toots wrote:
charles007 wrote:
taxitone wrote:
as a result of last nights public protection committee meeting at thurrock council it was agreed by all councillors that rear loading wav are allowed to be licensed for private hire only, the rule for hackneys remains they have to be side loaders
why not as a Hackney, dose it not do the same job, ex for ranks what is the differens.
Possibly cos when you have another taxi up your ass how the hell are you suppoesed to load. Also there is always the danger that another vehicle will not spot what you are doing as it turns into the rank. These are just a couple of reasons not withstanding the possible injuries caused in an accident to the wheelchair users in some of these vehicles not specifically designed for use as taxis
A lot of it is propaganda put out by those who supply side loaders.
I normally just pull forward a few feet to load a wheelchair. The guy behind can see what I'm doing and stays where he is.
The safety aspect is just what you decide to make of it. Side loaders are safer? For who exactly? Both types have their drawbacks.
How many ranks have the pavement on the wrong side (most side loaders can only load from the nearside)
How many ranks have a pavement wide enough to accomodate the width of the ramps and enough space for the wheelchair and driver as well? And leave enough room for pedestrians to get past without forcing them onto the road?
How many of the side loaders have insufficent room to turn the wheelchair once it's aboard and strap it down properly?
If you were to ban these things on grounds of safety, you would need to ban them all.