Taxi Driver Online

Private Hire driver clocks up £1,800 Greenway fines in Edinburgh


Motorists are now fined £60 if they are caught in one of Edinburgh's Greenways

A private hire Hire driver has clocked up £1,800 in fines after being caught by the new bus lane cameras in Edinburgh.

The driver was caught 30 times in the two weeks since the new cameras were installed in the city's Greenways.

Edinburgh City Council said it would not waive the fines despite the city's black cabs being allowed to use the lanes for free.

The driver topped a table of 82 persistent Greenways offenders.

Another private hire driver was also caught 13 times in the two weeks since the £60 fines were enforced, meaning a £780 bill.

While another three private hire car were caught seven times, a further three six times each and one was clocked five times.

'Ordinary cars'

Only buses and black cabs are allowed to use the capital's Greenways in a bid to encourage commuters to use them rather than private cars.

An Edinburgh City Council spokesman said: "Bus use in Edinburgh is now around 35% higher than when bus lanes were first introduced in the mid 1990s and their success relies on ensuring only a limited number of vehicles can use them.

"Private hire cars (PHCs) are currently not allowed in the bus lanes and allowing them access would undermine their effectiveness.

"Other reasons include possible confusion among the motoring public as many PHCs look like 'ordinary' cars and this might encourage other motorists to use the lanes.

"There are also no restrictions on the number of PHCs in the city unlike black cabs whose numbers are controlled by the council."


source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-e ... e-18024875

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

Unlikely to be enforced as that would involve a test case defining what a taxi is in court with Woody and Gibby only to happy to foot the legal bill. Funny feeling these will be swept under the carpet without further mention of the subject.

Our only saviour would be the council/cab inspector deeming the non-paying offenders 'not fit and proper'....

The word "taxi" is already defined in the CGSA as

23(1) In sections 10 to 22 of this Act:-
“taxi” means a hire car which is engaged, by arrangements made in a public place between the person to be conveyed in it (or a person acting on his behalf) and its driver for a journey beginning there and then; and
“private hire car” means a hire car other than a taxi within the meaning of this subsection.
(2) In subsection (1) above, “hire car” means a motor vehicle with a driver (other than a vehicle being a public service vehicle within the meaning of section 1(1)(a) of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981) which is, with a view to profit, available for hire by the public for personal conveyance.
(3) Notwithstanding that a vehicle in respect of which there is a licence for its operation as a taxi is, on any occasion, engaged as a hire car otherwise than in the manner referred to in subsection (1) above, the enactments relating to its operation as a taxi and to the driving of it as such (including any such enactments in this Act) shall nonetheless apply in relation to it; and that other manner of engagement on that occasion shall not of itself cause the operation or driving of the licensed taxi to be regarded for the purposes of this Act as the operation or driving or a private hire car within the meaning of subsection (1) above.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Its all about Making the Council richer regardless of the Pain it'll cause the Driver...yeah, Fine him for one offence as a warning....but not for every offence as a brutish bullying punishment, these Cameras are relatively new, give the guy a break.

The cameras may be new, but the offence isn't.
I wonder how many times he committed it before the cameras started rolling

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Cameras are new bloodnock but there was also a 2 week breaking in period where offenders got a warning letter that they drove in the greenway yet the driver still chose to do it again.

I do think he'll get the fine reduced but not just to a one off payment. Maybe a couple of hundred

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Woodburn and Gibson have already taken legal advice and are more than happy to trot this, £1,800 in Greenway's fines, through the courts.

I'm pleased I'm just a Country Bumpkin, You townie types would need as many eyes as a spider to Spot all those different Bus Lanes, Cycle Lanes, Temporary One way Systems, Temporary road Closures, Trams, Inadvertently Parking in a Car Club bay, Hidden/lurking Blue meanies and bloody rickshaws!! Don't you just live in Dread of the Postman bearing a NIP?

No, I'll Dodge away happily flattening pheasants on the meandering hedge lined roads of rural sheepsville I think.

Blood why not just change to public hire, all you would need to do is change your plates over and fit a meter, the insurance should be the same, then like me you can use them up there

Simply because I like being PH...I can pick and chose more.

im willing to bet this is a set up
and it the consequences will be ph in greenways.

Alegidly it was on teletext over the last 2 or 3 days that the cameras have been suspended
This is due to another council feck up.
people who drive across the bus lanes to enter or leave there own properties have been fined allegedly these fines have now been quashed
Any Edinburgh drivers know anything else about this

Apparently ph are acting smug on the fact that none of the law flouting cases have been brought to court. I wonder what would actually be the outcome if the case were that a phc car hit and killed a pedestrian whilst going along princes st.

I would imagine the same as if a black cab did likewise.

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IDFIMH

Would the matter not have to be addressed that the phc was illegally using a greenway. And would its insurance then be void.?