Call for action over cab engines left idling
Fumes: Black cabs queuing in the ranks in Preston city centre. Many drivers leave their engines switched on
A taxi driver is calling for action to be taken over drivers leaving their engines running whilst in the rank.
Hackney carriage driver Michael Apicella believes a blanket ban should be introduced throughout the summer months to stop cab drivers leaving their engines idling.
Mr Apicella who has been a driver in the city for nearly a decade and is hugely concerned about the impacts of the carbon monoxide coming from the cabs in the rank.
He is worried about the impact on the health of the drivers parked behind the cabs that leave their engines on, the public and the environment.
Mr Apicella said: “This has been an issue for me for a long time.
“I have got an uncle who works in Glasgow as a hackney carriage driver and there is a complete ban on leaving engines idling.
“In the summer on a Saturday night if the ranks moving quickly and you don’t want to switch the engine off I can understand that.
“But on a Monday afternoon or a Friday night when the ranks aren’t moving then it is different.”
The cab driver wants Preston Council to take action. At the moment the council issues guidance on idling, but said they would consider a ban, if they were asked.
Mr Apicella added: “It must be against health and safety it has got to be.
“If I can stop one person getting health issues then it has made a difference.
“I really do think in this day and age [it should be changed].
“It is down to awareness.”
The council’s taxi policy currently states: “Emissions from licensed vehicles could be reduced further by encouraging better maintenance of vehicles and by switching off engines when stationary or idling, particularly at ranks. It is, however, proposed that this aspect be tackled through education and promotion.”
A spokesman for the council said: “As you can see the policy promotes the switching off of engines when ranking but does not make it a licence condition nor is it included in the hackney carriage byelaws so we do not enforce this practice.
“As for blanket ban, the council have not been asked to consider this, but would do so if the request came from the Hackney Carriage Drivers Association.”
source: http://www.lep.co.uk/news/traffic-and-t ... -1-5592170
. Well we all know that they could not give a stuff about us, so I think that you/I should follow your instincts, just as you do as a cabbie..............If it does not seem right - then it probably isn't.
