Taxi Driver Online

December 8, 2007 Saturday

Support for taxi drivers appeals

BYLINE: Dee Adcock

Dorset Echo

MORE taxi ranks are needed in Dorchester to stop cabs circling the town trying to park.

That was the message from Roy Christopher, chairman of the West Dorset Hire Drivers Association, to Dorchester Town Council members.

The association is pressing Dorset County Council and West Dorset District Council for changes including turning bus stops into taxi ranks after 11pm and creating two specific hailing points.

Taxi drivers also want to have a new taxi rank behind Barclays Bank.

But one of their more controversial demands was for a switch around with disabled parking bays at the bottom of the Hardye Arcade. Mr Christopher told members of the town council's planning and environment committee that the existing taxi rank a few yards away could be used instead for disabled parking.

He said two bus stops in Dorchester - outside Dorset County Museum and at Top o'Town - already change into taxi ranks after 11pm.

He said: "We need and want another 10 spaces in Dorchester. The last time we had an increase was about 10 years ago.

"With 50 vehicles going round and only 11 spaces in town for them, this is not very good."

He said taxis circle the town, sending out emissions, or park illegally.

And current restrictions on taxis accessing parts of the town affect the elderly and disabled who can't walk far.

He said taxi drivers also wanted to be able to drive down South Street before 10am - the same times that service vehicles are permitted. He said one lady customer had not been to M&S for 12 years because she can't walk the distance from the closest taxi drop-off point.

The drivers' suggestions won general support from committee members. But they agreed with Coun Molly Rennie to support most of the suggestions but not the move to change taxi rank and disabled spaces at the bottom of the Hardye Arcade.

Coun Trevor Jones said an agreement to provide disabled parking there as part of plans to pedestrianise lower South Street should not be changed now.

He said: "It is unfortunate timing. Those disabled places are all but agreed. If we were to go back on that the fat would be in the fire."

Coun Rennie was keen to see taxis allowed to drive down South Street at certain times of the day. But Coun Jones said he suspected other vehicles would follow them.

He said: "The problem is that the Dorchester taxis look like cars because they are cars and that would be the weakness - we don't want other vehicles going down South Street."

Mr Christopher said the proposed hailing points would enable passengers to be safely picked up and put down near Lloyds Bank at the end of South Street and outside the museum in High West Street.
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