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| Author: | JD [ Thu Jun 22, 2006 10:44 am ] |
| Post subject: | More news snippets |
June 21, 2006 Taxi kids enjoy all the fun of the fare. BIG-HEARTED Glasgow cabbies - many in fancy dress - today treated 800 delighted children to a free day out on the Ayrshire coast. A colourful convoy of 250 black cabs, decked out in balloons and streamers, left the west end on the annual taxi trip to Troon - a 61-year-old tradition. The taxi drivers thrilled the youngsters by dressing up as superheroes, clowns, red indians, pirates - and even a court judge. The trip is the highlight of the year for hundreds of city youngsters from special needs schools and underprivileged backgrounds. It is organised by Glasgow Taxis Outing Fund for Sick Children. The children were treated to a day of fun, including a disco, games and a street party, with packed lunches and sweets on the trip. It costs thousands of pounds to stage the event, and this year the main sponsor was Celtic Charity Fund. Last month Celtic boss Gordon Strachan handed over GBP7000 from the club towards the outing. He was joined by pupils from Richmond Park school, which caters for disabled youngsters, and players Neil Lennon and Ross Wallace. Club chief executive Peter Lawwell said: "The taxis' fund deserves enormous credit for working so hard over so many years in caring for thousands of children." Glasgow film company Saltire Films last year produced a 30-minute film, Taxi For Troon, for Scottish TV on the annual outing, which first started during wartime, when it ran to Saltcoats. The short movie followed the preparations and excitement leading up to the big day and the stars of the film were the children, the cabbies and scores of helpers. .................................................................... June 21, 2006 NIGHT BUS NO-GO ZONES; Calls to make vital service safer in bid to beat violence in Glasgow. Thirteen night-bus services run by First in Glasgow are being cut from next month because of under-use - but many passengers are too scared of being attacked on their way home to travel after dark SAFETY on Glasgow's buses desperately needs to be improved - or night services will never work. That's the warning today from frustrated passengers and politicians after travel giant First cut more than a dozen loss-making late buses. Police and the city council see night services as key to clearing the city centre of thousands of revellers at night - and cutting crime linked to boozed-up clubbers hanging around after hours. However, many night buses run virtually empty, partly because people are scared of meeting violence from drunk or drugged-up passengers. Today there were cross-party calls for a new drive to regain public confidence in bus travel - before more routes were axed. From July 2, First is making cuts to 13 night services across the city because of under-use, scrapping those which run in the early part of the week entirely. Services 9, 12, 40, 56/57, 62, 66 and 75 will go after midnight on Sunday to Wednesday. Services 20, 38, 61, 75, 88 and 123 will not operate any night of the week after midnight. And while there are still some late services at weekends from the city centre, many are virtually empty - despite the mammoth queues for taxis. Glasgow Tory MSP Bill Aitken said increasing safety on night buses was the key to solving problem of clearing the city centre. Mr Aitken said: "A considerable number of Glasgow people are reluctant to use late-night buses through fear of trouble. "I frequently use late-night buses and have seen trouble first-hand. "There is a real issue here and the bus company and police need to be much more proactive to provide the appropriate reassurance to people." Mr Aitken said placing police or extra First staff on certain buses - a scheme used in other UK cities like Cardiff - should be an option explored. Paul Martin, Labour MSP from Springburn, who has campaigned on bus issues, agreed. He said: "First have installed CCTV on some buses but a huge company like that should be making the investment on every bus. "Police should also be thinking about placing officers - covert or uniformed - on buses where they are needed to increase public confidence." The police, council and First are already trying to increase night bus use, mainly through the Nite Zone scheme. It runs late at night on Fridays and Saturdays on streets around Central Station. Willie Caie, a former police inspector who heads up the council-led scheme, said trouble on night buses wasn't nearly as bad as people thought. He said placing either police or extra staff on buses was something the council, police and First might talk about in the future. Mr Caie added: "People have a perception night buses are dangerous and we need to change this. There have been incidents but not the volume people think." He said that many people also chose taxis because of the convenience. Despite the reassurance, Evening Times readers on the streets were sceptical about whether night buses were safe. There have been a series of attacks on buses in recent years and a recent study into public transport across Scotland found almost one in three passengers in Glasgow did not feel safe using buses at night. Inspector David BaMaung, Strathclyde Police's head of community safety for the city centre, said people's reluctance to use night buses was blighting efforts to clear the streets of the 70,000 people who come into town on busy weekend nights. He said: "As long as people hang around the city centre, it is necessary for the police to maintain the high numbers of personnel used during the evening and early hours of the morning. "With large numbers of people hanging around the street, there is always the potential for disorder by a certain element of these revellers. "Unfortunately, there is a perception among many that buses used to take people from the city centre are unsafe. "And sometimes this perception can affect people's decisions more than the reality. "It is necessary for all of the relevant bodies such as the city council, First Bus and Strathclyde Police to change this perception and to ensure the bus service provision is both safe and effective in removing large numbers from the city centre at peak times in the morning." Ronnie Park, First's operations director in Glasgow, said: "We take the safety of our passengers and staff very seriously. "We have now fitted more than 150 of our vehicles with CCTV - at an investment of GBP500,000. "The introduction of CCTV to our vehicles has proven to be very successful in monitoring anti-social behaviour and reducing the threat of crime. The entire fleet also has radio contact to our 24-hour control room. "As a result of this, we have been able to work closely with police on a number of incidents. "This has seen more than 70 people being charged with varying offences since January 2005, including vandalism and using counterfeit money." What night bus passengers think Claire Duddy, 17, Lochwinnoch: Every time I get on a bus late at night a drunk guy or junkie will sit next to me and try to talk to me. It can be quite intimidating. A bus conductor or anyone responsible on a bus would be a good idea. Martin Logan, 16, Netherlee: I always try and catch the last train home, or if there's four of us we share a taxi. I don't like having to get the night bus home but I can't say I've ever actually encountered any trouble. David Johnstone, 21, west end: Some buses are very dodgy at any time of the day but it depends where they go. I know quite a few people who have been attacked. Every time I get on the bus I see it as taking a chance with my safety. Sarah Walker, 38, Newlands: I find it unbelievable that there are always people smoking joints on the buses - not just at night but during the day too. A conductor would be a really good idea as there's safety in numbers! Jennifer Dunlop, It's waiting for buses I don't like, especially around the Central Station area at night. It would be a good thing if they installed buttons to call for assistance at bus stops like they do at train stations. Andy McLaughlin, 18, Burnside: I don't think there are any major problems with safety on the buses. The main problems are they're manky, they don't run regularly and don't turn up when they are meant to. ............................................................ June 21, 2006, Wednesday Taxis freshen up with ban. Taxi drivers in Stockton are taking a fresh approach to keeping their vehicles smoke-free. From this month, the majority of hackney carriage and private hire vehicles licensed by Stockton Council will have no smoking policies. The cars will have blue and yellow front and rear bumper stickers and can be requested over the phone. Cllr Ann Cains, cabinet member for adult services and health, said: "We are aiming to create a smoke-free Stockton and this is just another way we can protect people from breathing in secondhand smoke. What better way to get to a smoke-free venue than in a 'Fresh' car and I'm sure non-smokers especially will be pleased to arrive at their destination without their clothes and hair smelling of smoke. "Drivers will also find that their vehicles are a more pleasant place to work." A total of 340 vehicles, 85pc of hackney carriages and 56pc of private hire vehicles, have joined. ............................................................................ June 21, 2006 Wednesday Taxi targeted Police say thieves must have spent some time stealing parts from a parked taxi in Exmouth. The black Peugeot was targeted between 3am and 3pm in Pankhurst Close, Littleham, on Sunday. It had its window smashed and radio stolen. Various engine parts were also taken, leaving the owner unable to start the vehicle. ................................................................. June 21, 2006 Wednesday Gloucestershire Echo HEADLINE: Mr martyn mcnulty - an apology In an Echo article on July 25, 2005 entitled "Taxi driver fails to win his appeal" we claimed that Mr Martyn McNulty had been charged with assaulting a police officer causing actual bodily harm. This was untrue and he has never been charged with assault as alleged. We apologise to Mr McNulty and his family for the obvious embarrassment and distress caused. ............................................. June 21, 2006 Wednesday Driver knocks over man after dispute. A Man was knocked over by a driver who deliberately drove into him after an argument. Nigel Cofield (38) was on his way home after a night out with his wife, Amy (26), when a man in the back of a taxi started an argument. The taxi driver sped off in an attempt to defuse the situation. To the couple's horror, the man returned in his own car to look for Mr Cofield. The dark Rover sped towards him, sending him flying into nearby bushes. "It was really frightening," said Mr Cofield. "I saw what was happening and I jumped up and backwards and the impact was not as bad as it could have been. "I was thrown into some bushes and then I hid behind a lamppost. The car really revved its wheels up and it could have been going about 30mph. "As the car was reversing off the pavement afterwards it ran over my wife's foot. We had to take her to the hospital." The incident happened on Ellis Way, at about 11.30pm, on Saturday, June 10. "The first time we saw the guy he was sat in the back of the taxi on Hainton Avenue," said Mr Cofield, who lives in Grimsby. "He asked us if we wanted a taxi somewhere and I said "yes please, if you have finished with it". "He then started giving me a volley of abuse. "The taxi drove off and we walked down to Ellis Way. Ten minutes later that was when we saw the car. "It drove over towards us, and turned at an angle before driving towards us. He could easily have been doing about 30mph." Mrs Cofield had her foot X-rayed that night, but it was not broken. Humberside Police spokeswoman Samantha Lane said: "Fortunately, no one suffered any serious injury. "However, there could have been a very serious incident. We are appealing for anyone who saw the car being driven prior to the incident or anyone who knows who the driver is to get in touch." Information to police on 0845 60 60 222, quoting log number, 22/11/6/2006. ............................................................ [b]Grimsby Evening Telegraph June 21, 2006 Wednesday HEADLINE: Woman punches another in early morning fracas. A Woman punched another female after trying to help a friend, Grimsby magistrates heard. Mother-of-one Lisa Harris (19), of Rutland Street, Grimsby, admitted assaulting Clare Wren on June 12. Dennis Aisthorpe, prosecuting, said Harris started shouting abuse after going with her friend to a house at 3.30am. Neighbours, including Clare Wren and her husband, were awoken by the shouting. They got up, went outside and started arguing with the others in their back garden. Harris swung two or three punches, one of which landed on Mrs Wren's forehead. Nick Furman, mitigating, said Harris had been trying to help her friend. Words were exchanged on both sides. Harris claimed she was kicked by a member of the other family as "retribution", suffering an injury to her arm. She had no previous convictions, the court heard. Harris, who works at a taxi office, was given a six-month conditional discharge and must pay £50 compensation and £50 costs. .......................................................................... |
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| Author: | TDO [ Thu Jun 22, 2006 5:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: More news snippets |
JD wrote: From this month, the majority of hackney carriage and private hire vehicles licensed by Stockton Council will have no smoking policies.
A total of 340 vehicles, 85pc of hackney carriages and 56pc of private hire vehicles, have joined. Does this mean that PH drivers have a greater propensity to smoke than HC drivers or wot? 
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