Taxi Driver Online

Cabbies appeal for more space to pick up fares as fines handed out


TAXI drivers in Arnold are calling for more ranks in the town after a number of fines were dished out to cabbies awaiting fares.

There are only three spaces in a rank outside Asda, in Front Street, and three more further down the road outside Wilkinson.

Drivers claim there are often more taxis than spaces and this is leading to them being issued with fines as they wait as near as they can for a space to become unoccupied.

And despite a petition of 55 taxi drivers' signatures being submitted to Gedling Borough Council in August, nothing has been done to increase the number of spaces.

The drivers have suggested changing a rarely-used parking bay across the road into a second waiting zone.

Mehrajdin Taj, of Bakersfield, has had a Gedling taxi for nine years. He said: "I can't afford to pay a £35 fine when it takes me all day to earn that much.

"I might as well not work, because it's going straight to the council. Three drivers got done last week. "

He added that some hackney carriage drivers felt victimised in their regular spot, with civil enforcement officers and police targeting them.

"Have they got nothing better to do?" asked Mr Taj. "One policeman was taking photos of us on the yellow lines from the top of the Asda car park, which doesn't show that our engine is on and we're waiting to get in the spot."

"And think of the petrol costs," said Saqib Sabir, of Sherwood. "If there's nowhere to pull up, they want us to just keep driving, which will cost us a fortune."

Rise Park resident Saeed Alvi has driven a taxi since 1978. "The only place we can get regular fares is outside Asda," he said.

The drivers also highlighted other sites where they believe taxi ranks could be housed, including Woodthorpe Drive, outside Sainsbury's on Church Drive East, and in Victoria Road, Netherfield.

Notts County Council, which is responsible for parking tickets and managing roads in the area, says it has been looking into the matter and has had a number of complaints about taxi drivers' behaviour.

"We are aware of the issue and are looking at various options as to what we can do to ease the situation, including the possibility of extending the length of the rank," said Neil Hodgson, group manager, programme design and delivery.

The county council is responsible for issuing parking tickets but Notts Police officers can also issue fixed-penalty notices if drivers are causing an obstruction.

Police procedure says officers should first issue words of warning and if the problem persists, they may hand out a fixed-penalty notice. A persistent offender may end up in court.

Inspector Andy Knight, of Arnold Police Station, said: "I would support my officers for following our procedures. Taxi drivers can complain about a lack of space, but that doesn't affect the fact that we should be removing obstructions."


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The problem is that some drivers take liberties.

However if they see a traffic enforcement officer about, then they should drive away.

And how much work/lobbying has been done for better rank space over the years.

I suspect little, which is why they are eventually now doing what they should have been doing for many years.

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IDFIMH

The Council will say the same as ours, "we don't have to provide you with rank spaces".

The mere fact they don't have to doesn't mean they don't have to.

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IDFIMH

It's a National problem, along with so many others, in a Trade that has no value of itself. I firmly believe that until this Trade organises itself Nationally and, adopts a Teamster's infrastructure, we will all be eating $hitburgers for our remaining tenure.

While filling the Councils coffers with money.

The problem is the trade consists of many people who would hate the idea of drivers getting organised.

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IDFIMH