26 December 2007
REVEALED: City’s no-go areas, where the taxis fear to drive
LIVERPOOL streets are being declared “no-go zones” by under-attack
cabbies.
Union leaders said the city could soon face a drastic shortage of taxi
drivers as men and women, many with more than 20 years’ experience,
hand in their plates in the face of growing abuse.
A moving target for yobs who attack their cabs with bricks, rocks,
roadworks, fireworks and even drainpipes, many are opting for a quieter
life off the road.
In parts of Toxteth, Speke, Fazakerley, Croxteth and Kirkdale customers
can struggle to flag down a hackney carriage as drivers avoid the area.
They are sick of seeing their cabs come under fire and said someone
could be killed.
Tommy McIntyre, a driver with 29 years’ experience, said: “It used to be
Mischief Night that was a big problem.
“Then you’d have 25% of drivers staying in rather than run the gauntlet of
rocks and stuff they would pelt you with.
“Now it can be any night of the week from any time. As long as school is
finished you have to be on your guard.”
Mr McIntyre added: “It only takes a driver to be attacked, lose control and
crash up on to the pavement or into a bus stop and you are talking about
a number of people being seriously injured or killed.
“I’ve seen taxis with dents in the panels and you would swear they had
been hit by another car because of the amount of damage.
“But, in reality, they have just run the gauntlet and had their carriage
attacked with whatever these kids can get their hands on.
“We’ve even heard some of the kids have got a points system that varies
according to what type of taxi it is and what colour.
“This is all a big game for them but it is our livelihoods and our safety
being put on the line.
“But these kids don’t stray particularly far from home either. They just
tend to hang around close to where they live.
“But when they throw a rock do they stop for a second to think if it is one
of their family sat in the back of the taxi who could be killed?”
Inspector Stephen Hardy of Merseyside police said: “We take attacks on
taxi drivers very seriously and we will actively pursue anyone engaged in
this type of activity.
“Merseyside police works closely with both hackney carriage and private
hire drivers to tackle incidents of youths targeting taxis.
“We have an excellent relationship with taxi drivers across Liverpool and
meet regularly with them to discuss any recurrent problems.
“When a specific problem is reported to us we do all that we can to tackle
it.
“In the past, operations like Trojan Taxis have been used to target specific
problem areas and we would consider using them in the future too.
“I would urge anyone experiencing the kind of problems highlighted to
contact the police immediately so that we can do all that we can to ensure
the safety of taxi drivers and the travelling public at large.”
Five worst for cabbies
LIVERPOOL’S top five “no-go” areas for taxi drivers are:
Scotland Road, Kirkdale – where the infamous local gang known as The
Rats have been known to attack anyone waiting at traffic lights.
According to locals one woman sitting in a convertible with the roof down
had a tin of paint thrown over her, while taxi drivers are attacked with
stones and forced to dodge fireworks.
Speke Road / Speke Boulevard / Western Speke – Drivers say the run to
the airport is one of the most dangerous with many places for the
attackers to hide.
Princes Avenue, Toxteth, the dual-carriageway funnels traffic one-way,
allowing the yobs to hide behind the huts in the middle of the road to
throw things at taxis.
Rathbone Road, Wavertree – youngsters standing in the roadside park
have been known to roll boulders down into the path of oncoming traffic.
Broadway, Norris Green – yobs have tried to spear passing taxis with a
piece of drainpipe tied to a rope.
Source: Liverpool Echo
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