October.

After being hauled before councillors for the offence, plus two other transgressions of not having the proper lights on and switching lanes suddenly at a junction, the driver had their licence suspended for four weeks.

The driver has not been named with the hearing held behind closed doors, but details of the offences emerged in the minutes of the council’s public protection sub-committee held on January 18.

Licensing enforcement officer Ryan Ratcliffe said on October 26 last year, the driver was seen using the wrong lane on the Promenade while approaching the junction with Chapel Street “causing vehicles to brake when cutting into the left lane to continue straight on”.

The minutes of the meeting add when a public protection officer approached the carriage, he saw the driver “was holding a mobile phone and looking at the screen whilst driving.”

Solicitor Allan Cobain, who represented the landau handler at the hearing, said his client “admitted having their mobile phone in their hand to look at the screen”.

However the minutes add the “sub-committee was informed that this was to briefly check the time due to an imminent changeover of horses and that it was not being used for calling or texting.”

A lack of familiarity with the vehicle was blamed for not having the side lights on although the Cinderella dome was lit up, while the failure to pull into the correct lane quickly enough had not caused other vehicles to brake sharply as claimed.

Members of the sub-committee said they were concerned passengers were being carried at the time of all three offences and the driver’s “actions had potentially caused public safety concerns.”

But they recognised the handler’s inexperience and remorse.

It was agreed to impose a four week suspension of the horse drawn hackney carriage driver’s licence, with a warning “that in the event of any future incidents the licence may be revoked.”

If the council stood at that junction for 1 day at a weekend they would wipe the landau fleet out in one go.

I would guess that they were caught heading North. At the Chapel St junction outside Central Pier there are 2 lanes. left hand lane straight on up the Prom towards the Tower and the right lane for turning down Chapel St. All the traffic queues up in the left hand lane and the landaus just go straight up the right hand lane and then cut into the now single lane heading North.

Before Christmas I did see a car driver refuse to let a landau cut in. By the time he did get let in (behind the car in question) the landau with the very irate driver was now through the junction on the wrong side of the road causing South bound traffic to move over.

Who in their right minds would get in one of those things in October in the Siberian weather of Blackpool?

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IDFIMH

That's what annoys me about a lot of that stuff - police and councils make it sound like it's the exception rather than the norm, and that they're riding to the rescue (excuse pun) in cases like this.

But the reality is that stuff like that is often widespread, but one transgressor is caught out and made an example of. While all the rest get off scot free, as do many doing a *lot* worse.

But not sure if they're genuine and really think it's the exception rather than widespread. Or if they're just in PR mode, effectively and they know the reality is a bit different, but they just can't say so.

One good example from here was when the smoking ban came in, and a year or two later the enforcement officers stated in the press that compliance was exceptionally good because they'd only handed out a handful of tickets (and that covered shops, pubs, works vehicles etc, and not just the trade).

But, in reality, some drivers here continued smoking like chimneys and, for example, I'd see drivers behind me smoking two or three cigarettes while getting from one end of the rank to the other (o a slow night, at least).

So the handful of transgressors highlighted by the council contrasted with the reality of maybe a million offences over the area, during the first few years at least.

But never really sure if the council really believed the official spiel, or if it just suited them for PR purposes.

And, of course, it might well be that enforcement officers were aware of the reality, but councillors in a committee meeting weren't, but it suited the purposes of the enforcement officers to hide the reality and made life a lot easier for them.

There was quite a funny story here in Chester years ago when the smoking ban came in. A driver received a call from an enforcement officer (licensing) that he had been seen smoking in his vehicle whilst waiting at traffic lights. The driver responded by telling the officer it was an E-cigarette. The officer replied it must have been a very realistic one because he flicked his ash out the window and it landed on the officers car sat next to him!
The driver received an official warning.