Taxi Driver Online

Taxis to be allowed to use town's bus lanes


Taxi drivers will be able to drive in certain bus lanes around Watford after councillors voted through proposals to grant them privilege.

Hackney carriages, taxis with the Watford Borough Council crest on the side, will be allowed to drive in bus-only areas in the High Street, Station Road and St Albans Road, in the coming months.

Taxi drivers welcomed the move saying it will save money for customers by avoiding traffic queues and also free up drivers to do more jobs.

The borough’s cross-party Highways Joint Members Panel okayed the move on Thursday.

Shafiq Ahmed, the chairman of the Watford Hackney Carriage Drivers Association said cabbies had been pushing for the move for two years and thanked councillors for their support on the issue.

He said Hackney Carriages could drive in bus lanes in London and so it made sense to expand it to Watford.

Mr Ahmed said: “It is logical as it will make our service more efficient for the passengers and then drivers will be able to go on to their next job.”

At the meeting the proposals received wide-ranging support from councillors.

The new rules, which will come into effect in around six months, will allow hackney carriage drivers to use the High Street from Lower High Street that is currently bus only.

They will also be able to use the bus lane on Station Road between Watford Junction and St Albans Road and on St Albans Road between Bedford Street and Station Road. Liberal Democrat Jan Brown said hackney carriages needed to be able to use the bus lane in Station Road by Watford Junction Station as passengers end-up seeing their fares sky-rocket after getting caught in gridlock.

“I have been stuck there for 20 minutes before with a hackney carriage behind and seen people get out saying there’s been £6 on the clock while sat there and walk off.

“It’s desperately needed.

Lib Dem Andy Wylie added: “There is a high demand for taxis in Watford and we should be accommodating them as public transport.”


http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/9 ... bus_lanes/

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

And where was the PH trade reps fighting to gain access?

_________________
IDFIMH

Seems a bit pointless, unless she's saying it's a runner.

She has damn good eyes and ears as well.

_________________
Grandad,

Yep good trick that being able to see the meter in the taxi behind in your rear view mirror she wasn't supergirl in earlier years was she ?

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