Four schoolchildren run down by taxi
STUNNED primary school children watched in horror as four of their classmates were hit by a car which mounted a pavement. The eight-year-olds from Kelvin Grove Primary School were struck in Dartmouth Road, Forest Hill, as they walked with the rest of their class to Forest Hill Library.
Now their headteacher has spoken out about the "dreadful tragedy" which has stunned the school. Police have also confirmed they are investigating the circumstances of the accident, which happened at around 1pm on June 15.
The Year 3 class was walking from the school, in Kirkdale, Sydenham, to the library when a privately-owned taxi mounted the pavement near the junction with London Road.
The taxi hit four children three of whom were treated for cuts, bruises and broken bones. A fourth boy was taken to Lewisham Hospital with serious head injuries and broken bones. His condition is serious but not life-threatening.
A teacher was also injured in the incident and was treated for cuts and bruises. Headteacher Andy Mathieson said: "It is a dreadful tragedy. We are all in total shock."
Educational psychologists have been drafted into the school to offer their support to staff and pupils. Mr Mathieson says he has been flooded with messages of support which have been passed on to the injured children.
He added: "I want to express my admiration for a lot of very brave little children who now need our care, love and attention more than ever. "Our thoughts are with them and their families at this time and we have passed on all the supportive messages we have received."
News Shopper understands the car was being driven by a dog handler who had several dogs in the back of the taxi at the time of the crash. Lewisham police have confirmed the incident is being investigated but no arrests had been made.
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Fizzy City
"OH yeah, me and the wife, we only drink champagne," said our taxi driver, on the way from the airport. "I can tell you which clubs and bars have the most expensive and which is the best deal," he added expansively, or should I say expensively.
So where were we then? California, Puerto Banus or Monte Carlo? No Edinburgh, the city that still makes its money from money and boasts champagne-drinking taxi drivers
The Athens of the North is a glittering sight: pink stoned buildings climb to the sky, architectural gems competing with designer dwellings to baffle the senses.
From an imposing rock, Edinburgh Castle surveys the city and, nestling at the edge of the castle in the Old Town, is the Point Hotel, another jewel in the city's well-encrusted crown.
Our champagne-swilling chauffeur did not surprise Neil Ellis, the hotel's general manager. "Taxis can be a bit pricey here," he says. Although we thought our £16 fare from the airport was quite reasonable.
Not too breathtaking, not like the room at The Point - that really did take the wind out of my sails. This award-winning designer hotel sits brightly between two streets, a bit like an iron flat down on a table with the point at the meeting of the roads.
Our room was in the very pointy bit and on the top floor with amazing vistas. The view however, is not the only point to The Point, though. It rates as one of the top 50 designer hotels in the world.
The cutting edge feel of the hotel is maintained by the ongoing art exhibition along walls and floors showcasing the work of local students and maintaining an avant-garde ambience on every floor.
The clientele ranged from young clubbers and revellers on hen and stag nights to older couples and families away for the weekend - all combined nicely in the hotel bar.
However, for weekenders looking for location, the Point is definitely in the right direction. It's just a ten-minute walk to the castle and fringes the shoppers paradise of Princes Street and the theatres of Lothian Road.
Arrive on a Friday night and take yourself on one of the Mercat Tours through the vaults of the Old City - because Edinburgh really is a city on a city.
Like Rome, it has seven hills and an underground warren of spooky vaults.
Mary, our guide, terrifies us with tales of murder and ghostly visitations. We huddle in a small group as she recounts the story of Burke and Hare, the notorious grave robbers who stored their corpses in the vaults, and of an old cobbler ghost who rises and glides to inspect visitors' shoes.
The Old Town was once a warren of closes, small alleyways, that flowed down through the buildings to the valley below. Sadly, only 66 remain.
Each close has a name and offers a glance back in time. Peer down them as you wander the Royal Mile, along the George IV Bridge and past the poignant statue of Greyfriars Bobby, the loyal Skye terrier, who, for 12 years, did not leave his master's grave until he finally died himself.
Canter down Candlemaker Row into Grassmarket, which, once a place for public hangings, is now more famous for hanging out at one of the trendy bars or restaurants.
The father of anaesthesia James Young Simpson - was from Edinburgh and the city still specialises in softening pain. Sample one of the hundreds of scotch whiskies or try locally-made Hendricks Gin fabulous, infused with cucumber and juniper.
You need an early start on the Saturday to visit Edinburgh's Farmers Market at Castle Terrace. Colourful umbrellas stretch down the wide pavement and there are more than 50 stalls, selling everything from organic smoked trout to Buffalo Burgers yes, Buffalo Burgers.
Steve Mitchell, of Puddledub Buffalo, has imported a herd from Romania and sells roasts, chops and, of course, burgers to Edinburgh's discerning foodies and visitors.
Try some free samples, char-grilled on his barbecue next to the stall. If you fancy a buffalo barbecue, he provides a world cup' box containing enough for 42 people. Or you can buy mail order from:
www.puddledubbuffalo.co.uk.
Continue your stroll down Lothian Road to Princes Street, walking the green heart of the gardens to the National Gallery and the Waverley Bridge. Check the time of your train from the clock on the nearby hotel.
But I promise you won't be late, it always runs three minutes slow to give tardy travellers extra time: other rail stations please note!
The bridge is the rendezvous for city sightseeing tour buses with a commentary and plenty of stops to see the main attractions. The 24-hour ticket means you can hop on and off as many times as you like. And for must-see' panoramic views of Edinburgh, climb to the top of the Camera Obscura, near the Castle Esplanade.
You could spend hours looking through telescopes at the statues hidden on the rooftops - along with the symphony of chimney pots that gave rise to the name of Auld Reekie for this once smoky town. This attraction is great for kids, with optical illusions and magical mind-boggling holograms.
Yes, I raise my glass champers, what else? to Edinburgh. A truly fizzy city!
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June 21, 2006 Wednesday
Residents hit at boy racers.
Inverurie town centre is as bad for boy racers as Aberdeen's Beach Boulevard, frustrated residents claimed yesterday.
They say young drivers use the streets as a racetrack.
Taxi drivers are also said to be causing a nuisance in the town centre by parking on double yellow lines and blocking a bus stop while waiting for fares.
Market Place residents Adam and Winifred Wilken say the noise from revving car engines is often so loud it drowns out the sound of their television.
Mr Wilken, 74, said: "I would say it is just as bad as the boulevard in Aberdeen. "Between nine and 11 at night it's just a racetrack." He said one night he counted one driver going around the town 38 times.
Members of Aberdeenshire Council's Garioch area committee yesterday called for police to act over the number of taxis queuing up in the town centre which they said caused a nuisance for residents.
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June 21, 2006, Wednesday
Former Villa star didn't recall drunken attack.
Former Aston Villa footballer Gary Charles attacked a woman in a drunken rage after she joked "You can't be that good, you never played for Manchester United", a court was told.
The twice-capped England international punched Elizabeth Wedge to the ground before kicking her, a jury at Derby Crown Court heard. Giving evidence, Miss Wedge, aged 43, said he assaulted her in the booking office of a taxi rank after she tried to help him get a cab home.
Charles (36) had been too drunk to give the taxi firm his destination, the court heard. Miss Wedge said: "No-one wants to see anybody stuck. I said to him 'Where do you want to go?'. He said he wanted to go to his mate's, in Tupton.
"I went back in and the next minute, he came in and said 'Do you know who I am?'" The alleged victim, a Manchester United fan, had recognised the defendant as a former Derby County right-back but joked: "You can't be that good, you have never played for Manchester United."
"At that minute, he punched me in the face, two or three times with both fists," said Miss Wedge. "I went back, hit my head on the wall and went down on to the floor. I was laid there on the floor and every time he kicked me in the face my head kept banging on the wall.
"He kicked me at least four or five times in the face. He was still kicking me when one of the taxi drivers ran in and pulled him off. "He was out of control. He was in a drunken rage."
She had been on her way home after a night out with her girlfriend on September 9 in Clay Cross, Derbyshire, when the attack is alleged to have happened.
Charles was subsequently taken to a police station where he slept the night. "Asked the next day why he was in custody, he said he had no recollection because of the amount he had had to drink," said Siward James-Moore, prosecuting.
Miss Wedge suffered bruising and swelling around her face, a headache and insomnia after the attack, the court was told. Charles, of Stretton, near Alfreton in Derbyshire, denies assault occasioning actual bodily harm. His football career was ended early by a knee injury in 2002.
The trial continues.
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June 21, 2006, Wednesday
SECTION: LETTERS;
HEADLINE: Letters: YourSay - Parking is out of control.
FURTHER to Graham Hankins' response to J King's question: "What do our police officers do?"
I would also remark that they do not control yellow line parking/stopping/waiting on the 'Golden Mile' (Broad Street) either. Nor do they mind anybody parking/stopping/waiting on the zig-zag lines before any of the five pedestrian crossings.
Neither do they consider any offence to have been committed when right-turns are undertaken by licensed taxi drivers, private hire drivers or even ordinary motorists from Broad Street into Granville Street in spite of several very clear signs that prohibit this action.
Indeed I have witnessed officers actually controlling traffic to assist this illegal manoeuvre. Not to mention the right-turns that are made from Berkeley Street into Broad Street in full view of occupied police cars.
They also permit as many as 28 (yes, I counted them) licensed Hackney carriages to wait on yellow lines outside the Walkabout and up to 17 (again counted) between Gas Street and Berkeley Street on unofficial ranks, also on yellow lines.
All this while another 15-20 taxis and private hire cars are parked or waiting on the yellow lines adjacent to Brannigan's and The Works. If the police are not aware of these offences, why not? If they are, why is nothing (seemingly) being done?
J B Greenberg, Edgbaston.
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June 21, 2006 Wednesday
SECTION: LETTERS;
HEADLINE: Letter: YourSay - Make Hales Street safer
COVENTRY & Warwickshire Accessible Transport Committee, made up of members with various disabilities, has serious concerns regarding safety aspects of Hales Street, both for motor vehicles and for pedestrians.
This is a two-way traffic system but there is not enough room for large vehicles to pass on the road' also coaches and lorries stop on the highway to provide services, making this road even more dangerous.
There is a confusing layout, with a considerable hazard for motor vehicles when travelling from the north side of Hales Street on to a blind bend, there is nothing to warn traffic to slow down.
For safety of pedestrians we have always advised that Hales Street should not be open plan, that proper railings around the area of the Whittle Arch where buses are going through are required up to the crossing. At present this crossing is an uncontrolled crossing and this needs to be upgraded.
A taxi bay has been installed outside the old Fire Station (application dating back to July 1988). This bay is for use llpm-5am but is being used during daytime hours.
The traffic lights at the main entrance to Pool Meadow are dangerous for blind pedestrians as it is difficult to know which traffic has stopped. Also, there is a dropped kerb installed on one side of the pavement but not on the other resulting in wheelchair users having to use the road.
We have requested a feasibility study (the last one being taken in 2005). Since 2005 there has been a considerable increase in traffic.
Coventry & Warwickshire Accessible Transport Committee.
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