Cycle Superhighway Lanes Are Strangling The Life Out Of London Square Mile Struggling With Recent Closures.

Traffic jams in the Square Mile are being made worse because road space has been lost to make way for Cycle Superhighway routes, according to a report by the City of London Corporation.

Officials say that extra room needed to accommodate bike-only lanes running into the City, installed to protect cyclists, means there is less space to re-route traffic when problems arise, such as street closures for construction sites and emergency roadworks.

There were nearly 500 applications for roads to be shut in the City last year, the highest number since 2008, which added pressure to the dwindling amount of carriageway available.

It comes as Tower Bridge began three months of closure to vehicles this week, with drivers complaining of “complete gridlock” as they struggled to cross the river.

Further construction to extend a north-south portion of the Cycle Superhighway cutting through the City is due to begin in the spring.

But a report, due to be heard by the City’s policy and resources committee tomorrow, complains there are already extra “pockets of congestion” linked to space lost from cycle lanes.

The report says: “The most significant impact on the City’s road network in the last 12 months has been the construction and subsequent operation of TfL’s cycle super highway, and although it is too early to reach definitive conclusions, observations would suggest that areas of traffic congestion can frequently be found on those roads directly affected by the scheme, and a degree of network resilience to absorb other temporary activities has been lost as road capacity has been reallocated.”

The report gives the example of Newgate Street’s closure for gas works, when traffic would normally be re-routed to Ludgate Circus, but the Cycle Superhighway meant “traffic congestion was greater than previously experienced”, the report says.

Due to a “surge in development activity”, the corporation received 494 applications for road closures this year, compared to 382 last year and 232 the year before.

It is likely to compound the woes of drivers and cyclists on Tower Bridge sent on diversion routes over London Bridge and Southwark Bridge, who posted photographs of Twitter showing heavy traffic at a standstill and complained about increased pollution.

Neil Coyle, Labour MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, tweeted it was “complete gridlock on Bermondsey St, Tooley St & beyond in SE1”, while Leni Candan, a digital communications freelancer, added how it was a “struggle to breathe through all the car fumes” caused by idling traffic affected by the Tower Bridge closure.

Pedestrians and cyclists wheeling their bikes are still allowed to walk over the bridge for the time being.

A City of London Corporation spokesman said: “The City of London Corporation is supportive of the Cycle Superhighways in principle.

“We are working hard to encourage workers and residents of the Square Mile to cycle and walk more regularly, with the aim of 10 per cent of City workers walking or cycling to work by 2030.

“We are looking at ways to improve the flow of the City's roads and work closely with TfL to ensure Cycle Superhighways fit into the City as smoothly as possible.”

MANY COUNCILS FINALLY WAKING UP TO THIS PROBLEM THATS KILLING LONDONERS 

Source : Evening Standard. 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2cTBuuO
via IFTTT

UCG letter to Sadiq Khan demanding action following the Sun exposure of corrupt GPs selling PH medical certificates.

Dear Mr Khan

As I am sure you are aware  The Sun recently printed an article by Jake Ryan exposing alleged corruption concerning medicals for Private Hire and Uber drivers.

Three GPs are said to have taken bribes to supply an 'all clear' medical report based on  ,at best,  a paucity of medical tests and in one case 'No tests at all'

This ,as Im sure you will agree ,has put many members of the public at risk and must be thoroughly investigated as a matter of great urgency.

It is beyond comprehension how TFL has allowed this to happen . When I, as a licensed taxi driver, have my triennial Medical Examination it must be with a GP who has known me for at least 12 months, however it would appear that a PH driver may go to any Doctor ,even one who does not know the applicants medical history and leave with an 'all clear' certificate.

On December 5th 2015 Muhiddin Mire attacked passengers at Leytonstone underground station and cut he throat of Lyle Zimmerman ,an innocent bystander.

It transpired that Mr Mire had a long history of mental illness and yet was granted a PH licence by TFL and consequently worked for Uber.

After much stalling and refusing to answer a UCG members question as to whether Mr Mire had undergone a medical check prior to licensing ,TFL eventually but blandly replied that he 'had a medical assessment with a registered practitioner '. The Doctors exposed by Mr Ryan were 'registered practitioners' and it begs the question did Mr Mire visit one of the corrupt GPs ? and were the GP vetted by TFL before  being allowed to issue a medical certificate to the standard of the DVLA 2 requirements ?

You will recall that some Topographical Test Centres were closed down after the,shall we say, less than rigorous testing of applicants was exposed and all those who received a PH license through those disgraced centres were required to re-sit the tests with a large number failing !  How many PH drivers would now fail a full medical assessment carried out by a GP whose integrity cannot be bought fo £50 ?

It would appear that a full investigation is needed into the whole PH Licensing Outsourcing fiasco . It is 'not fit for purpose ', which  coincidentally is the same phrase leveled at TFL by Val Shawcross and the GLA last year  and yet the same 'not fit for purpose ' staff remain in place. !

The United Cabbies Group would like to know what you, as Mayor and TFL, as regulator intend to do about this appalling situation as revealed by  Mr Ryan

Will you confirm that ALL PH drivers who have received medical certificates from the GPs identified by Mr Ryan will have their licences suspended pending a medical by a GP who has known the applicant for a minimum of 12 months and if they have not been resident in Britain for twelve months , by a GP approved by the General Medical Council  or Royal College of General Practitioners ?

Secondly, will you confirm that any PH driver suspected of complicity in obtaining a medical certificate by deception will have his license revoked with immediate effect and prosecuted.

Finally , TFL have not yet revealed the most recent Sexual Assault figures , even though they were due for publication on Sept 20th. I must request that you direct TFL to release the data without delay.

Please let us know , within 7 days , of your intended course of action to address the above concerns.

Should we receive no reply within 7 days we will have no alternative but to ballot our members for a vote on a return to sustained direct action.

The previous administration abrogated their responsibility to public safety  and were branded ' Woefully Inadequate  by Val Shawcross and the GLA.

The finest cab trade in the world is fast losing confidence in the present  regulator as are the general public.

We now look to you to offer not just an Adequate regulatory body but an Exemplary one .

Kind regards

Angela Clarkson

Secretary
United Cabbies Group 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2dvhilD
via IFTTT

It's Not All Gloom And Doom : Little Aaliyah Louise Arrives In A Black Cab.

Aaliyah Louise, born October 4 weighing six pounds and eight ounces

A Caterham mother who was forced to have her baby in the back of a taxi has praised the "amazing" taxi controller who acted as her emergency midwife. 

Rhianne Morris, 23, gave birth to her baby girl Aaliyah outside the Taxi office, in Brighton Road, Coulsdon, this morning.

Ms Morris has praised the actions of Louise Hammond, who was at the office and forced to step in and act as an emergency midwife when it became clear that mother and baby were not going to make it to the hospital in time.

Ms Morris said: "I was on my way into work went I started having contractions so I phoned a cab.

"I was in the taxi for about ten minutes when the driver, I think he was panicking a bit, said they weren't going to make it to the hospital and he was taking me to head office and calling an ambulance.

"We arrived at the office and then I basically had my baby in the back of the cab outside.

"I didn't really know we weren't going to get to hospital until about 30 seconds before she arrived, up until that point I still assumed we were going to make it.

"When I realised I was going to be having her in the back of a cab my first thought was for her health and if she was going to be all right but she is absolutely fine and that was a relief."

Both Ms Morris and Aaliyah, who weighs six pounds and nine ounces, are healthy after the unusual birth and Ms Morris was quick to pay tribute to Ms Hammond for the way she stepped in to help her.

She said: "The manager, Louise, was amazing. She was really supportive and told me when she could see the head and was very encouraging

"I just want to thank her, really. I don't think I could have done it without her.

"She told me she would help me out with free taxis in the future. I don't know how long that will last for but she was really amazing."

Baby Aaliyah has been given the middle name Louise in recognition of the help that Ms Hammond was able to provide and she told the Advertiser that in that situation instinct simply took over.

Ms Hammond said: "We got the call in for a woman in the early stages of labour who needed to go to hospital but that type of thing happens quite a lot.

"I sent a driver out and about ten minutes later got a panicked call from him saying that her waters had broken in the back of the cab and that the traffic in Coulsdon was really bad so he was coming back to the office.

"When she got here I was just trying to talk to her and keep her calm, asking her about contractions, that type of thing.

"We were told that the ambulance would be 45 minutes but by that time her contractions were really close together and I could tell that the baby was going to arrive much sooner than that.

"Then she started to push and I could see the baby's head, at that point it was just a case of getting the dressing gown out of her night bag and doing the best I could.

"My main concern was for the mum. She was in so much pain but she was so brave.

"After the birth the paramedics arrived and they were able to take it from there."

Ms Hammond said the whole experience had been somewhat overwhelming but she had been incredibly touched by Ms Morris's thanks.

She said: "It was just an amazing experience and one that I will never ever forget.

"I have been emotional all day and then the mum just sent me a picture and told me the name and that she had given her the middle name Louise. That set me off crying all over again."

Editorial Comment:

Can you imagine the situation, had this been in an Uber car. The baby would have been born somewhere around the M25, delivered by the mother herself. Fare would have been surged with a soiling fee of £140. 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2dRvV5X
via IFTTT

Destruction by Design? ... By I'm Spartacus.

To absolutely no surprise to the Taxi trade, it's been exposed that not only Private Hire topographical testing is worthless, the medicals are equally so.

As Taxi Drivers, we all can only go to our own GP, why the difference for Private Hire drivers TfL? 

What excuse can there be for endangering the public in this way?

GREED pure and simple.

All this followed up by synthetic outrage from Uber, the very same company that fights every regulation tooth and nail.

We are also expected to swallow that TfL weren't aware of any of this, well if they didn't then it's at best incompetence, at worst a deliberate strategy designed to destroy the world's No1 taxi trade by creating a cesspool as regulation is unenforced as a matter of POLICY!

Well boys and girls if you want something to get behind, it's as follows:

1. An immediate enquiry into TfL and LTPH by the very least an eminent QC, it's relationships with operators, actions and inactions etc etc.

2. Immediate suspension of further PH licensing until a 'fit for purpose' licensing regime is in place after 3 below is conducted

3. An audit of all current licence holders (include us if you need, we ain't got nothing to hide) by an independent certification body (Lloyds Register, Bureau Veritas etc.) to international ISO standards with full disclosure of the results.

4. Revocation for any driver that have obtained their licence by fraudulent means and prosecution for fraud do them and their 'aiders and abetters'

5. Revocation and if necessary prosecution for any operator that have encouraged or failed to have shown 'due diligence' in recruiting drivers with bogus documentation.

So then LTPH your 'empire' built on sand has been shown for the shambles we all knew it was.

Recruiting more unwarranted compliance officers is a complete waste of time and money, the will to enforce doesn't exist at TfL.

'Gold standard licensing authority' says your publicity, Fools Gold more like.

'One strike and your out' more PR hogwash.

We ain't going nowhere, you won't destroy us!

Over to you Mr Mayor!

I'm Spartacus. 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2cP4Nik
via IFTTT

LTDA AGM Written Questions Not Answered....by Sean Paul Day.

The questions below were presented to the auditors and COM of the LTDA at the AGM on the 16th September. No answers were forthcoming. 

Steve Mac made assurances that all the questions would be answered at latest by last Friday, again no answers were forthcoming. 

The LTDA should not see these questions as intrusive, but as an opportunity to nurture a more transparent and inclusive relationship with its member base.

It's worth noting that the questions were the result of findings made by two independent, highly regarded accountants.

 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2dmlyoW
via IFTTT

CMT Freedom Solution, Boot Up Bug Fix....by Jim Thomas

                   
  

If you have the CMT Freedom solution fitted in your Taxi, you may have had occasions where the system fails to boot up, using the reboot option from the off switch doesn't help.

It's very annoying, as you then have to park up, switch every thing off and wait for the card reader in the rear to go dark. Speaking to other users, this is common. 

CMT have set up a 24/7 number to take card payments over the phone, should your equipment fail completely. Most customers appear not to be too enthusiastic about this option.

I have spoken to CMT and they have sent me a quick fix solution, that doesn't involve parking up, switching off and wasting time. It can be done on the go.

Below is CMT'S solution:

Hi Mr Thomas,

Firstly here's our Out Of Hours number: 0203 608 1341. Their primary roll is to take payments if needed, but they can also advise on technical queries.

Now to the system reset. If your screen is saying 'waiting for communication' there will be a Config button on the bottom right. The other way of reaching this point is by pressing Menu from the Map screen. The process is:

Config (or Configuration)

Peripherals

TaxiLinq (with a blue box by it, situated at the bottom of the screen)

Then choose any of the options and press Reset. Message will read TaxiLinq is being restarted.

Then press Menu, followed by Map. You'll see the 9 icons drop away to 4 and gradually re-establish themselves and turn green with the final icon, which represents the pinpad, the last to go green. If any don't go green it points to where the fault lies.

This resets the communication between every element of the system. In addition to this, ensuring you sign off before powering off the tablet every evening will help the general health of the tablet ... as with all such devices it benefits from being powered off completely.

Hope that's all clear.

Nick, CMT. 

As luck would have it, the night after I receive this email, my system failed to boot up, and so I was able to try the fix. It worked. 

For those of you who find I written instructions confusing, I've made a short video, running through the process. 

Hope this helps. 

    

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2cLjYcj
via IFTTT

TfL Treats Veteran Cabby With 58 Years Service Deplorably.

     LONDON TAXI DRIVER. DENNIS DURACK.

I thought you might like to know the high esteem that TFL hold for the London cabbies.

I decided to retire from driving a cab in London after 58 years ( I got my badge in 1958 ), so I wrote to TFL to inform them expecting to get a polite letter back asking for the return of my licence, and what do I get.

I received a letter DEMANDING I returned my licence or action would be taken against me.

Not only that, they got my licence wrong and classed it as a private hire licence.

So after 58 years you get brushed aside with an insult.

Editorial Comment: 

Dear Dennis

On behalf of my colleagues in the London Licensed Taxi Trade, I would like to personally thank you, for the 58 years of excellent service you've given to the traveling public in our great city. 

Here's hoping you enjoy every minute of your well earned retirement. 

Jim Thomas

Editir, Taxi Leaks.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2diUaq0
via IFTTT