Taxi Driver Online

When I was a controller, without doubt, the worst driver were the ones who relied on satnav.
Satnav should be an aide to the driver, not the be all and end all.

The main problem with satnavs are the drivers that follow them blindly.

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stressed controller!!!

Open Letter

Proscription of SatNav Devices in BANES Licensed Vehicles


Dear Councillor Dixon,
The proposition before your Council (BANES) that SatNav Devices are to be banned in your Licensing Area in the near future was discussed in depth at our Regional meeting held on Tuesday 19th November 2013.

Bath Taxi Association (BTA) were represented by Mr Robin Hollingdale and he clarified what was understood of the proposition, several of the other Delegates also had looked into the situation prior to the meeting. Discussion followed and whilst it was not put to a resolution, and R8 NTA does not have the power to set a National Policy, the feeling of the meeting was as follows:

The Committee felt that positioning of anything in the swept area of the windscreen is to be actively discouraged and is therefore supportive of the current enforceable legislation. Provision of vehicles with inbuilt SatNav equipment is becoming more and more prevalent and such systems are not screen mounted and are therefore fully legally compliant.

SatNavs, if banned, could end up being much more dangerous by being used surreptitiously, they are for example, already available in wristwatches and virtually no mobile phone is without the facility. To this end it is considered that BANES are attempting to “Shut the Stable Door after the Horse has bolted”. Would a passenger be safer if a Driver glanced at a properly sited SatNav, studied a wristwatch or even consulted a book format A to Z, so taking his attention from the Road?

Local Authorities are at liberty to set the Topographical Knowledge tests at the level that they consider necessary and a fine line exists between being so onerous that no new Drivers are ever recruited and so lax that no new Drivers can negotiate the Licensing District in a professional manner. Unfortunately BANES have slightly painted themselves into a corner on this possibility by issuing only a combined Taxi/PH Licence. Consultation of the DfT publication “Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing: Best Practice Guide” (March 2010) (Current)(Link,), shows at paras 75 and 76 that PH levels of Topographical Knowledge can be set at a lower standard than that for the Taxi Driver. (Note 1.)

The “Knowledge” sensibly required of a Taxi Driver is backed up by the use of a SatNav and is not a replacement for it. On occasion Passengers ask for a Postcode as a destination and in this scenario a SatNav is a necessity not a nicety. Minor roads may be visited by Drivers rarely or even never, passengers often ask for their destination and add that it is off a more major thoroughfare which will be known by the Driver, on approach the SatNav simply shows whether it is the eighth, ninth or tenth turning for example.

The SatNav is preferable to the dog eared AtoZ favoured by our predecessors in the trade, though there is still a place for that venerable publication in the Taxi world.
The overview of the Regional Committee in a nutshell is therefore that BANES is supported in its efforts in so far as safety is concerned, windscreens must not be obscured. The total prohibition of modern SatNav equipment is however, strongly objected to.

In your subsequent discussion with the Bath Delegate, Mr Robin Hollingdale, we think that the NTA R8 position was not made perfectly clear for you, as you erroneously claimed on BBC Radio Bristol the following morning that you had the support of Region 8 of the National Taxi Association. This was correct only in the part directly concerning safety. It is understood that it was not a deliberate error on your part.

You are aware that yours is the only Authority that has proposed this condition and so the National Taxi Association has not needed, nor indeed debated a position on this issue. Region 8 has requested that our Regional Director take the steps required so that the NTA have policy put into place as soon as possible. We will of course keep you appraised.

Finally it must not be forgotten that the Law Commission are in the process of renewing all Taxi and Private Hire Legislation. Their work is not complete but your attention is drawn to the interim statement that they produced earlier this year. The document is the only clear notification of the intentions of the Commission. This statement, (available here) is clear at para 12 that standard setting for the Private Hire Trade will be removed from Local Authority control. This, if it goes through the relevant stages in the Houses of Parliament and receives Royal Assent unchanged, will negate much of the BANES proposal. At Para 18, a Taxi Driver aggrieved at ban on his or her use of navigational aids will find it far more practical to challenge the Local Authority imposing such a prohibition than at present. As a result much time and money may be wasted by implementing an unwarranted change in the lead up to the new Taxi and Private Hire Primary Legislation.

Christopher R Wildman.
Secretary.

Note 1.
The BTA would like the opportunity to be licensed in compliance with the 1847 Town Police Clauses Act only.
The separate Licence for Private Hire Drivers in accordance with the 1976 Miscellaneous Provisions Act should be also available separately and may be held alongside the Taxi Licence if required by individual applicants.
Both Licences should be made available for a period of three years, as preferred in the guidance quoted, this would, and should, result in financial savings for the licensees and a significant saving of time for BANES Officers charged with issuing Licences.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

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IDFIMH

How many farms are there on Gaddesby Lane and do they have names and did the passenger know the name of the farm or was it any ole farm will do?

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

As I stated, there are 4 different Gaddesby Lanes and they all have many farms on them. We are a farming community. He did not have the name of the farm, just Gaddesby Lane and the post code.
In a lot of cases people can give you the name of the farm and not the road or even the village. For instance if they were to ask for Lodge farm, there must be at least 20 different lodge farms in the Borough and many are on unnamed lanes. The post code and a satnav are the best wasy to find such places.

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Grandad,

Taxi drivers' group backs Bath council satnav ban

Taxi drivers' group backs Bath council satnav ban



David Dixon with taxi drivers Colin Butler and Rob Hollingdale


An association of Bath taxi drivers in Bath has supported council proposals to restrict the use of sat-navs.

Bath and North East Somerset Council has proposed a ban to improve the knowledge of drivers as well as the safety of passengers.

However, drivers would still be able to use them outside B&NES, and in special circumstances, for instance when they don’t recognise an address or are just given a postcode.

Chairman of Bath Taxi Association Rob Hollingdale said drivers had a good relationship with the council, and supported the proposals.

He said: “A Bath taxi driver doesn’t need a sat-nav to cross Bath.

“The majority of drivers agree with this decision.

“If you use sat-navs too much you start to rely on them, rather than learning where things are.”

Council cabinet member Councillor David Dixon (Lib Dem, Oldfield) said drivers should know their way around their local area.

However he said council officials would be flexible, with drivers found using a sat-nav asked to explain why

Mr Dixon said: “We have an excellent working relationship with taxi drivers. They agree with what we are saying about sat-navs.

“Sat-navs do not always show the best route, and do not make you aware of traffic issues at different times of the day, something that drivers should be aware of.”

Members of another group, region eight of the National Taxi Association, say it is important that the council’s policy is flexible.

It agrees that sat-navs on a windscreen that block views pose a safety issue, but says they should not be banned.

A spokesman said: “The overview of the regional committee is that B&NES is supported in its efforts in so far as safety is concerned, windscreens must not be obscured, but the total prohibition of modern sat-nav equipment is however, strongly objected to.”

He added: “On occasions passengers ask for a postcode as a destination and in this scenario, a sat-nav is a necessity not a nicety.

“Minor roads may be visited by drivers rarely or even never, passengers often ask for their destination and add that it is off a more major thoroughfare which will be known by the driver.

“On approach the sat-nav simply shows whether it is the eighth, ninth or tenth turning for example.”


Read more: http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Taxi-dri ... z2lkbTLoVU

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

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

Why would you use a sat-nav if you know the address ?

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