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Speeding Norwich cabbie loses taxi licence
A speeding cab driver who has lost his taxi licence blamed his customers and his bosses for asking him to drive faster. Stephen Allen, 47, of Norwich Road in Mulbarton, appeared yesterday before Norwich Magistrates Court to appeal against a city council decision not to renew his taxi driving licence after he racked up 14 points on his driving licence as a result of various speeding offences.
Although drivers are automatically disqualified when a total of 12 or more points is received, Mr Allen was allowed to keep his driving licence by a court in Ipswich because of his pleas of exceptional hardship.
But magistrates dismissed his appeal against Norwich City Council's decision not to renew his taxi driving licence after hearing how he had deliberately driven over the speed limit because of pressure from his customers and the companies he worked for.
Mr Allen said that the last of the seven speeding incidents, which had happened in February this year in Mildenhall, had been an “obvious mistake”, but added: “All the others I was flippant, I was pushing my luck, yes that's it - pushing the boundaries. But this particular one was just a mistake.”
However, he said that now he knew he was “on a knife edge” and that he could not afford to speed again because otherwise he would lose his licence. He admitted to having driven at 45mph in the 30mph limits on both Aylsham Road and Earlham Road, and said he once sped on Koblenz Avenue in the city because he felt threatened by his customers.
He said: “I had two passengers in my car who were obviously drug addicts - you never know who you are going to pick up - and I found it quite threatening.
“There's no way it excuses my behaviour but I wanted to get the job over and done with. I thought I would speed to get rid of them, in all honesty. But I'm trying my best to be a better driver.”
The 47-year-old, who is separated from his wife, told the magistrates that he would lose his job and be unable to pay his mortgage if he could not get his taxi driving licence renewed.
David Foulkes, representing Mr Allen, said: “The court may take the view that there has been a significant decrease in his rate of offending. Since February he has had to ensure he drives within the law.
“He is a full-time taxi driver who drives 80,000 miles a year, and it is his only form of income. That doesn't excuse his speeding convictions, but he knows he has a responsibility to other road users and passengers.”
But Yvonne Blake, on behalf of Norwich City Council, said personal circumstances were irrelevant in a case like this and that the council needed to ensure members of the public in Norwich using taxis were driven by people who were “fit and proper” to drive people safely. She added: “He has seven convictions in six years, all for speeding.”
Although Mr Allen said that he had only had passengers in his car on two of the occasions, chair of the bench Helen Copperthwaite dismissed his appeal and said she found the city council's actions had been “reasonable” because of his “prolific” speeding and the fact that the majority of the offences had taken place on residential and city centre streets. He was ordered to pay the city council £250 in costs.
A spokeswoman for Norwich City Council said: “We're really pleased that, in this instance, the court decided to uphold the decision of the city council's regulatory committee to revoke a taxi licence.
“One of our aims as a licensing authority is to try and make sure that any individuals who work as private hire taxi drivers in the city are fit and proper to carry out their duties.”
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