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| Cheltenham council go insane http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=24790 |
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| Author: | captain cab [ Mon Jul 21, 2014 7:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Cheltenham council go insane |
Cheltenham taxi businesses could be painting their vehicles dark green New York chose yellow and London opted for black, but what about Cheltenham? All taxis in the town will have to be the same colour in the future as part of a bid to smarten up the fleet and make it easier for people to hail a cab. But the jury is still out on which colour should be chosen. Dark green has been floated as the front runner by Cheltenham Borough Council, the authority which licenses all taxis in town. But that is not set in stone with the taxi trade set to be asked for opinions on which colour drivers would prefer in the coming weeks. The only colour thought to be off the table is black because of the number of private hire vehicles – cars that have to be booked in advance and which cannot be hailed from the street – already using it. The adoption of a uniform colour for all hackney carriages in Cheltenham will take place gradually, as and when taxi drivers replace their vehicles so that the change doesn’t leave anybody out of pocket. Councillor Andrew McKinlay (LD, Up Hatherley), cabinet member for development and safety at the borough council, said: “After lengthy consultation with the taxi trade and others, cabinet has approved plans to introduce a uniform colour for hackney carriages in Cheltenham. “This will help the public to clearly distinguish hackney carriages from other licensed vehicles and will improve the appearance of the public hire licensed fleet. “It’s important to mention that we don’t want this to be a costly exercise for taxi owners. “The policy will be gradually implemented as and when licensed cars are replaced. The chosen colour will be one that drivers can easily buy, so there will be no need to re-spray. “Dark green has been suggested as a potential colour, however we will be consulting with the taxi trade once again to take their views on which colour they think is most suitable.” The council looked at the same issue last November and at that time it thought black would be the best colour to adopt. Jonny Rocks drove a private hire vehicle for almost seven years but currently works under a hackney licence. He believes choosing dark green would be a bad move. He said: “Anything dark is awful to keep clean – that was always the argument against black. “The council will need to speak to the motoring industry because I don’t think there is a dark green that is a standard colour. “I think it’s a horrible colour. Silver or grey are the best colours. They always look smart.” While the choice of colour may be up for discussion, Mr Rocks likes the principle of uniformity. “I think it could help,” he said. “I am not against the idea as long as it is the right colour. It could look really smart.” All new applicants seeking a hackney carriage licence must have a vehicle less than five years old. Meanwhile, drivers seeking to renew their licence must make sure their vehicles meets certain age criteria. For example a car built in 2000 will be acceptable for a licence until 2014, 2001 until 2015, 2002 until 2016 and so on. The yellow colour of New York’s taxis dates back to the New York Taxicab Company of 1907. Its cabs were originally painted red and green, but the owner repainted them to be visible from a distance. http://www.southwestbusiness.co.uk/news ... ark-green/ |
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| Author: | captain cab [ Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:11 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cheltenham council go insane |
Quango Unchained: This green taxi plan is actually a good idea This column is likely to be something of a collector’s item: effusive praise for a council. I write a lot of negative stories about politicians and the decisions they take mainly because the issues they have to decide a course on are usually far from straightforward. Win-win scenarios rarely present themselves and even the most innocent and seemingly appealing of policy announcements will be met instantly by tough questions on where the money will come from to pay for it. There are ever-shrinking pots of public money and more and more people in need of help. Combine those two things and you have a quick recipe for difficult decisions and a sky-high chance of annoying someone somewhere. As the saying goes, when most people are faced with two equally tough choices they will opt for the third choice: to not choose at all. If it was easy being a politician perhaps more people would put themselves forward to do the job. The fact is, it’s not. The decisions are often difficult and treading on toes, ruffling feathers and boat-rocking are unavoidable occupational hazards. Occasionally, however, a really good idea will emerge which will bring real benefits with almost no drawbacks: the politician’s policy Holy Grail. I think Cheltenham Borough Council’s plan to make all taxis in the town the same colour falls under that category. It’s a great idea. You can travel to many of the world’s biggest and best cities – New York and London for example – and instantly spot a cab. It’s convenient, makes life easier and it looks good. The mandatory colour for Cheltenham is yet to be set in stone but I quite like the borough council’s suggestion of dark green. A row of shimmering dark green saloons in the Promenade on a bright autumnal day? Better than what we have now, I think you’ll agree. But while the idea is a good one, it is the way in which it will be implemented that really deserves the plaudits. Everyone knows taxi drivers have had a tough time of late so anything which could have added to their financial burden would have been unacceptable. So the borough council’s decision to turn the town’s taxis into one uniform coloured fleet gradually, as the vehicles are replaced, makes perfect sense. No re-spray costs, no problems. Kudos to Cheltenham Borough Council. It’s a good idea and it is being implemented in the right way with the buy-in of the people it will affect. However, just because I can’t keep the cynic within quiet for an entire column, the announcement does beg one simple question. Why has it taken so long to think of? Read more: http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Qu ... z38HFToW4q |
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| Author: | skippy41 [ Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:59 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cheltenham council go insane |
Only problem what shade of green and how many manufacturers now supply it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qovk67yMiFI |
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| Author: | bloodnock [ Wed Jul 23, 2014 10:48 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cheltenham council go insane |
Quote: You can travel to many of the world’s biggest and best cities – New York and London for example – and instantly spot a cab Even someone suffering from colour blindness or Monochromatic vision could Instantly spot a cab regardless of It's colour...It's the Sign on top That says "TAXI" that does it. To make the Uniform Colour Scheme really work you would have to impose a 100% ban on any other Dark Green coloured car in the world from entering Cheltenham as it may be confused for a TAXI..and then You would all be back To Square one. |
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