Taxi Driver Online

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

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

They must have cheap diesel in preston if they can afford to leave it running all day/night.

or cabs that wont restart

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Gone are those days of a fecked alternator,leave it running.Cheaper to replace than your diesel bill !!

sad but true!

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

what a job worth to be bringing this up i supose it stop him sleep in car and mean he has to go home instead to sleep

I think to a degree he has a point! Having said that I think that they should start on the buses that are allowed to idle outside schools and City centers polluting the air massively.

I must admit I am a bit of a sad case wanting to be able to breath properly.

Having lost a friend recently, whose cause of death was linked to bird feathers, (he used to raise budgies), and he also at the time,liked to smoke . He had stopped smoking some years ago, but the damage is usually done well before we take action, as was in his case. Unfortunately the minute feather dust was probably inhaled along with cigarette smoke doing the real damage.........innocent little budgies - who would have thought.

The point being is that we do not know when damage is being done. The Mines and Steel works are classic places whereby you knew the dust/fumes were around but nobody thought twice about it, and we of course USED to tend to trust the Government and companies not to endanger us . 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.

The guy is probably right.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

By asking the council to tell them to stop their engines instead of getting out of his cab and asking them himself?

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Who says he hasn't asked the drivers but they've ignored his request.

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

so contact the papers - that's bound to help - especially the photo, which is on Preston's rail station and thereby private land

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I just suggested he may have asked the drivers ffs. Perhaps they should all start buying vehicles that switch themselves off when idle........ but of course they can't can they

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

One would have thought he would have better things to moan about.

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IDFIMH

Shouldn't be concerned as there is ZERO carbon monoxide coming from the exhausts. When were catalytic converters made compulsory ?

“It is down to awareness.”

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Knowing this trade, they'd tell him to fek off and some would start their engines just to pi$$ him off.

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