Taxi Driver Online

A rare piece from the Rutland & Stamford Mercury - it's obviously all happening in Stamford

Parking in Star Lane 'taxi rank' results in 80 tickets

https://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/ ... s-9065782/


Image: Rutland & Stamford Mercury

Public parking spaces that become a taxi rank on Fridays have been branded a 'big earner' for Lincolnshire County Council.

Eighty parking tickets have been issued to people misusing the spaces on Star Lane, Stamford since the start of this year.

Town councillor Harrish Bisnauthsing (LibDem)claims the spaces are effectively 'a trap' because they are free for people to use six days a week, but only taxis are allowed to park there on Fridays when the market covers the Broad Street taxi rank.

Coun Bisnauthsing said: "Taxis are not always using the Star Lane parking spaces, and so when drivers see they are empty on a Friday, they park there perhaps assuming that the normal rules apply.

"My guess is that it is the council's biggest earner, in terms of places where people receive parking tickets in Stamford."

Coun Richard Davies (Con), executive member for highways and transport at Lincolnshire County Council, said:“The signage is deemed to be clear and suitably placed to draw the attention of a motorist, and complies with legal requirements.

"The signage is bright yellow and the bay has a thick yellow line running through it, highlighting to motorists that restrictions are in place.

"In the past we have received numerous complaints from taxi drivers advising that they cannot use the taxi rank as other vehicles are parked there.”

County council income from parking tickets issued in Stamford for the 2018/19 financial year totalled £117,480.30 to March 25.

Earlier this month, The Mercury reported that of the penalty charge notices issued in Stamford, a third of disputed fines were overturned after drivers appealed against them.

I would love to see the road markings/signage for this one.

As I'm 100% certain it wont meet the requirements laid down by the DfT.

_________________
IDFIMH

I have just looked on google maps and the markings are as you would expect for a normal parking place and not a taxi rank.

_________________
Grandad,

Then it's not a taxi rank.

_________________
IDFIMH

As I've been saying for years the problem is this is sited just too conveniently for people the signage is clear and the rank IS marked with a thick yellow line in accordance with DOT rules

PEOPLE JUST WON'T READ THE SIGNS

On an average Friday about 100 to 200 cars are moved on by taxi drivers warning motorists that they will get a ticket

This rank needs full time stewards from 8am to 6pm on a Friday but that will never happen

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

completely wrong the biggest "trap" are the 1 hour limited bays on broad street which probably get 10 to 20 tickets a day issued

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

so £2800 out of £117480 was from the taxi rank that's just 2.38 percent

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

Sounds very like out own main night rank, which operates seven days, but only from 6pm. Road markings are conventional limited stay parking, so can see why some people get confused. And rank only covers half of the street, adding to the confusion. There's also a parking meter half way up the rank bit, which not only encroaches onto the rank itself but also adds to the impression that it's *not* a rank. And there's a loading bay marked around half way up the street as well

And very little in way of enforcement.

Having said that, some people simply ignore the signs, and just park on the rank anyway, and know that chances of getting a ticket are effectively non-existent.

Other people are just careless, such as the many tourists and visitors to the town. I mean, if you park slap bang in the middle of a town's busy shopping street you should be aware that parking is unlikely to be unrestricted, even in the evening/nighttime, but they know that by the evening these things aren't really enforced anywhere, and it's effectively a free for all.

A couple of things that stick in the mind illustrate some of the attitudes.

Recall a few years ago a woman had pulled up to park on the rank. This was right beside clear signage. I asked her to move, and pointed to the sign. She said that she couldn't see any sign, so I pointed to it. "Oh, I haven't got my glasses with me", she replied Never worked out whether she was just being deliberately awkward or genuinely couldn't see the signs - would believe either.

More recently, a couple of cleaning ladies arrived to clean the betting shop half way up the street. When I pointed out that it was a taxi rank the response was: "What you've got to understand is that you don't own the road"

Of course, I would have responded that I don't think I *own* the road, but...

But what's the point with people like that?

NEITHER DO THEY !!!!

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

Indeed!

But suspect their point was that the spaces are effectively first-come, first-served, rather than reserved for any particular users. Like taxis

On the rank featured above there are MORE signs than legally required and when we "show" them to people they still think they say they can park

it would be clearer if the bottom sign said except fridays instead of sat to thurs

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

Yes, and to be fair, signs here broadly similar, and can see why some people find them confusing. But our rank also contains additional signs which are quite explicit.

I'll include the exact wording once I get further up the rank

Our signs say:

Stand for 10 taxis

These spaces are
for Taxis Only
between 6pm & 8am

Lettering is about the same size as the standard signs in the Stamford photo above. So easy enough to read, but you still get people parking right beside the signs.

It's all about the money, if there's a way to make money the councils will find it.

but the councillor is advocating not issuing tickets and giving motorists cart blanch to abuse the rank

I have emailed the newspaper editor with some less biased and wider ranging statistics we'll see if it gets published

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