Taxi Driver Online

Although this article only uses the t-word, this is presumably all about PHV signage, and nothing to do with HCs at all

Worse, the Star has used a photo of a black HC to illustrate the piece. The picture caption below is the one used by the Star

Also, article seems to come to a bit of an abrupt halt, but that's all there is, as far as I can see.


Sheffield Council decides against permanent taxis signs despite ‘huge’ safety concerns

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics ... ns-3931461

Sheffield Council has decided against requiring taxi drivers to have permanent signs on their vehicles despite “huge” safety concerns.


Sheffield Council has decided against requiring taxi drivers to have permanent signs on their vehicles despite “huge” safety concerns. (Image: Sheffield Star)

The waste and street scene committee voted to not update its policy in light of a “huge list” of people who raised safeguarding concerns around taxi drivers removing signage.

Council policy states signs must only be ‘secure’ and not ‘permanent’ so they can remove them when not working or to work for different operators.

Some drivers also said taxis were targeted by criminals, although South Yorkshire Police said its statistics did not support this.

Councillor Alexi Dimond wanted to see the policy demand permanent signs.

He said: “There is a huge list of people who have given submissions about safeguarding concerns.

“Missing signage makes it more difficult for teachers, parents, visually impaired people, carers, medical professionals and others to easily see that they or the people they are caring for are getting into a licensed vehicle. I’m worried that if permanent signage is not mandated people will continue to not put their signage on making it more unsafe, especially for vulnerable people, and it may also lead to the licensing committee being really clogged up with this issue.”

Council officer Craig Harper said in the past year, there were 195 defect notices sent to taxi drivers for not displaying signage.

He added if taxis were seen without signs three times drivers will be referred to the licensing sub committee for action and sanctions, and this had become more common in recent months.

But other councillors on the committee said the current policy “by and large” worked fine and allowed drivers greater flexibility.

That sounds even worse than the, er, thingamajig panel in Herefordshire

Which idiots think up these names?

What's wrong with calling it the Environment Committee or heaven forbid the Licensing Committee?

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IDFIMH

woke councillors !

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

It looks like the Waste and Street Scene Policy Committee (to give it its full name) is a separate entity from the Licensing Committee and, as its name suggests, it appears that the street scene committee deals with policy.

There's also the usual licensing sub-committee that deals with naughty drivers. So precisely what the licensing committee deals with is anyone's guess, and I can't be bothered looking into it

So the street scene committee deals with matters as varied as parking, emergency planning, waste management, markets, environmental protection, and highway maintenance and management. So just the people to deal with PHV signage, and leave the licensing committee to deal with who-knows-what

https://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/mgCo ... spx?ID=647

As regards its remit, the licensing committee stuff simply says:


But it looks like the main policy stuff the other day was about updating the vehicle spec for the low emissions stuff, and also a window tint policy and updating the CCTV spec.

Lost the will to live even glancing at some of the documentation, but found this little nugget - looks like they had tax conditionality checks on vehicle proprietors, when that wasn't required


Anyway, have a quick look at the Equality Impact Assessment alone

https://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/docu ... ix%20B.pdf

(And, of course, the documentation confirms that the signage issue was all about private hire and not taxis, HCs, or whatever.)

Well then they have no powers to deal with taxi/PH signage.

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IDFIMH