Exclusive Report : No one has been keeping a check on the extra emissions caused by the gridlock!

Yesterday afternoon, the TfL Twitter account @TfLTPH hosted a Tweet the Managers question and answer session with Nigel Hardy, billed as TfL's head of project sponsorship. 

We were told that Mr Hardy would be answering questions appertaining to the current upgrade of the capitals roads and Red Rout Network, including the Cycle Super Highway. 

It soon became apparent that Mr Hardy was not there to answer random queries and was actually hand picking questions that fitted with prepared statements completely avoiding controversy. 

Mr Hardy was bombarded with questions about the gridlock that has been forced on the East West routes along the embankment and the utter chaos surrounding the Elephant and Castle. He gave quite obvious answers saying it's all going to be great when completed. 

But he kept swerving the major question most drivers wanted an answer to. Why's in nothing being said about the extra pollution the empty buses stuck in the gridlock are producing.

Taxi Leaks side stepped Nigel Hardy (who never answered one of our many questions) and went straight to the experts. We asked @CleanAirLondon if there has been an increase in pollution since the start of these gridlock causing road works and we were flabbergasted by the reply. 

Apparently, no one is checking!

Now there's a surprise.

Air Pollution expert Prof Wilkinson today told the Commons EFRA that EU pollutant limits cannot be regarded as 'safe' levels.

Prof Williams went on to say that in the short term, using petrol or petrol hybrid cars will be significantly better than carrying on using diesel. 

No one at TfL or the Mayors office has answered our questions:

Why are LTC still selling Taxis with diesel engines? 

Why are the Taxi trade not being offered petrol gas?

Who is responsible for the decision to run London's buses purely on diesel, because the failing hybrid batteries were deemed too expensive to replace?

What is the significantly impact of expanding London's private hire fleet to 93,700, currently increasing by 600 every week?

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The Joint Ranks Committee Alleged Misinformation Over WinterWonderland Rank!

A couple of weeks ago, the Joint ranks committee, under the Chairnanship of the LTDA's Ruchard Masset, announced that after 12 months of negotiation, they had secured ranking facilities for the WinterWonderland event. The rank would be situated in Park Lane, opposite Brook Gate in a coach bay that would be suspended. 

We were told that no vehicles would be permitted to stop or wait on South Carriage Drive. 

But, Westminster Parking Services are now saying we been misinformed!

Drivers reported being issued parking tickets by Westminster wardens while sitting in the rank facility on Park Lane!!!

How can this be, you may well ask.

Surely this is a mistake on behalf of Westminster Parking Services?

When we asked the LTDA a few days ago about the tickets, they said it was just the result of an idiot warden....

They also to exception when we said that the whole ranking issue at WinterWonderland was a complete mess.

It now appears they (the LTDA) have it wrong, and the wardens are acting under instructions from Westminster Parking Services.

If Westminster's statement below is correct, then the joint rank committee, made up from the LTDA, LCDC and Unite have misinformed the trade and are totally liable.

Westminster council have just replied to a request for information from Taxi Leaks' special correspondent, about this situation saying:

   

Again this year the trade has been sold down the river by Westminster, the Royal Parhs and TfL at this event. 

Night after night drivers have reported seeing Private shire minicabs being directed into the exit of WinterWonderland by marshals, where they are being allowed to park up and wait for passengers. 

We have asked the LTDA to clarify the situation and if they, along with Unite and the LCDC will be paying the PCNs as they have misinformed the trade, which has led to the drivers receiving these penalty notices. As yet, we have no reply

We will provide space should the LTDA, LCDC or Unite like to make a statement about this situation.

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History repeating Itself...by I'm Spartacus.

Firstly let's nail the inevitable retorts about racism and Islamophobia.

We (or at least some of us did) reacted promptly when the 'killer on the knowledge' case broke, very few of us knew either the race or religion of the person concerned, just that we saw a gaping hole in TfL's systems and how the public are placed at risk.

It seems to have happened again, despite our continued concerns, we are batted away as a 'vested interest'.

Well it just don't wash.

The purpose of the KOL is to test character as well as topography and that's why the second tier of PH has needed to be pre booked so full records can be taken and the driver time to plan a route, yet TfL has licensed a method of PH operation that makes this impossible, why they did no one knows, even the operator states they don't pre book.

Of course the madman in Leytonstone would have done this regardless but it's certain that anyone who had been previously 'sectioned' should have come under scrutiny before being placed in a position of trust.

Many awkward questions for some to answer, it's just an absolute tragedy that someone innocent has had to be the catalyst.

Public safety is no place for muddle headed 'political correctness' or political influence.

We the citizens of London, Jew , Gentile, Muslim, Rastafarian  or whatever, DEMAND better.

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Letter To Editor : Re The Uber Drivers Leytonstone Attacker

It has been said that this story was trying to be kept under wraps but it was published quite prominently in the Daily Mail today and confirmed by Uber – that this alleged terrorist was an Uber driver. 

It would have made a sensational story if this driver had picked up a VIP (or an MP – though they’re not necessarily the same thing) and decided to carry out his attacking spree on someone in the public eye. That would have made the authorities put pressure on TfL to exercise greater care and control of whom it licenses.

Migrants like this do not get a DBS check so should never be allowed to hold a licence until one has been supplied. Anything less makes a complete mockery and undermining of the expensive and complex security system put in place to protect the public. Where are the safeguards in cases like this? 

This loophole should not exist but it is up to TfL to safeguard the public by using its discretion in vetting any such applications. This case proves they have ‘just cause’ to refuse any such licence application unless it is accompanied by a DBS background and criminal check. I’m sure many in our trade believe that they’re not very good at applying safety checks in more areas than this one.

Due to recent events the country is at a very high level of security alert, asking the public to be vigilant. This should also apply to TfL as to who gets licensed as a ‘responsible driver’ and meets all the safeguards. 

As things stand it appears TfL can be accused of failing the people of London – and/or aiding and abetting terrorists through lack of proper and stringent checks. We have to wait up to 4 months for a licence renewal (in part due to DBS checks) but those with a questionable background and a history of mental problems including drug-taking, can get a licence within weeks. 

There is something radically and dangerously wrong here. 

TfL should close this loophole with immediate effect by insisting that without a proper security and criminal background check, no-one can be licensed. We should demand nothing less. 

The public deserve better.

 

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TfL Taxi and Private Hire, Allow Illegal Ride Sharing App To Continue... by Jim Thomas

A few weeks ago, Taxi Leaks asked Dan on the TfLTPH Twitter account if he could give a link to the legislation that allows Uber to operate the new ride sharing Uberpool service attached to their smartphone app.

In typical TfL style, I got no reply. 

But today a reply was finally given to another driver, although not as comprehensive as I'd asked for.

In just a broad reply Dan said that the transport Act 85 permits ride sharing.....Unfortunately, Dan failed to point out that there are certain conditions which have to be adhered to with private hire undertaking shared rides with individual payments:

             Taken from the transport act 1985 on line.

The conditions state quiet clearly:

2)The conditions are that—

(a)all the passengers carried on the occasion in question booked their journeys in advance; and

(b)each of them consented, when booking his journey, to sharing the use of the vehicle on that occasion with others on the basis that a separate fare would be payable by each passenger for his own journey on that occasion.

I pointed this section out to Dan and relayed to him that Uber have stated on numerous occasions, that they don't do pre bookings. He completely ignored this and posted a tweet referring to the fact that UberPool only use licensed private hire vehicles and require the specific consent of each customer involved. 

I repeated my statement that each customer needs to be pre-booked and got this reply

It's just like when Admiral Lord Nelson put his patch over his good eye and said the immortal words "I see no ships".

We know TfL have bent over backwards to justify the fact that they licensed Uber in 2012 knowing full well they didn't comply with all the requirements necessary at that time. 

a) They have never taken pre booking

b) They initially never had a landline for booking, a requirement under the PHV act 1998.

TfL however continue to lie about the situation by repeatingly putting out this tweet:

My questions today are:

Why are our orgs allowing this behaviour to go unchallenged. 

Why are they not protecting the working practises of the drivers from whom they take money in the form of subscriptions. 

In 2012 our representative orgs sat back and did nothing about a PH company who was illegally issued with 12 licence variations (satellite office licenses), the same week they were licensed as an operator, without first waiting the require 12 months from initial licensing as an operator. 

This same company is now allowed by TfL, to turn up at certain venues around the city of London and set up private hire ranks, fed work by openly touting clipboard men. TfL and their compliance teams always turn a blind eye to this particular operator, as it would seem, do our representative orgs. 

They can't even say they didn't know about this issue, because I told them on many occasions.

Unless our orgs get off their backsides and start taking TfL to task, then the whole future of Licensed Taxis in London is in danger of dying out. 

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Leytonstone attacker was uber driver

Muhaydin Mire's brother Mohamed has told Channel 4 News of his sibling's history of drug taking and mental health issues and how he had bought his brother a ticket to fly home to Somalia at the weekend.

He also told Channel 4 News that before this incident happened his brother was "working as an Uber driver. He was doing a good job."

"He had drugs influenced on him. Just cannabis. It give him mental problem. Bit paranoia. He was diagnosed by a doctors and treated in 2007 for paranoia.

"He had mental issues. Mental problem. He was in hospital for three months in 2007.

Mohamed told Jon Snow how he came out of hospital and "got a bit better.

"He was working as an Uber driver and then he got back into the same thing and went a bit crazy. Started calling me and talking funny, funny.

"That started in August of this year. He started calling me up and saying odd things.

"Not radical, it's a bit like jumping around talking nonsense and sort of like talking saying he's seeing demons and stuff, people following him. Bit of paranoia.

'Tried to get help'

"I explained to the family the situation. They were aware of it. We tried to get him help. We tried to call the local authority, they could not help him because they said he's no harm to people and he's no harm to himself. 

"I talked to the police and they came and looked at him and that was 22 October. 

"And then I decided to move him out the country. I decided to book a ticket for him on this Sunday. He was okay as far as I know. He wanted to go."

  

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Elephant And Castle : Total Gridlock On First Working Day

The first working day of Elephant & Castle's new layout is hardly what you could call a success. 

From yesterday, the busy junction switched from dual roundabouts - infamous for the number of collisions and traffic jams it caused - to a two-way road for the first time in 50 years. The plan is designed to make the busy hub safer for all road users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists, and break up the gridlock.

Commuters have complained of travelling just 200 metres in 20 minutes, while others have warned that both cyclists and pedestrians are less safe than ever. 

Congestion has got so bad that Transport for London is accepting bus tickets on the Tube in zones one and two "due to serious delays" in the area. It warned that traffic was delayed by 25-30 minutes because of "ongoing roadworks". 

London Underground are accepting bus tickets around zone 1 & 2 due to serious delays around Lewisham, Elepant & Castle, Aldgate

What they said on Twitter today :

— TfL Bus Alerts (@TfLBusAlerts) December 7, 2015

Passengers caught in the chaos have warned others to "avoid Elephant and Castle at all costs". 

The following message received to avoid #ElephantandCastle at all cost due to #Traffic I would say avoid it at all time. Always traffic.

— SSam (@TW1T4R) December 7, 2015

Lol #ElephantandCastle that looks safe for cyclists now. Haha

— TheDutyPaid (@TheDutyPaid) December 7, 2015

Is the traffic on #camberwell rd a result of #ElephantandCastle roundabout? 20 minutes to go 200 metres.

— Rachael Parkman (@RachaelParkman) December 7, 2015

With the way this bus driver drives there's no way #cyclists are safe even with the new two way system in #ElephantandCastle

— Ana Henneberke (@anahenneberke) December 7, 2015

#ElephantandCastle And what's worse is there's nowhere to cross! They took the underpaths out! As if crossing the busy road is safer!

— Louisa (@sozzlefruit) December 7, 2015

All those lovely murals buried forever under the #elephantandcastle #rip

— Louisa (@sozzlefruit) December 7, 2015

Elephant & Castle is part-way through a £25m upgrade, which will also include new pedestrian crossings and a dedicated cycle path - though these won't be introduced until next year. 

         

 

Last week the junction created a "human busipede",with major jams bringing traffic to a standstill even outside of rush hour. 

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