Taxi Driver Online

Rethink over city taxi rank plan

Taxi bosses have gone back to the drawing board to solve Preston's rank headaches.

Plans are being pulled together for three new city centre black cab ranks following months of delays.

Town Hall bosses wanted to provide space for cabbies in Charnley Street, Lancaster Road and Lune Street but faced objections.

Drivers want the proposed Lune Street rank to be in Fleet Street instead, to serve drinkers using late-night bars in the area. It would be available for taxis between 11.30pm and 6am.

And highways chiefs at Lancashire County Council objected to the Charnley Street rank due to the loss of public parking spaces.

Instead, daytime rank space could be provided on the opposite side of Fishergate in Theatre Street, with room for seven cabs.

Cabbies have often bemoaned a lack of daytime rank space as waiting areas are only currently provided in Lancaster Road, Church Street, Tithebarn Street and at the railway station.

Mark Selley, secretary of the Preston Hackney Carriage Association, said: "We think it's scandalous that the county council should object to the one on Charnley Street.

"The rank is ideal because there's one way in and one way out and it would serve as a feeder rank to the railway station.

"From a practical point of view, Theatre Street is a dead-end street so it's going to be difficult for vehicles to turn round and then exit into a bus lane."

He said drivers would like to see the 7pm to 8am rank in Friargate made available all day.

Mike Thorpe, head of licensing at Preston Council, said members of the taxi sub-committee would probably make a decision on the three locations in February.

He said: "We met the county council to discuss the provision of ranks in Preston and the lack of daytime provision. There's been pressure to find somewhere else in that part of the city (Charnley Street area)."

Earlier this year a temporary taxi rank was set up in Corporation Street, but it will be lost again when building work on a new hotel starts next year.

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