Taxi Driver Online

Queuing taxis set to force Derby restaurant owner to quit after 48 years in business

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/d ... by-1881002

The owner of Nicky's Restaurant in The Spot says he's been complaining about the taxi rank for several years


Image: Derby Telegraph

Idling taxis in a rank outside a Derby restaurant are being blamed for a loss of trade and could lead to the owner calling time on his business after 48 years in the city.

Nicky Piponidou claims he has been complaining to Derby City Council for several years, and has also produced a petition, asking for the long taxi rank outside Nicky's Restaurant, in The Spot, to be re-sited elsewhere.

He says that it has always been his custom to keep the restaurant door open to welcome customers but in recent years, the "choking smell of taxi fumes" has resulted in customers and staff complaining.

Mr Piponidou is also angry that the hackney carriage taxi rank, which can hold at least nine taxis, is being used by vehicles waiting to move round the corner to another taxi rank outside the Intu shopping centre in London Road.

He said: "There used to be short-term parking for cars, whose drivers used the spaces to come into the restaurant to eat or pick up a takeaway. Now it is a long line of taxis, which sit here with their engines idling until a space comes up in the rank round the corner and then they move around.

"All you can hear and smell in this area all day long is the choking smell of taxi fumes. People rarely catch a taxi from here, it's just a holding area for them and it has got worse as less and less people use taxis and they are left standing longer.

"Additionally, I think they are a hazard doing U-turns in the road. Basically, the presence of the taxi rank is putting people off coming to this area.


Image: Derby Telegraph

"I have complained to the council for more than three years but nothing happens. I cannot see what benefit there is to anyone to create a car park for taxis on The Spot."

Mr Piponidou came to the UK from Larnaca in Cyprus and established his business further up on Osmaston Road before moving to the current location in 1983. He used to be open from first thing in the morning to 9pm but now closes at 6pm because trade has fallen off.

He said: "I am particularly concerned that the city council is trying to create a clean air zone in Stafford Street when there mist be so much pollution coming from the taxis on The Spot. It cannot be healthy for people to be around here and I feel that something needs to be done about the situation.

"For me, I think that unless something changes drastically, I will give up the business at Christmas. Even having deliveries here is impossible because of the taxi rank."

Stationary idling is an offence under section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. According to the Highway Code: "You must not leave a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running or leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road."

An idling engine can produce up to twice the emissions of a car that is in motion. These include chemicals such as sulphur dioxide, particulate matter and nitrogen oxide to name a few.

All of these contribute to asthma, heart disease and even lung cancer. These chemicals also have a negative effect on the environment by contributing to poor air quality.

Leaving your engine on while parked on the road or in a public place could land you with fine of £20, according to the RAC. The aim of the fine is to encourage drivers to reduce their emissions by turning off their engines if they are parked up in a public space.

Derby City Council is currently consulting on options to combat air pollution in the Stafford Street, which include possible charging the most polluting vehicles on roads in the city.

Belinda Betts, who has been a cook at the restaurant for 17 years, said the situation had become very stressful for Mr Piponidou and the rest of the staff.

She said: "The downturn in trade is worrying and it seems that our appeals to the council to think again about this taxi rank being here have fallen on deaf ears. It is sad that everything has come to this point and we might have to close."

A regular customer, who did not wish to be named, said she had been going to the restaurant for several years and added: "I try to sit to the rear of the room so I cannot hear the engine noise or smell any fumes."

Derby City Council was asked to comment on a number of issues raised by Mr Piponidou but was unable to come back with answers before this article was published.

Another business blaming the taxis and not the modern economic climate where going out for a meal has gone out of fashion

And another council that insists on an AWFUL colour for taxis

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Well shut the door!!!!!!

This is what Derby City Council said about idling taxis outside Nicky's Restaurant

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/d ... id-1891919

But the authority is willing to talk to businesses about the problem

[The following is the relevant part of the article]

A Derby City Council spokesman confirmed that the taxi rank outside Mr Piponidou’s business is a feeder rank for the rank around the corner in London Road.

He said: “There are currently no plans to change the restrictions here. However, we are happy to listen and talk to business owners about this issue.”

Mr Piponidou first approached Derbyshire Live about the problems he is having - which also includes a concern about drivers taking U-turns in Osmaston Road outside his business to access the taxi rank - after it featured a consultation by the city council over establishing a clean air zone in the Stafford Street area because of illegally high levels of nitrogen dioxide.

The council spokesman added: “The issue of air quality in the city is currently being consulted on and the draft low emission strategy that is designed to complement this work does suggest a number of measures that may be used to ensure Derby’s fleet of taxis are clean and efficient.

“U turns aren’t banned on this section of Osmaston Road, however, if the driver of a vehicle causes danger to other road users by carrying this or any other manoeuvre then it should be reported to the police.”

But the council did not comment on the fact that sitting with an idling engine is illegal and could attract a £20 fixed penalty fine.

An idling engine can produce up to twice the emissions of a car that is in motion. These include chemicals such as sulphur dioxide, particulate matter and nitrogen oxide.

To be fair, it does look like the rank has been extended while the business has been open, and that there was previously room for customer parking, but who knows precisely what has caused the downturn?

Suspect there are a number of factors.

I think the downturn in trade has more to do with the intu shopping centre. There are at least 7 different eateries in the centre including Nandos, pizza Express and TGI fridays. All brand new places whereas Nickys is basically a fish and chip shop.

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Grandad,

Taxi drivers hit back at claims they are forcing Derby restaurant out of business

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/d ... ms-1909917

They say the issue has been exaggerated

Yellow cab drivers in Derby have hit back at accusations that the fumes from their cars are ruining trade at a city centre business.

Nicky Piponidou, who runs Nicky’s Restaurant and Fish Bar on The Spot, says hackney cabs with idling engines stand outside his business all day long creating fumes, which are carrying into the building and upsetting staff and customers.

If the situation does not improve, he says he will give up the business, which he has run in Derby for 48 years - by Christmas.

Mr Piponidou voiced his frustrations a week ago.

Now, taxi drivers have hit back, saying “we’re a business too”.

Zaid Iqbal, 51, from Derby, is a yellow cab taxi driver who often parks on the rank outside Nicky’s Fish Bar.

He said: “When you have 400 yellow cabs in the city centre, you have to have a feeder rank somewhere. There is nowhere else for us to move.

“We have never left our engines running outside Nicky’s restaurant. We can be waiting here for up to 40 minutes so it would cost us a lot of money to have idling taxis on the road.

"We’ve been here for 20 years and business is hard for everybody at the moment. We all have to make money. Every other business around here does well so I don’t know why his business is failing.

“Instead we’re getting hammered by everyone and it’s a joke.”

Earlier this week a Derby City Council spokesperson said: "There are currently no plans to change the restrictions here. However, we are happy to listen and talk to business owners about this issue.

“The issue of air quality in the city is currently being consulted on and the draft low emission strategy that is designed to complement this work does suggest a number of measures that may be used to ensure Derby’s fleet of taxis are clean and efficient."

Mr Piponidou said he was upset at the council's stance.

He said: “I am very disappointed in the council for not moving the taxi rank. They should understand that as a business, we do not want that many taxis outside our restaurant.

“I’m tired of it. All we want is for the taxi rank to be smaller so our customers have space to park. But there’s nothing we can do now.”

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IDFIMH