Taxi Driver Online

Furious taxi drivers call on York transport boss to resign over tweet

https://yorkmix.com/furious-taxi-driver ... ver-tweet/


Image: York Mix

Taxi drivers in York are enraged by a tweet from the man who runs the city’s transport policy.

They have called on Cllr Andy D’Agorne to apologise and consider his position in the light of public comments he made over transport to York races this weekend.

Cllr D’Agorne, who holds the transport portfolio at City of York Council, shared a post about the York Pullman shuttle bus service taking racegoers from the station to the racecourse.

He added: “Great idea. Handy and a lot cheaper than a taxi!”

Rob Sargent, chair of the York Hackney Carriage Association, said he thought Cllr D’Agorne should consider resigning over the tweet.

“He needs to seriously consider his position on the licensing committee, and his position as a councillor,” Rob told YorkMix.

“They’re elected to a position where they’re supposed to be neutral, and not have favourites in any particular trade or businesses.

“To show favouritism to one particular company is beyond belief.”

He described the comment as “a big slap in the face for the Hackney trade especially, and for the taxi trade in general”.

‘Insulted and angry’

“The whole trade was insulted, angry – just shocked,” said Wendy Loveday, chair of the York Private Hire Association.

“Basically that’s our transport minister, who sits on the licensing committee, promoting an independent private bus company – rather than either keeping quiet or promoting the taxi trade to work alongside them as multimodal transport solution.”

What would she like Cllr D’Agorne to do? “A public apology would really help. And he could put the words ‘working in partnership with York council’ on our side plates.”

She said the York taxi trade had been through a terrible 18 months, and race days were “the best days of the year” for many drivers.

Wendy said they were going to put in an official complaint to the standards committee about the tweet.

“We’re going to make a real statement about this because he’s completely out of order. It’s only a few words. But how shocking is it?”

Cllr D’Agorne told YorkMix: “There was no intention to offend or upset anybody. I recognise that taxis are an important part of the York transport offer.

“It was more a case of intending to promote the use of sustainable transport.

“I’m quite happy to apologise if it’s offended them. But I don’t really see that it warrants an apology to be honest.

“I don’t want to make enemies of any transport provider. It’s just a case of trying to encourage people to use public transport and I would include taxis within that.

“It was said in the context of encouraging people to use the public transport offer that’s there.”

But that's not what you said or implied.

You suggested people used buses to save money instead of using cabs.

As a councillor you need to think before you open your big fat gob.

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IDFIMH

Indeed, and we've got a carbon copy councillor here, who's a public transport zealot, but has also sat on the licensing commitee for maybe 20 years.

Which to me suggests a massive conflict of interest, but unfortunately don't think there's anything that can be done about it.

But, for example, imagine if our councillor had made similar comments about buses and trains being cheaper than taxis when she's on the committee that decides taxi fares?

Sorry mate but that is somewhat incorrect. If Councillors are supposed to be neutral, how are decisions ever going to be made?

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Grandad,

so your saying that all decisions should be made from the point of view of vested interests not from the perspective of what's best for the people that pay their wages

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

No, What I am saying is that after hearing both sides of an issue Councillors have to decide which way they are going to vote so that then makes them not neutral. And in some Councils, as in Government you are required to vote on party lines unless there is a vote with no whip.

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Grandad,

There is quasi judicial committees (taxi and private hire licensing) is one where Elected members have to be neutral, voting on party lines or under a whip is forbidden.

As written above. They are neutral until they decide which way they are voting.

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Grandad,

How can a councillor be neutral in a meeting if they enter the meeting with highly biased opinions on the subject ?

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

Quite correct, in the Quasi Judicial (deciding if a driver is fit and proper etc.) parts of the meeting.

The same meeting could also cover a proposal that all Taxis to painted red and yellow stripes, all PH to painted with day glow pink. That is not Quasi Judicial and Councillors can be biased, either on Party or individual lines. (Or simply on sensible lines.)

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

It's not really a black and white issue, but perhaps it's instructive to look again at what Mr HCA York said:


You quoted the first part of what he said, but the rest (the coloured text) contextualises it a bit

So to a degree you're right, but obviously if a councillor is self-evidently favouring particular businesses over others then that's a different matter.

The particular York example is maybe a bit more difficult, but suppose he voted for a HC fare increase on the licensing committee, but at the same time was publicly making the case that taxis were too expensive, and encouraging people to use buses?

Conflict of interest, much?

Nothing directly illegal or unethical about that, perhaps, but elsewhere in government I just don't think that kind of scenario would be allowed to happen in the first place because of a self-evident conflict of interest.

I'm not so sure about that.

A licensing decision is a licensing decision, be that a personnel matter or a vehicle matter.

Same with housing decisions. It's doesn't matter if the decision is about a house or a house owner, party lines should not be the issue. The facts and evidence from the officers report is the issue.

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IDFIMH

The Scottish councillors' code of conduct says:


Often meant to look into this further, but never got round to it. But I'm guessing the most important point is the bit I've highlighted, which is about individual decisions like an application by someone with a criminal history, or a suspension or revocation hearing because of some incident or other.

But as far as wider policy issues is concerned, I don't think the above applies. So I suspect that if a council was to consider a change of policy on testing or tinted windows, for example, or on capping plate numbers, then the above wouldn't apply.

But where exactly the dividing line lies isn't clear if, for example, a policy change would impact most on particular individuals, or whatever. Or precisely how the party political dimension is considered.

But the code says this with regard to planning. So althought this isn't specific to licensing, I'm guessing this might give some indication as to how it might be approached, but there's nothing like is in the code that's specific to licensing, as far as I can see

The details of this article won't be of any interest to readers on here, but this is the issue that one of our licensing councillors is best known for, which if ever implemented would effectively shut down one of the four ranks in the area.

Conflict of interest, much?

And she's been at this now for 33 years, and stuff like this appears in the press every now and again.

I think she may be off the licensing committee now, but has been on it for most of the 24 years I've been in the local trade. And she's also been on the committee responsible for the roads and taxi ranks etc

Incidentally, it's not mentioned in the article, but the current station is five miles from the town centre, and it's a ten-minute taxi trip, or there's buses every 8 minutes or so at peak times (often several in the station at the same time), and I'd guess well over 100 buses into the town centre and all over the rest of town every day




St Andrews ‘should not have The Open back’ until railway link is built, say campaigners

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/busines ... nk-update/


Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson

The Open golf tournament should not return to St Andrews until the town is reconnected to the national rail network.

That’s according to veteran rail campaigners angered by the travel chaos that ensued this summer when the Fife town hosted the world’s oldest golf tournament.

And with the competition not predicted to return until 2030, the group are refreshing their push for a St Andrews station for the next golf showcase.

Jane Ann Liston is the convener of the St Andrews Rail Link Campaign (or StARLink).

The group has been campaigning for a railway link to the town since 1989.

She said this year’s Open “inconvenienced a lot of people”.

“I think this is what often gets forgotten: life goes on in St Andrews despite The Open Championship.

“It’s gotten to a point where there is too much of an infringement on what people can do.”

She said: “These problems were exemplified during The Open but, day to day, you frequently get hold-ups on the road to St Andrews which go all the way back to Cupar.”

Jane Ann’s solution?

“Until that is sorted out, I think we should not have (The Open) back again.

“(The) railway is one obvious way of making a step-change.”

So where is the St Andrews railway campaign now?

The bid for a St Andrews train line is in the midst of a Scottish Transport Appraisal (Stag).

Fife campaigners had taken heart from a new line opening in Levenmouth and progress on other station bids, such as in Newburgh.

The ongoing Stag appraisal examines all the options that could fix the town’s transport issues.

Among these potential solutions is a railway link to St Andrews.

But are campaigners any closer to this goal than they were back in the 1980s?

Members of StARLink have accused Transport Scotland of taking too long to respond to their latest submission.

“It’s quite frustrating,” Jane Ann went on, “because everything has sort of slowed down.

“I started this campaign in 1989. It’s taken far too long.”

“The difficulty is that Transport Scotland appears to have gone to sleep,” Jane Ann added.

The song Daydream Believer by The Monkees was playing during our interview.

Jane Ann said that her message to Transport Scotland was right there in the lyrics: “Sleepy Jean? Sleepy Transport Scotland – wake up.”

Why isn’t there a railway link yet?

Dr Clive Sneddon is the former chairman of North East Fife District Council. He is a long-term campaigner for a rail link to St Andrews.

Dr Sneddon said there has been a “wilful blindness to the infrastructure needs of this area.”

He added: “We’re talking about campaigns for improvement which go back decades.

“And nobody has lifted a finger.”

Dr Sneddon admitted he has become cynical about the possibility of a railway line.

“There is material to justify my cynicism,” he added.

“There are too many bureaucratic obstacles being put in the way of delivery.

“The pattern of the past in which things were opposed and then did not happen is in danger of being repeated.”

The pair agreed there is a problematic mindset within some groups which implies that St Andrews “doesn’t deserve” a railway.

“Everyone in St Andrews is well-off,” Dr Sneddon recalls being told, “and all the ladies wear tiaras.”

Do students want the railway link?

St Andrews, recently named Scotland’s top university and second in the UK, draws in thousands of international students each academic year.

Juan Pablo Rodriguez is president of the St Andrews Student Association.

He believes that a railway link to the university town would enhance student life.

“I would love to have a train here. It would simplify things for students and locals alike.

“It would make connections easier with Edinburgh and Glasgow easier and faster, especially for students coming from an airport.

“They would find it very handy to just jump in one train and go all the way to St Andrews.”

Golfers and celebrities also descend upon the town several times a year for golf championships, most recently the Dunhill Links Championship.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson responded to the campaigner’s concerns, stating: “We empathise with the campaigners’ position and acknowledge that there have been some delays.

“We have committed to StARlink to respond to their Stag appraisal by October 18.”


Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson