Taxi Driver Online

Kent and Sussex Courier

November 2, 2007 Friday

Board makes final push for a taxi rank in the town centre

There was a final push for a town centre taxi rank in Tunbridge Wells at a meeting of the Joint Transportation Board on Monday.

Members had already supported a proposal at a previous meeting in July to create a taxi rank in Mount Ephraim Road at the location of a disabled parking bay.

The four existing disabled parking spaces at this site would be relocated to Civic Way and Lime Hill Road.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council head of environment and street scene Gary Stevenson said since the scheme had been advertised, letters of objection had been received from a disabled resident in the town and a driver of a disabled person from Hartfield in East Sussex.

The objectors both stated they were opposed to the relocation of the disabled bays and questioned the justification for moving them away from "a prime position".

However, the Tunbridge Wells Access Group was supportive of the proposal and said the relocation of the bays would not be detrimental to the overall interests of disabled people.

Self-employed Hackney Carriage taxi driver Dave Fogel said at the meeting: "I would like to remind members the taxi industry has worked very hard with all interested parties.

"It is important to remember the number of disabled bays will remain the same.

"We also want to make people aware this is a short-term measure."

Members asked for the views of the board to be put forward to Kent Highways Services so the authority could implement the necessary traffic regulation orders.
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