Hull black cab drivers: 'Scrapping Ferensway taxi rank would kill us' BLACK cab drivers in Hull have said plans to move another major city centre taxi rank is a "kick in the teeth". The taxi rank outside House of Fraser in Ferensway will be moved to South Street if Hull City Council plans go ahead.
The plans, which also include moving the rank outside the Empress Pub, are part of the 2017 UK City of Culture public realm works.
But Alan Bradford, a taxi driver for 30 years and chairman of the Hull Hackney Carriage Association (HHDA), says it will kill their trade for good.
"If this goes ahead, it will completely kill off our livelihoods," he said.
"Us taxi drivers need to be seen where people can find us, not in some back alley.
"It's like the council are trying to give us a kick in the teeth. It's absolutely ridiculous."
The disagreement is not the first fallout between taxi drivers and the council in recent months.
Drivers threatened strike action when they were told the taxi rank outside the Empress Pub could be moved to the Warren in Queen's Dock Avenue.
Taxi drivers claim the new plans would see one wide crossing from the station to the other side of the road, rather than the two staggered crossings there at the moment – making it safer for pedestrians.
David West, secretary at the HHDA, said: "That rank in Ferensway feeds into the one at Hull Paragon station.
"We've been told the council is concerned about the safety risks of taxi drivers making the manoeuvre from one side of the road to the other, but that's nonsense.
"Over the past eight years, taxi drivers must have made that crossing over a million times, so I just don't buy it."
The city's 170 hackney carriage drivers share 30 daytime spaces between them and, by law, if a taxi rank is full, drivers must move on to another rank.
Drivers fear the number of spaces will be decreased, although the final amount has not been confirmed.
Mr West said moving the rank to South Street will mean taxis will have to constantly drive around one-way streets in the hope of finding free taxi rank spaces.
Mr West said: "It just means we are going to be driving around in circles all day.
"There are supposed to be a million people visiting Hull for City of Culture, but how are they supposed to get around if the drivers can't stop to pick them up?
"We have raised all these issues with the council, but they are not listening to what we have said.
"This totalitarian Government says it is consulting us but it goes ahead and makes whatever decision it pleases."
Councillor Martin Mancey, portfolio holder for energy city with responsibly for transport, said: "Hull City council has been liaising with representatives of the HHDA in order to discuss the relocation of taxi ranks as part of the city centre transformation project."
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