Taxi Driver Online

Waiting taxi drivers in city may soon have to turn off engines after air pollution concerns

Taxi drivers could be forced to switch off their engines while waiting for fares as a condition of having a licence after concerns were highlighted about rising air pollution in Cambridge.

Frustrated residents and councillors shared their views at a Cambridge City Council south area committee meeting earlier this week – after the issue of fumes emitting from waiting taxis was mentioned in the meeting's public forum.

The concerns come after the News revealed that air pollution in January this year was more than twice as bad as New York, according to data from the World Air Quality Index.

In the meeting's public forum, resident James Woodburn said: “I would like to see waiting taxis and buses in this area switch off their engines when waiting for fares.

“I know that 25 per cent of air pollution is caused by vehicles and a significant part of that comes from waiting taxis and buses.

“Sometimes buses and taxis wait for an awful long period of time [with their engines on].

“I understand they want to maintain the heat of the taxi – but that is totally unreasonable for the rest of us all who have to suffer illness from the pollution they generate."

Cllr Rob Dryden acknowledged Mr Woodburn's views, and said he had seen enforcement officers ask waiting taxi drivers to turn off their engines in the past – especially on St Andrew's Street.

However, Mr Woodburn then questioned whether simply asking taxi drivers was enough, and suggested some action to compel them to do so.
Cllr Tim Moore said: “My chest is very sensitive to diesel fumes but I'm not sure what we could do apart from impose a bylaw.

“Where I live there are lots of taxi vehicles waiting for hire and a phone call, but while they're doing that they are sat [with their engines on] polluting the environment."

Cllr Russ Mcpherson said the discussion may be better for the city council's licensing committee, and asked Mr Woodburn to put this to them.

He said: “Perhaps the committee could consider taxi drivers turning their engines off while waiting to be a condition of having a taxi licence."

Cllr Nicholas Avery asked Mr Woodburn to fill out an 'action form' to see if there is anything the committee could do to ensure waiting taxi drivers switch off their engines.

Read more at http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/taxi-dr ... KxBr4SK.99

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

we had a letter from the council saying we had to turn off our motors while sitting in the rank, so , what do we do in winter then ? fooking freeze? fook em

once again a long thread for no reason come on mate

taxi drivers in city may soon have to turn off engines ( title)

read more here
no idea why you do it mate tbh

well it could never happen here because there is no way for our council to enforce it and drivers do sit on the rank with their engines running either for aircon in summer or heat in winter for 30 40 minutes or more if trade is slow

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

The mush with the suggestions, and anyone else needs to get some numbers to back up what they are saying.

Yes emissions reductions is a good thing, but all I ever see are assumptions from tree huggers and the like.

Let's see the science, not the lefty green s*** that always pops up when cars are the target for the day.

Of course if cars could get around towns and cities a lot easier, without all the 20mph and bike lane rules, then our engines would run smoother and cleaner, and science backs that up.

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IDFIMH

I have a better solution to this.

Ban All cars and force the travelling public to use the Taxis.

Pollution will be down rapidly !

Especially if they also force all taxis to change to electric vehicles

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

I think that you are all jumping the gun on this topic!

If you read in between the lines Councillors Avery, Moore, and McPherson, have basically passed the buck back to the resident who has raised the issue. So, unless the resident concerned has got the staying power of a battering ram - then all he will get is lip service.

Unfortunately whilst you do have a problem in London,Beijing, Calcutta and other major Cities, it is the rest of these countries minor Cities/Towns/Villages who also get dragged into the problem, even though they do not have one. One of the last clean air write ups that I read stated that Cardiff (population 330,000 ish) does not have a problem! My point being is; Why are the rest of the country being dragged into this situation when it is being caused by highly driven money places i.e London. We get an area like London (9 million + population) being used as an example of high pollution.....and the rest of the country has to fall in to line - it is needless bureaucracy.

First and foremost they would have to do a clean air survey and not just act on the complaint of one person. Cambridge with a population of just over 120,000 ish will more than likely not have a problem......drivers freezing their nuts off will.

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Common sense........is just not that Common.

All academic really.

Leave your engine running and you are breaking the law.

RTA 1988 Section 42. Fixed penalty. Bus, Car, Taxi, PH. If it has an engine, if it is idling, £20.00 fixed penalty.

All the LA would have to do is enforce primary legislation.

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Chris The Fish

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

1) What constitutes being parked?

2) What constitutes having your engine running "Unnecessarily"?

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

sitting on the rank reading a book or playing on your laptop/tablet or Iphone with the engine running surely

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

To my way of thinking (the law may see it differently), if you are sat in your car/cab you are not parked (you are waiting). Parked to me is walking away from your vehicle and leaving it. Leaving the engine running "Unnecessarily" is having it running for no reason! Keeping warm/alive is so necessary and a damn good reason, on that basis I do not see it being unnecessarily running. If it were say a pleasant spring day with neither a high or a low temperature, then I would classify that as unnecessary. I am just looking at an interpretation/argument that might be plausible.

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Common sense........is just not that Common.