Norwich taxi drivers to protest outside City Hall today
Taking their message to the streets. Jon Perks, chairman of Norwich Hackney Trade Association, right and Go Slow organiser Craig Dimbleby.
More than 30 hackney carriage drivers are to protest outside City Hall in Norwich in an attempt to highlight the issues they face.
The Go-Slow demonstration will see taxis circle around the council offices for two hours at speeds of just 5mph later today.
Norwich Hackney Trade Association claims Norwich City Council is failing to adhere to its own rules in regard to the regulation of private hire cars.
Black cab driver Craig Dimbleby said the rally was a “last resort” to highlight the lack of governance.
The 50-year-old, of Rackheath, added: “The city council has failed to adhere to its own rules and legislation passed at licence committee meetings over three years ago regarding the knowledge test. This has now led to an influx of less capable drivers, bringing into question public safety. There is much anger and concern aimed at the way the city council is avoiding its responsibilities and using bully boy tactics.”
There are 230 hackney cabs in Norwich and around 1,000 private hire vehicles.
The city’s taxi association claimed that while black cab drivers had to adhere to strict regulations, private hire companies were flouting the rules. These include parking in ranks specifically allocated for hackney cabs and not displaying proper signs.
It was also claimed that private hire drivers were able to take a simplified version of the “knowledge test” – an exam that tests a driver’s knowledge of the city.
Jon Perks, 59, chairman of the Hackney Trade Association, said: “I have taken these issues to the council before and they are yet to do anything about it.”
The association said it wanted to work with the council to ensure that every driver had to operate under the same rules.
A spokesman for Norwich City Council said: “The safety of the public is always paramount, and we carry out thorough assessments of anybody applying for a taxi licence.
“While these robust checks are in place, there are also some things that we can’t impose restrictions on... We try to work closely with taxi drivers on all issues and are in regular contact with them and their representatives.”
The demonstration will begin at Barker Street at 11am before moving to City Hall 15 minutes later.
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