Need A Good Laugh Read Camden Councils Plans For Pancras Road.

 

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse with TfL and their strong arm tactics, using the Met Police as muscle, along come the Lycra clad lunatics from Camden Council's planning department. 

If you want go see just how ridiculous these people with degrees can get, have a look at Camden's proposed new system for Pancras Road. 

They've even given themselves a get out clause if (when) it so goes tits up. 

Below is Camden's Plan: 

PROPOSED DROP OFF/ PICK UP, PANCRAS ROAD.

As you will be aware the King’s Cross area is developing at a rapid pace.  In 2007 St Pancras Station reopened to passengers.  Since then we have seen the redevelopment of King’s Cross Station and the rejuvenation of former industrial sites both to the north of and between the stations.

As a result of this, Pancras Road has seen a large increase in private car, taxi, coach, cyclist and pedestrian activity.  As the highway authority it is our responsibility to ensure the safety of all modes of transport using our road network. 

There are three areas outside the station which act as pick-up / drop-off points.  Two of these areas are located on either side of the Eurostar entrance (opposite Kings Cross Station) and the third one is located further north along Pancras Road.    

Council Officers have been working with Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police with regards to the issues resulting from the operation of these drop off and pick up bays.  Vehicles mainly use the parking bays nearest the Eurostar entrance, whilst bays further north along Pancras Rd are being under used.  This imbalance is causing unnecessary congestion close to the Eurostar entrance, to the southern section of Pancras Road.

Two minute parking restrictions (5 minutes for disabled bays) are in place to keep bays free and traffic flowing, however vehicles regularly overstay the maximum permissible time. 

Unfortunately additional vehicles often choose to double park instead of using the empty bays further along Pancras Rd, creating a safety hazard for pedestrians crossing the road and for cyclists travelling along Pancras Road, often also resulting in traffic congestion approaching from Euston Road.  In addition, a number of vehicles are performing U-turn manoeuvres exacerbating safety concerns to pedestrian and cyclists’ movements.

To help resolve the issues mentioned in this letter, we are proposing to make the first two areas immediately outside the Eurostar entrance a drop-off area only and make the third area to the north as a pick-up area only.

To ensure that vehicles use the drop off area to simply drop passengers off and then move on, we are proposing to introduce long slender traffic islands alongside the existing parking areas.  We believe that as vehicles enter the area they will be forced to move on quickly as they are likely to be followed by other vehicles either requiring the space to drop-off themselves or needing to exit.  The area will in effect be “self-enforcing” allowing for the efficient use of the available parking spaces.  Given that there will be only one point of entry and exit, the introduction of the traffic island will also make U- turning impossible, improving road safety in the area. 

The proposed changes are shown on the enclosed drawing.  We are also proposing the introduction of signage to direct drivers to designated pick–up and drop–off areas, as well as the short term car park located further north along Pancras Road.  If agreed, we are planning to implement the changes soon and use marshals for the first two weeks to ensure drivers understand and comply with the separate drop off and pick up areas.  

Initially we intend to draw up an experimental traffic management order to help us enforce these changes.  Experimental orders are used to allow the council to monitor the effect and change as necessary.  An experimental order lasts no more than eighteen months before they are abandoned, amended or made permanent.  This allows stakeholders to add further comments whilst the scheme is in place and we will make a decision over permanence at a later date.

We would welcome your views on our proposals, which should be received by no later than 20 March 2016.  Please use the details outlined above for your response or to contact us for any further queries you may have about the proposals.  We look forward to hearing from you.  All responses will be considered and Camden Council will take a decision on the proposals in June 2016. 

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AskPOB Credit Card Printer Survey Results.

 

AskPOB has conducted an independent survey to establish driver opinion on credit card payment printers used in licensed London taxis. AskPOB is an impartial third party, working in collaboration with trade organisations and groups, to reach as many drivers as possible and to understand how drivers would like credit card printers to feature in their working environment.

The consultation received 1030 licensed London taxi driver responses between 9pm 15 April 2016 and midnight 18th April 2016.

59 responses were removed due to:

•  duplicate entries

•  unlicensed London taxi driver entries

•  Insufficient or false data submitted

This report is an overview of the data collected.

 

AskPOB can generate a more comprehensive report cross-referencing all driver demographics collected with driver opinions. 

For full results please >CLICK HERE<

We now have to wait and see if TfL take any notice of this independent survey, or just impose what they had in mind anyway. 

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Press Release: Day 3 RMT/Dads Defending Daughters : Appeal & Direct Action :

Security Compromise: TFL and Camden Council are failing in their duty of care to the travelling public for not enforcing the ‘set down’ points at St Pancras Station

The World famous London licensed Taxi Trade actively opposes the violent action taken by other taxi services around the globe against those working from off-shore based app platforms. However, there is growing unrest, evidenced by drivers here on a daily basis.

A consequence of corporate influence on central government, combined with a complicit regulator has resulted in public safety being dramatically compromised. My colleagues and I, have on several occasions contacted Camden Council and TFL outlining the severity of the issue

Licensed taxi drivers are seeking assistance from the Metropolitan Police to erase traffic problems caused by Private Hire drivers using the ‘set down’ points as parking bays outside St Pancras International station.

The problem arises due to the obstructiveness caused by an increasing number of mini-cabs parked in the drop off bays situated on Pancras Road. Vehicles are often left unattended for prolonged periods of time. Most are working from app based platforms such as Uber. Parking in the bay's not only causing everyone else to double park, it exacerbates the traffic congestion along Euston Road. The accumulative impact on vehicles legitimately dropping off passengers but having to double park can be incredibly arduous for passengers needing assistance.

More seriously- and this cannot be emphasised enough- the terrorist attacks in Paris leading up to Christmas, highlighted a monumental lapse in security at London’s premier link through to Europe; to dismiss the area as a potential terrorist target would be foolish and potentially catastrophic.

Transport for London compound this risk by demonstrating that they are unable or unwilling to regulate the Private Hire Industry to even minimal standards. LBC’s recent expose highlighting just how easy it was to register a vehicle as a minicab without even the most basic checks, yet TFL continue to sell 700+ private hire licenses every week. Couple that with Uber’s policy of not being liable for the behaviour of the driver leaves passengers using this service (often unknowingly) at great risk. Consequently, we are just beginning to see the repercussions of deregulation, So far this year, there has been four Uber drivers convicted of sexual assault. All were in London

If the purpose of the U.K. government is for corporations to play the market as aggressively as possible, to the extent that not only our own health but the health of the travelling public is put in danger,then taxi drivers must protest against these economic entities (who consider rape victims as merely ‘collateral damage’) from being the eulogist of the rules by which we all live. If Camden Council and TFL continue to absolve themselves of a duty of care , then our appeal is for the Met to issue a Traffic Regulation Order restricting waiting to the usual two minutes?

Amendments made to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004), permitting drivers a grace period of up to ten minutes only applies to pay and display parking where the time printed on the ticket has expired. Further, Section 22C of part II of the Road Traffic Act specifies how the risk of terrorism can be used under various parts of sections 1 and 6 of the act to control parking. The Act should be enacted upon as the risk of terrorism in the area overrides the need for a grace period for drivers.

If the licensing authority and the borough councils are facilitating central Government’s political ‘redirection’ regarding how the private hire industry operates, then both the public and taxi drivers have a right to know. Here-on-in, if drivers believe that certain policies or inactivity present a legitimate threat to security or if a persons safety is blatantly compromised, as it is at Kings Cross, then direct action will, unequivocally, commence.

Public Notice: Critically, and without any imposition from the trade associations, drivers will target effected areas or specific policy makers. Direct action will continue until the authorities decide to address the situation directly or enter in to negotiation. Disingenuous consultations that refuse to address the issues at hand are unacceptable.

Specific to Kings Cross / St. Pancras Station, there has numerous complaints/ reports submitted to Camden Council but no one is willing to take responsibility for the area. Considering, St Pancras Station is the main transport hub into Europe, I am not alone in being appalled by TFL and the local authority's inactivity.

Additional: Although these protests are driver led,and are not affiliated to any one organisation, negotiation is welcome via the RMT taxi division.

Regards

Sean Paul Day 

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Waiting For The Government To Save The Taxi Trade...Don't Hold Your Breath..by Jim Thomas

      What's going on in Parliament 

Charles Walker  Andrew Jones   Lyn Brown

Charles Walker Chair, Procedure Committee, asked the Secretary of State for Transport: 

"What steps the Government is taking in conjunction with the Mayor of London to safeguard the licensed taxi trade; and if he will make a statement".

Andrew JonesParliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport) replied (written):

'The Government supports choice for consumers, and wants to see both taxis and private hire vehicles prosper.

'The Mayor, Transport for London (TfL), the police and local authorities have a range of tools available to them to seek to address any concerns they may have over the safety or performance of taxi and/or private hire vehicle services. 

'Effective use of these tools allow both licensed taxi and private hire vehicles to operate lawfully and meet the demands of London’s travelling public'.

In other words the Government will do what they do now....nothing.

As we suspected, ministers and shadow ministers are now blurring the lines between Taxi Drivers and Private Hire drivers (when it suits them), as can can see by Lyn Brown Shadow Minister (Home Office) statement:

"As my hon. Friend the Member for Swansea Eastsaid, the new clause would place local authorities under a duty to consider child protection when they issue licences for drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles. We support it because we think it could lead to important safeguarding measures.

"Taxi drivers do a fantastic job up and down the country. I could not happily live my life without them. More than 242,000 licensed vehicles in England provide transport for millions of people every day. Outside of rural areas, interestingly, there is a high satisfaction level—about 68%—with taxi and private hire services. 

"The review of child exploitation in Oxford made it clear that taxi drivers can and do play a very positive role in tackling grooming and child exploitation. 

"The report noted that taxi drivers had driven young girls to the police station when they were worried that the girls were being sexually exploited, and that they were well regarded across the city because of the role that they had played".

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The Gloves Are Off : A Call To Arms...by Marc Turner.

And so beginith a week of Taxi trade disobedience, initiated by 'Dads Defending Daughters' with RMT backing. 

All drivers out there, it's time to get down and dirty. And for those more reticent to join the fray, lets now start the fight for our own and our chidrens futures. 

Let's show with pride and vigour, we will not be trodden on by this contemptible corrupt rabble of a Tory party, we're misfortune enough to be governed by!

By their non-action to regulate, their non- action to enforce, TfL are complicit and must bare responsibility for the recent unprecedented surge in minicab related rapes and sexual attacks on passengers. Their officers have harassed hardworking rank and file Taxi drivers while refusing to acknowledge the constant lawbreaking of the vastly over subscribed private hire sector. 

A Call To Arms....Posted on social media by Dads Defending Daughters:

The trade needs to take off the gloves

We need to step forward and be counted

We need to get down and fight dirty.

Dads Defending Daughters have announce week long action to take place every evening.

Read more on the Dads Defending Daughters website: >Click Here<

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The Shocking Statistics, TFL Don't Want You To Know...by Jim Thomas.

Below, London Taxi Radio's Sean Paul Day, talks about the shocking statistics recently obtained by Freedom of Information request, that show between February 2015 and February 2016, there has been 154 serious sexual assaults (including rape), carried out by Private Hire drivers on their passengers.

Considering that in the Met Police's own 'Problem Orientated Policing' report (Clapham), it states, only 20% of minicab related sexual assaults are ever reported, the true number of attacks is more likely to be around 770.

These latest statistics obtained from the Met police also state, "of these attacks on passengers, 32 were allegedly carried out by Uber drivers". 

This is a second set of statistics tha have had to be obtained under  FOI request this year, as TfL and the Met have tried desperately to keep this information from the public....incase it put peopl off using Private Hire Vehicles.

This type of media blackout from TfL is unacceptable. These statistics should be made available to every member of the public, as the safety of PH passengers should be paramount. 

    

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Urgent, AskPOB Your Help Needed....What Are Your Thoughts On Credit Card Printers?

Dear driver,

Thank you for your continued support. AskPOB is a recognised consultation tool used within the trade, and now by our regulator TfL.

Several taxi stakeholders, including LCDC, want to know your thoughts on credit card printers. 

The data collected from this consultation will be presented and discussed on Tuesday 19th April at a TfL trade meeting on the subject of credit card printers.

Your participation is vital and this consultation will close Midnight Monday 18th April 2016.
Please click link below to take part.

AskPOB gives you, the driver, a direct voice on matters that directly affect you. Please do not hesitate contacting us if you have any questions and please share with all drivers.

 

Many thanks,

 

Perry Richardson

AskPOB Founder

                 >Please Click Here To Take Part<

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