Launch Of Union Street Night-time Taxi Ranks Hailed A Success
15th September 2008
A new safety initiative to reduce city centre violence by moving taxis onto Union Street on Friday and Saturday nights has been hailed a success by Aberdeen City Council and Grampian Police.
It involved moving taxi ranks off side streets and the creation of three new ranks on Union Street which operated from 11pm until 5am at weekends.
According to Grampian Police there were no violent incidents at the new ranks, which benefit from improved lighting and CCTV coverage. The wider pavement space also means there is less jostling than on the narrow side streets. Members of the public told officers patrolling the city centre that they felt safer at the new ranks.
Councillor Martin Greig, chairman of the Aberdeen Community Safety Partnership, said: "I am pleased the ranks were well received and worked well.
"There are times at night when the city centre can be an intimidating place. Substantial efforts are being made by Grampian Police, Aberdeen City Council and businesses to try to work together in partnership and make it a pleasant and sociable place to visit.
"Getting home safely is an essential part of a visit to the city centre at night. The new ranks and use of marshals are important to enable better and more orderly queuing for taxis. The consequence of making it safer to queue for taxis is that more drivers will come to the ranks and queues will then be able to disperse as quickly as possible.”
Clr Greig added: "I hope the new ranks will fit in well with all the improvements we are trying to make to enhance public safety in the city centre. The ranks will make the city centre a more vibrant place, but above all a safer environment so that everybody can go about their business in an enjoyable and peaceful way."
The Union Street ranks – which were placed close to busy ranks and are situated at St Nicholas Kirkyard (Back Wynd and Hadden Street ranks), opposite Dee Street (Dee Street rank) and outside Soul Bar (Chapel Street rank) – were created and located in consultation with the taxi trade, which was largely supportive of the move.
Aberdeen Taxi Group chairman Russell McLeod said: "Aberdeen Taxi Group is very supportive of this move. We think moving taxi ranks onto Union Street on the busiest nights of the week is a good idea, both for public and driver safety."
Constable Ally McIvor, of Grampian Police's City Centre Unit, said: "The introduction of night-time ranks covering the length of Union Street produced a positive reaction among the public. These ranks provided a safer, more controlled environment compared to the sometimes volatile queues at previous locations, such as Chapel Street.”
His colleague, Sergeant Cammy Preston, added: "Though early days, it is pleasing that there were no incidents of violence at any of the new night-time taxi ranks. With the location of the new ranks affording greater police presence, with the use of transport marshals, better CCTV and improved lighting, we are hopeful of sustained improvements.
"It was noted that the queues appeared to clear more quickly than normal, and this also helped to reduce the potential for trouble. The feedback to our officers from members of the public was that they also felt safer."
Sgt Preston added: "From a road safety perspective, we were aware of a number of taxi drivers performing U-turns in Union Street and given the time of night and the number of revellers crossing the roads under the influence of alcohol, this is something we will look to address with the various taxi firms."
The Union Street ranks were deliberately placed close to junctions to give drivers a wide choice of directions for drivers.
The new ranks on Union Street provide space for 20 taxis. Drivers can also pick people up on Union Street and other streets, provided they are at least 50 metres away from the ranks.
The side street ranks are out of commission while the Union Street ranks are in operation and the no waiting restrictions there apply to taxi drivers as well as other motorists.
Source; aberdeencity.gov.uk
AND ALSO;
One cabbie tells how he had to drive around wasting fuel because there was no space
Taxi Drivers Brand New Ranks In Union Street a ‘shambles’
15th September 2008
Taxi drivers in Aberdeen continued their scathing attack on the city’s new rank system on Saturday night, with one branding the safety measure “shambolic”.
It comes after drivers in the city gave the initiative a resounding thumbs down on Friday – the launch night of the scheme.
And the mood was no different during Aberdeen’s busiest night of the week with cab drivers reporting confusion at the ranks.
The move is part of council plans to improve safety in the city centre at weekends. Taxis will now queue on Union Street every Friday and Saturday night in ranks which are supervised by transport marshals.
The three new ranks operate from 11pm-5am on both days, while the other city-centre ranks will be closed during these times.
Between these times, a rank will be in place on the south side of Union Street outside Soul Bar, with two on the north side near St Nicholas Churchyard and Dee Street. They are monitored by marshals supplied by Aberdeen City Council.
The scheme has been welcomed by Grampian Police Chief Superintendent Albert Donald who called it a “positive step forward”.
It was also backed by Russell McLeod, chairman of Aberdeen Taxi Group.
But speaking from his car on Saturday night, Alan Norval, who led a fight back over fees facing taxi drivers at Aberdeen Airport, described it as a “shambles”.
The 53-year-old, who works for Granite City Taxis, said: “Aberdeen wants to be seen as this green city and here we are with dozens of taxis just driving around looking for space on the new ranks.
“There is simply not enough space. We had 74 spaces on the old weekend ranks now we have 20 on Union Street – the busiest street in Aberdeen and on the busiest night of the week. I had to pack it in at 1am on Friday night instead of six because I couldn’t get space on the ranks. I was just driving round wasting fuel. And twice tonight I was told by police to move off the rank at Sole bar because I was too far back. It’s just shambolic.”
Another taxi driver said the new arrangement was a “nightmare” and suggested the council improve lighting near the old ranks.
John McDonald, 33, of Westhill Cabs, said the lack of space for taxis was a problem but welcomed moving the ranks to Union Street.
Nathan McKenzie, 19, one of the marshals, said there had been some confusion but put this down to it being the scheme’s opening weekend.
Source; The Press and Journal
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