Taxi Drivers

[bramley13]

i remember arrow private hire when they had 7 cars.i drove for the best firm in horsforth 5 star it was called,anyone remember that firm?i had a smile yesterday, a so called private hire driver,pulled up and asked were his base was.yeadon dont have many firms,and regal taxi base is easy to find,so i carnt see him getting a long way.but if you drive the public about,it does help if you know where you are going.we didnt have sat navs when i was a private hire driver,just an A to Z,thats if we got lost at all.i got an amber car last year from rodley to yeadon,the driver asked where yeadon was lol, then tried to overcharge me.its too easy to pass the test and get a badge.its strange

[chameleon]

bramley13 wrote: i remember arrow private hire when they had 7 cars.i drove for the best firm in horsforth 5 star it was called,anyone remember that firm?i had a smile yesterday, a so called private hire driver,pulled up and asked were his base was.yeadon dont have many firms,and regal taxi base is easy to find,so i carnt see him getting a long way.but if you drive the public about,it does help if you know where you are going.we didnt have sat navs when i was a private hire driver,just an A to Z,thats if we got lost at all.i got an amber car last year from rodley to yeadon,the driver asked where yeadon was lol, then tried to overcharge me.its too easy to pass the test and get a badge.its strange I used Arrow on contract for work for several years and they were not too bad, just a little too far out which made the costs rather high.Someone mentioned there should be somewhere for these guys to park up and wait for calls - they already do all around town and the airport. Easy to spot where, just look for a mountain of empty plastic bottles, drinks cans and containers of half eaten take-aways on the paths and pull-ins you'll have found the spot!

[tyke bhoy]

I have just emailed LCC highways with this tyke bhoy wrote: I found this email address on the taxi rank provision page of LCC web site. Please forward appropriately if this is not the correct address.I understand there is now a surplus of cars on the streets of Leeds City Centre due to the new private owners of Leeds/Bradford airport giving exclusivity to a Private Hire Firm.This in the last 12 months or so has led to a nuisance being caused on Boer Lane as it appears Leeds Station is regarded as the most lucrative taxi rank.In the first instance the nuisance was mainly to traffic continuing eastbound on Boer Lane past Mill Hill although obstruction of that traffic regularly caused tailbacks into city square disrupting traffic trying to turn right into Mill Hill also.Instead of tackling the nuisance i.e. the taxis causing an obstruction to the highway, the traffic island housing the right turn filter traffic signal for Mill Hill was removed and over a period of time box junction markings and a Zebra crossing with Belisha beacons were put in place. This meant that the inside (eastbound) lane of Boer lane was cleared of queuing taxis but transferred the problem and others onto traffic wishing to use the outside right filter lane.Other problems include it being law (enshrined in the highway code) that wherever possible traffic should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross on a zebra crossing. This is a major pedestrian thoroughthare in the middle of a very large city and it is therefore very rare between the hours of 7.00am and 11.30pm for there not to be pedestrains either on or at the edge of this crossing. Right turning traffic is therefore regularly breaking the law as the only thing that prevents it being possible to giveway to pedestrians is the speed and proximity of a vehicle to the crossing. Obviously in this location it is very rare to have enough speed to prevent a vehicle from stopping safely especially as it need to turn right and through a box junction.The major problem though is that access to turn right is severely limited and regularly requires the "dangerous manoeuvre of travelling the wrong way on the westbound section of Boer Lane intended to give access to Lower Basing hall Street. .The attached photo shows what is a regular occurrence certainly between 4.00 and 6.00pm on weekdays and was taken at 4.45pm on Tuesday 14th.It is also worth noting that it is mainly bus traffic that is being delayed with obviously detrimental effect to their schedules, hardly conducive to promoting use of public transport. I understand that LCC holds regular liaison meetings with the Bus Operators so I will be lobbying their Customer Services to ask that this nuisance be dealt with and will be posting this evidence on public Leeds forums so that others can be aware.     

[chameleon]

Well said tyke bhoy. I have watched the lights sequence go through many changes including the right filter into New Station Street - and nothing move. Surely it can not be acceptable morally if not legally to stand on the Highway awaiting a space in the Taxi Rank? Imagine what would happen if moptorists simply stopped in the middle of the road for 10 - 20 minutes, waitong for another vehicle to vacate a parking bay - I'm sure that severe action would soon be forthcoming!Do busses make this right turn to the Station - I.m guessing not; I wonder how any unwtitting taxi passengers destined for the Station end up in that queue.I'm afraid that Leeds Station does little to encourage the use of trains, or public transport in general. We recently took my very elderly Mother in law to catch a train. The nearest disabled parking was behind weatherspoons with a walk of some 150 meters to the platforms - she was unable to make it and a wheel chair had to be found. Of course, requiring assistance for the whole journey to the barrier as well as to board the train meant the drop-off point could not be used. Even with her Blue Badge, I paid an extortionate figure to park simply to accomplish this task. How that is reconciled with the Discrimination act, I can not see.

[tyke bhoy]

chameleon wrote: Well said tyke bhoy. I have watched the lights sequence go through many changes including the right filter into New Station Street - and nothing move. Surely it can not be acceptable morally if not legally to stand on the Highway awaiting a space in the Taxi Rank? Imagine what would happen if moptorists simply stopped in the middle of the road for 10 - 20 minutes, waitong for another vehicle to vacate a parking bay - I'm sure that severe action would soon be forthcoming! Not half!! chameleon wrote: Do busses make this right turn to the Station - I.m guessing not; I wonder how any unwtitting taxi passengers destined for the Station end up in that queue. I think one or two of the busses that terminate in City Square/Park Row probably do as I have seen the occasional bus turn right but New Station Street is mainly for East to West routes.The image I posted isn't that clear. From memory the car trying to pull into the inside lane was private hire. The one car between it and the bus was the only eastbound non cab on view with about 20 taxis. It took nearly 5 minutes for the bus I was on to advance far enough so it could pull on to the wrong side of a two way street and bypass the queue

[dogduke]

I think New Station Street belongs to Network Rail,it and the front of The Queens etc.is police by British Transport Police.Not all of the problems are the council's.Last time I was in the area large plastic blocks had been put injust inside N.S.Street which has eased the problem of queuing taxisblocking the junction.

[tyke bhoy]

The problem is beyond New Station Street. The taxi's don't block new station street but they do block Boer Lane in both directions when they queue beyond new station street. As Chameleon points out if these were private cars they would soon be moved on probably with a fine but taxi drivers seem to be exempt from retribution for obstructing "the Queen's highway"

[chameleon]

tyke bhoy wrote: The problem is beyond New Station Street. The taxi's don't block new station street but they do block Boer Lane in both directions when they queue beyond new station street. As Chameleon points out if these were private cars they would soon be moved on probably with a fine but taxi drivers seem to be exempt from retribution for obstructing "the Queen's highway" I was always under the impression the New Station Street was a public highway which was a practical place to drop off people for the station and in particular of course, those with mobility problems. Following the station's revamp the road was suddenly a no-go area - was it given/sold to BR? Closing this thoroughfare to legitimate station users can be seen as favoring taxis and buses and may well be a form of discrimination.

[tyke bhoy]

I have my doubts that New Station Street is a private road but there are plenty of examples in Leeds of public roads being restricted access to private motor vehicles. the first two the restriction is prohibited for at least most of the dayPark Row from Greek Street to City Square is from early morning (06.00?) to late night (23.30?)The Headrow from Albion street to Upper Basinghall street 24/7/365The above examples regularly have Police pulling up errant motorists.Then there are others that are access only other than bus and taxis. Vicar Lane, Eastgate to Kirkgate both ways. Infirmary Street........................It is not discriminatory it is to encourage use of public transport by making it less convenient for car users and therefore reducing congestion and late running bus services

[chameleon]

tyke bhoy wrote: I have my doubts that New Station Street is a private road but there are plenty of examples in Leeds of public roads being restricted access to private motor vehicles. the first two the restriction is prohibited for at least most of the dayPark Row from Greek Street to City Square is from early morning (06.00?) to late night (23.30?)The Headrow from Albion street to Upper Basinghall street 24/7/365The above examples regularly have Police pulling up errant motorists.Then there are others that are access only other than bus and taxis. Vicar Lane, Eastgate to Kirkgate both ways. Infirmary Street........................It is not discriminatory it is to encourage use of public transport by making it less convenient for car users and therefore reducing congestion and late running bus services Even though New Station Street has the appearance of a public highway, the signage clearly negates the benefits of it being so, I believe it to be in the control of BR.The roads you mention are within the 'public transport box'. Originally these were wholly restricted but a degree of latitude was introduced, taking a lead from places like York for example, allowing general traffic to use the routes after 10.00pm. A for the Headrow being restricted - so hard to believe this is still so, I'm inclined to ask when it was reopened for all!.Public transport is not a one size fits all - there are many who are for one reason or another unable to use it entirely. I've no desire to encourage a long debate on disability discrimination here, simply I point out that those with some difficulties but wishing to use the train for the greater part of journey do not find encouragement with the present arrangements