TfL accused of 'burying failure' with PR announcement on protecting motorcyclists

Transport for London (TfL) has been criticised for ‘rushing out’ a PR release on protecting motorcyclists before a report condemning its failure to do so could be published.

In the last two years, a fifth of motorcyclists have been involved in a collision and two thirds have had near-miss accidents.

Last year motorcycle and scooter fatalities in London rose by a third, and between 2010 and 2014 the number of injuries increased from 4,337 to 5,233.

London Mayor Boris Johnson announced this week that TfL and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) plan to strengthen their joint motorcycle safety initiative, Operation Winchester, to help tackle the spiralling adverse trends.

Mr Johnson said: “We are stepping up our efforts to improve the safety of motorcyclists on our roads, and the measures we’ve outlined today have the potential to make a real difference.

“We need every single motorcyclist to feel safe on our streets and this work is key to that goal.”

But the London Assembly Transport Committee (LATC) has attacked the announcement, claiming it has only been made to overshadow a scathing report into TfL’s failures.

In a report published on Thursday (March 3), the LATC drew attention to the rise in serious accidents, and claimed this was due to a lack of attention by TfL.

LATC Chair Valerie Shawcross said: “During my time on the Transport Committee we have spent a great deal of time and effort ensuring TfL considers the needs of cyclists and pedestrians — now it is time for them to pay more attention to the safety of motorcyclists.

“It’s no coincidence that TfL rushed out a PR release the day before our report was published – they know they’ve not done enough to protect motorcyclists in London.

“I hope our investigation prompts them to act.”

The LATC found one of the main problems was inconsistency over when motorcyclists are allowed access to bus lanes.

Although TfL allows them to use the lanes on the roads it manages, many boroughs restrict access in their own areas.

The LATC also called for closer monitoring of Cycle Superhighway roads, more information as to why motorcycle accidents occur, and for more young people to be encouraged to join the TfL and MPS-led BikeSafe scheme.

Operation Winchester has so far increased enforcement at hotspot locations across London.

Over two phases in November 2015 and January 2016, police stopped 5,389 riders, issued 742 Traffic Offence Reports, 1,335 verbal warnings, seized 96 motorcycles and made ten arrests.

The least-safe boroughs will continue to be targeted

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Rickett, MPS Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “As an organisation the MPS is committed to

reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on London's roads each year and we work closely with our partners, Transport for London, to achieve this.

“Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable road users and our motorcycle safety team runs operations such as BikeSafe, to raise awareness of rider safety.

“These officers are themselves passionate about motorcycles and are able to explain their own experiences as motorcyclists on London's roads.

“All road users have a responsibility for road safety and I urge motorcyclists to take advantage of the BikeSafe and ScooterSafe-London to keep themselves and others safe on the roads.” 

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APPEAL ON BEHALF OF THE MET POLICE, FOR WITNESSES OF THE ARREST OF A ROBBERY SUSPECT

APPEAL ON BEHALF OF THE MET POLICE, FOR WITNESSES OF THE ARREST OF A ROBBERY SUSPECT IN WEST HALKIN STREET W1, around 23:45 4th MARCH.

Police from Charing Cross are looking to contact for two Taxi drivers who may have assisted/witnessed the arrest of a robbery suspect in West Halking Street at 23:45 last night, 4th March.

If you are one of these drivers, could you pleas email Taxi Leaks- taxileaks@mail.com -for details of how and who to contact.

TtT.

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THE TROUBLE WITH TOUTS : Letter To The Editor.

       Taken from the Mayor Of London's advert:

10 sexual assaults committed every month by illegal minicabs.

Almost the same again by TfL licensed ones. 

And that's just the ones that are reported. 60% of victims never report their attacks. 

Last year, 113 minicab drivers were arrested over serious sexually assaults, including rapes.

These are the statistics TfL and the Met don't want you to see.

Letter to the Editor:

The Met Police are understaffed and TfL are uninterested. So how do we tackle the threat from Illegal Touts?

Existing legislation and precedent already in place, is enough to deal with correct background checks, health check ups, proper insurance and capping.

The problem is, TfL are not up to the task.
But if the new Mayor of London is strong enough to shake up TfL and tell the Prime Minister to back off. Then these problems could be sorted with ease.

Touting is a real danger. Not just the theft of someone's livelihood, but the clear and present danger of sexual predators prowling the streets of London.

Police routinely check touts' vehicles for rape kits and weapons.
So it is accepted amongst the authorities that there are too many of these unsavoury characters out there.

Since the Government's austerity cuts and decimation of London's Emergency Services, there are not enough police to make much of an impression on London's tout epidemic.
So what is needed are proper deterrents.

The Met should charge touts with 'Kidnap'.
A tout enticing an inebriated female into his car with promises of getting her home, is not dissimilar to a paedophile enticing a child into his car with promises of sweets.
They are in effect attempting to kidnap them.

Charge touts with kidnap, and this endemic problem of the City and West End will be solved overnight.
Charge any doorman soliciting a crime, with aiding and abetting.
If it is the tout's second offence, or they are a registered sex offender, the sentence would be expected to carry some serious time.

Do we really have to wait for the wife or daughter of someone famous or in high office, to get attacked, before something is done.
Let's bolt the gate shut before the horse has noticed, this time around.

Lenny Etheridge
#DadsDefendingDaughters 

Watch the hard hitting investigation

How safe are Londons minicabs?

    

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Taxi and Private Hire law change will put women in danger

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TfL Board Meeting 03/02/2016 : Highlights and full video link.

Highlights:

Apparently, even though this board agreed a 1.6 tariff increase, Peter Anderson MD of Finance at Canary Wharf said "Taxis are just too expensive"

The Board wants an all embracing tariff review to take place within the next 12 months as by then according to Leon Daniels they will have more data to go on.

Peter Anderson then bought up the question of linking the CC machine to the meter. Leon Daniels agreed saying although their are some players in the market who can do this now, there are some who can't but are working to do this later. He said linking to meter should be mandated sooner rather than later.

Board member Peter Anderson said even though soon if us can afford to take taxis we don't cause they're too expensive. He was also heard to mumble  "if we want a cheaper ride, we can use Uber"

He went on to ask the question "are we here to protect the Taxi drivers income, our protect the public?

He also said, normally we should be protecting the public from a monopoly but in this case, the monopoly is broken.

Other topics:

Apparently the 20p rise to flag fall, to compensate us paying commission on CCs is only for 12 months.

If diesel drops to 72p then fares would be reduced by 40p per journey

Garret Emmerson explained that the 3% cap on CC charges was unnecessary as market forces would find an acceptable level.

Even though the 3% CC surcharge cap was scrapped, all their calculations and hypothesis is based on a 3% surcharge. Typical of the way TfL do business.

Leon Daniels said "the cost of clearing CCs is being shared by the customer, who will pay 20p and the driver, who will pay slightly more than that".

When questioned about what would happen if a customer was refused CC facilities on the grounds that the machine wasn't working, Garrett answered:

"If machine is reported to us as not working, the first thing we would do is pull the vehicle in for inspection".

Isabel Deadring said that their are players in the market offering between 1 to 2 percent surcharge, but failed to name them!!!

The legality of mandating was bought up but the board was told it was a matter to be discussed later in a private session. Wonder what it is they don't want made public about the mandate?

It should be noted that Bob Oddy (far left in the video) had absolutely nothing to say on this issue.

See full video below:

Worth watching from 43 minutes into the meeting. 

>Click Here<

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Statement From Len Martin, Chair Of UCG : Our Stance On Credit Card a Issue.

UCG Credit Card Stance

We have received numerous calls and enquiries lately about the Credit Card Mandating Issue we are facing. Some of you have asked about a meeting that is taking place tomorrow 230 Blackfriars Rd. We were invited to this meeting but have respectfully declined for the following reasons.

I agreed to go to this meeting because I was led to believe that we were going to push back against the implementation.

However Helen Chapman has issued an Agenda that cannot be deviated from due to the meeting room being booked and the meeting having to run to time.

We know that there will be questions from our members asking why we did not attend, to pre-empt this we are letting you know why we shall not attend tomorrow.

The agenda is all about how and when the mandation is implemented, Brackets, Approved suppliers, Signage etc... Not about halting the implementation pending a serious review.

I have declined the invitation to attend and here is my letter explaining why.....

****************

I have seen Helen Chapmans Agenda and it is clear we will not stray from this, there is nothing in this agenda that will satisfy my requirements to know how the issues of ignoring common law will be addressed.

In fact I am looking at an agenda of implementation timescales this was NOT what we agreed we required from TfL.

I will not be party to the implementation of something that I believe is not lawful and is not in the interests of the trade.

I must decline the invitation to attend this meeting as I cannot reconcile the agenda with my beliefs that this is not in the interests of the trade and will not give this my blessing by attendance.

You are surely not surprised at this stance? I have made it more than clear from the very outset that we cannot do this without the whole trade in agreement. This consultation was flawed from the start and skewed against our interests, I call for TfL to stop the implementation of this and go back to the trade and seek a mandate from the trade by conducting a proper consultation whereby every driver is written to with a return envelope and the responses collated by an independant arbiter.

I have stated this before and I will state this again, you will never put this issue to bed unless you do this.

If this is done and we are given a mandate by the drivers in a democratic way, then I will do all I can to assist in the implementation, if the drivers object then as driver representatives we have a duty to challenge this legally.

No one has spoken at all about the legality of this, you can't ignore this issue forever, it will come back and bite you.

I shall not attend and neither will any representative of the UCG attend a meeting to assist in the introduction of this process.

Len Martin

Editorial Comment :

This issue needs to be discussed fully by all concerned. If Chapman refuses to do this properly,  then all others orgs should boycott the meeting as well. 

This is a major issue that can't be sorted out over a quick cup of tea and a biscuit.

We've seen this tactic before when Helen Chapman thought she may be put on the spot. 

Remember the Taxi Trade Forum at Palestra, where we were told the time allowed for the meeting had to be cut short as the cleaners had to come in and clean the room. 

Helen and her team left promptly but we stayed behind for over an hour and a half....and no cleaners turned up. 

Just another example of woeful inadequacies from the LTPH general manager. 

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Taxi Drivers Successfully Flash Demo The London Transport Awards.

Londons Taxi Drivers Successfully Mounted A Flash Demo At Last Nights The London Transport Awards.

Last night the cab trade came together as one and held a flash demo at the London Transport Awards, being held at he Lancaster Hotel.

Drivers were showing their anger at TfL's refusal to recognise and enforce certain parts of the private hire act 1998. 

The police have continued to be aggressive in their negotiations with trade orgs wanting to demonstrate, threatening the organisers with arrest and issuing section 12 public order restrictions. In one case a demo in Victoria street by peaceful cabbies was limited to 30 minutes while a few days later marchers demonstrating on behalf of certain band terrorist organisations were allowed to demonstrate for many hours through Central London.

It is felt by the rank and file that the time for sticking to the rules and informing the police is over. Drivers have stated their preference for off the cuff flash demos. Last night, drivers proved how effective and disruptive this type of demo can be.

       

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