Nuneaton faces taxi gridlockFUMING taxi firm bosses are demanding urgent talks with borough council chiefs over plans which they say could gridlock Nuneaton town centre.
Members of Nuneaton and Bedworth Taxi Association say they have been forced to request a summit with Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council to discuss what they have described as 'ludicrous' plans to change licensing zones.
Currently, hackney carriages are either licensed for Nuneaton or Bedworth, and have to stick to trade in those zones but the Town Hall is proposing to abolish the zones as part of plans to set up a new, dedicated, part-time taxi rank in Newdegate Street in Nuneaton.
This has enraged taxi company bosses in Nuneaton, who say that the town will become gridlocked by blackcabs plying for trade on the new rank.
It is no secret that because of the busy night-time economy in Nuneaton town centre during the weekends, it makes the town a 'honeypot' and if the zones are abolished, all cabs will want a slice of the action on the proposed rank.
In a statement, members of the association said: "This decision has been forced upon us as to the hackney carriage zone amalgamation. Why change something that has worked for the past 40 years, serving both towns?
"Over the past 20 years, the association has applied many times for more ranks in Nuneaton without success.
"We currently have 20 spaces for licensed hackney carriage plates in Nuneaton, and seven spaces at Tescos in Bedworth. In Nuneaton, the 151 licensed plate vehicles would increase to 242 Nuneaton and Bedworth plates fighting for 20 spaces if the council carries out this ludicrous decision.
"Why has this decision taken place? Who asked for it? Certainly not the association, why would we? Was it the public? What would they gain, why is it needed?
"We have requested an urgent meeting with the council to discuss the issue of rank spaces and are currently awaiting a reply with a date."
Cabinet members at the Town Hall discussed the issue at a meeting last week but, as it was on confidential papers, the press and public could not listen to the debate.
A council spokesperson said: "The minutes of the meeting are still being finalised and will be agreed with the chair, councillor Harvey, however what we can say is that the resolution that was proposed in the public notice was passed by cabinet.
"That decision is subject to call-in under the council's constitutional arrangements. The decision therefore is not effective at this time until the call-in period has ended.
"We are aware that the Nuneaton and Bedworth Taxi Association have requested a meeting to talk about taxi rank space and we are in the processing of getting all relevant parties together."
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http://www.nuneaton-news.co.uk/Town-fac ... z373FdO5M9
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