Plans to allow taxis and coaches access to a busy Edinburgh city centre pedestrian area so a new five-star hotel can “show off” celebrity guests have sparked “serious safety concerns”.
The Edinburgh News reports that W Hotel wants to give passenger vehicles permission to drive up to its main entrance at the St James Quarter when it opens next month, with managers of the luxury 12-storey development arguing it is needed to facilitate “red carpet events” and to improve access for guests with mobility issues, according to the council.
However there is opposition from councillors, including the city’s transport chief.
Another said he feared there would be a risk to the public with “large vehicles turning in an enclosed area of high pedestrian footfall”.
Officials have recommended the Transport Committee to approve an ‘experimental’ traffic order which would allow two taxis or one executive coach at any one time to enter St James Square through automatic bollards at the end of Elder Street.
The measures would be in place for an initial two-month trial and extended if there is a “positive outcome” of a review.
A report said the Square is “designed primarily as a pedestrian environment” and has “limited room available for vehicular movements without giving rise to conflict with pedestrians and cyclists”.
It added: “The developer was advised that careful consideration needed to be given to the size of vehicles permitted to enter the square, the number of vehicles that could be in the square at any one time, and the arrangements that would need to be in place to safely manage the square in the interests of all users.”
The council said hotel bosses and developers indicated during discussions they wanted the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to accommodate “visitors with mobility issues” and to “show off A-list guests, say if they had red carpet events”.
Labour Transport Convener Scott Arthur said he felt “uncomfortable” with the proposed arrangement as the space had “huge potential”.
He said: “It looks like quite a good public space, and there’s not a lot of spaces in Edinburgh that are like that. We’ll have to decide if we should design the city around people or celebrities.
“The St James Quarter has a fantastic car park, it’s quite famous – surely the red carpet could be rolled out down there.
“There’s a difference between having arrangements for individuals who have particular access needs to just allowing taxis to generally rank in the area, not that that’s what they’re proposing, but that’s the reality of how it’ll work.”
SNP city centre councillor Finlay McFarlane said: “We all know that pedestrianised space in the city centre is at a premium and where we have it, we must protect it.
“We can’t ignore that the St James Quarter is mere seconds away from the coach station, and is incredibly well served by bus, tram, train, on foot and even by private vehicle through the substantial underground parking provision. If we cant make the case for maintaining a pedestrian space here as a council, where can we?”
“I have serious safety concerns about large vehicles turning in an enclosed area of high pedestrian footfall in addition to the impact these proposals and increased vehicles would have on the residents of Elder Street and St James Square.”
The Transport Committee will decide on whether to progress the ETRO a meeting on Thursday 12 October.
Wolverhampton cabbies are “not bothered” about their city being the private hire licence capital of England as they are too busy worrying about a lack of work.
Wolverhampton Council was criticised by Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, after it emerged a third of the northern city's cabbies are licensed there.
However, the council, which charges £150 less than other authorities, including Manchester, claims it is doing nothing wrong despite nearly a third of all England’s private hire vehicles being licensed in Wolverhampton.
Black cab diver Rajan Abdul told the Express & Star: “It’s good for Wolverhampton Council because they are making money, and bad for other councils because they are not making money.
“Hackney carriage fees are reduced due to all the private hire licences they sell. There must be a loophole why so many drivers get licensed in Wolverhampton, that, or it’s cheap compared to everywhere else.”
The 30-year veteran said: “But that is not the problem, it used to be great before, there were nightclubs, and now the trams go to the station, that has taken some work from us too.
“In ten years there will be no black cabs in Wolverhampton, it is impossible to make a living.”
A Freedom of Information request revealed almost 9,000 drivers registered with Wolverhampton Council live in Greater Manchester.
Manchester Mayor Burnham complained: “How are they not checking up on those taxis and those drivers, but they’re taking in the money for it.
“They shouldn’t be doing it because they’re giving plates without being able to then monitor the performance.”
There are 36,000 private hire drivers with a Wolverhampton plate, which is close to 13 per cent of the city’s entire population 262,000.
A Wolverhampton Council spokesman said: “The council has never actively encouraged applications from drivers outside the city, existing legislation requires that if an application is submitted and requirements are met, the application must be granted.
"The council may not refuse an applicant simply because they live in a different area.
“Our early adoption of digital technology has allowed us to offer a simple and efficient online application procedure, with the requirement that drivers attend in person for training and strict assessment before an application can be processed.”
The spokesman added:?“Applicants are usually local to the area they drive in, but many have chosen to be licensed in Wolverhampton due to our efficient, yet rigorous, licensing process.
“Public safety is of paramount importance to us. Partnership working with our licensing colleagues and other agencies shows our commitment to upholding our responsibilities; we expect drivers and vehicles licensed by us to always maintain the highest standards.”
One drawback for local cabbies is that insurance firms are now catching on and beginning to refuse to cover those with a Wolverhampton licence.
Amrik Singh, 66, said: “The insurance firms believe all taxi accidents happen in Wolverhampton, when they don’t.
“I am just looking forward to retirement, I wait at the rank for two hours some days and just pick up a £6 fare. There is no way a young person could run a house and pay their bills by being a taxi driver.”
He added: “I’ve just got six months to go, and then I’m done.”
Merbin Hussain, who was also waiting for a fare, said: “Half of Wolverhampton town centre is closed, we just don’t get the jobs anymore. There are no clubs or attractions, people just go to Birmingham.
“If it was not for the school run I could not keep being a cabbie.”
A man has been charged after a firearm was found inside the back of a private hire vehicle in Liverpool.
The Birkenhead News reports that at around 8.15pm on Friday 29 September, officers stopped the private hire vehicle on Eaton Road as they believed the passenger in the back of the car was behaving suspiciously.
When speaking to the passenger they noticed a bag in the vehicle. The man then ran away from the scene before police could stop him.
Patrols looked inside the bag and found a 2.2 revolver, four 2.2 rounds of ammunition and over £100 in cash.
On Thursday 5 October, Kyle Simm, 39, of Liverpool was charged with possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.
He has been remanded into custody and appeared at Wirral Remand Court on 5 October.
Inspector Michael McEvoy said: “Merseyside Police pro-actively investigates serious organised crime including the use of guns in our cities and is relentless in its pursuit to remove any dangerous weapons from our streets.
“If you know anything about the storage, movement or use of such weapons, please come forward directly via DM @MerPolCC, ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook or call Crimestoppers or anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Source: https://www.birkenhead.news/liverpool-man-charged-after-gun-found-in-back-of-taxi/
Two taxi drivers have been prosecuted and fined for throwing litter from their car windows in Hyndburn borough.
According to the Lancashire Telegraph, it was part of a council crackdown on flytipping and littering.
Both cases were presented to Burnley Magistrate’s Court and tried by magistrates at the end of August despite the two defendants failing to attend court.
The two defendants were both found guilty.
Each received a £220 fine, £88 victim surcharge, and £250 in cost for the council, totalling to £558 to be paid to the court within 28 days or they will face further charges.
Cllr Steven Smithson, Hyndburn Council's environment boss, said: "I have always been vocal about my commitment to cleaning up our borough.
"I can assure residents that I will continue to push forward with this throughout my time as portfolio holder for environmental services.
"Simply put, littering is completely unacceptable, and it is a real shame that a minority of people think that they can get away with this.
"I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in seeing the prosecution of these individuals.
"I am keen to remind all residents that these individuals are not the exception.
"There are hefty fines for flytipping waste (including littering) and this ongoing council action demonstrates our commitment to enforcing these consequences in service of shaping a cleaner, healthier borough.”
A major fire broke out last night at Luton Airport car park leading to all flights being suspended and access restricted.
Luton Today reports that Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue service has confirmed that part of the multi-storey Terminal Car Park 2 has collapsed in the blaze, which has been declared a major incident.
Footage shared online show flames and smoke billowing from the top floor of the multi-storey building at Terminal Car Park 2.
The video shows large flames roaring and smoke billowing from the top floor of the multi-storey building.
Around 25,000 airline passengers are thought to have been impacted by cancellations and delays, according to analysis by the Press Association (PA).
Speaking at the time a spokesman for Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue service said: "We are currently in attendance at a significant fire in a multi-storey car park involving numerous cars in Terminal Car Park 2 at Luton Airport.
"First calls were received at 8.47pm. We have 15 fire appliances, and three specialist aerial appliances from across the county and surrounding counties in attendance and this has been declared a major incident by Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
"One half of the structure is fully involved in fire and the building has suffered a significant structural collapse.
"Fire crews are working to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings and vehicles on air side of the airport. Police and ambulance are in attendance.
"Local residents are advised to close windows and doors and avoid the area."
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust said that ambulances and resources, including the Hazardous Area Response Team attended. One member of the public and six firefighters have been affected by smoke inhalation. Four firefighters and one member of airport staff were taken to Luton & Dunstable hospital while a further patient was discharged at the scene.
It said that the critical incident was ‘stood down' at 12.20am – but ambulance crews remain on-scene to support fire and rescue colleagues.
In a statement on social media, a spokesman for the airport said: "All flights are currently suspended as emergency services respond to a car fire that has spread in Terminal Car Park 2.
“Access to the airport is currently restricted and we ask that people do not travel to the airport at this time. Additional staff are on hand to provide assistance to passengers. Passengers should stay in touch with their airline for flight information.”
Speaking on X, eyewitness Molly Bullard, said: “There is no transport in or out of Luton Airport. Passengers are being evacuated to walk on the footpath via the road underpass. All airport buses and vehicles are trapped by road blocks.”
Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer at Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said the car park had as many as 1,500 vehicles in it at the time - with up to 1,200 believed to be damaged.
He said firefighters faced a "severe and rapidly spreading fire" on arrival, and the blaze "ultimately spread to multiple floors".
The cause of the fire is being investigated, though Mr Hopkinson said there is "no intelligence to suggest it's anything other than an accidental fire that started in one of the vehicles".
Flights have been suspended until at least 3pm on Wednesday.
A local councillor has sparked a debate on passenger safety after claiming that using locally licensed taxis is safer than hailing an Uber.
A taxi driver was attacked and subjected to racist abuse after two brothers refused to pay him up front.
Christopher Hilling, 64, admitted to engaging a child in sexual activity at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday 8 August.
Abdigani Ebrahim, 38, of Grangetown, admitted charges of affray and criminal damage following the incident in Northcote Street, Roath, last July.
The crackdown targeted drivers operating across council boundaries to ensure public safety and compliance with regulations.
Lucio Valentino relies on his six-year-old Border Collie, Pixel, to help manage his mental health conditions, including depression and personality disorders.
Taxi drivers across the Fylde Coast are set to receive a briefing note aimed at clearing up confusion over out-of-area private hire vehicles.
Police are appealing to find a taxi driver who may have "vital clues" about the murder of Ryan Passey seven years ago since he was fatally stabbed in a Stourbridge nightclub.
A joint operation by Hull City Council, Wolverhampton Council, and Humberside Police has uncovered a number of safety issues with taxis operating in the city.
French taxi drivers are calling for government compensation after suffering significant revenue losses during the Paris Olympics.
Coventry city centre has introduced a new taxi marshal service aimed at improving safety and efficiency for late-night revellers.
A court heard harrowing details of the moment a drink-driving uninsured motorist killed three people in a 90mph crash.
The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was amongst the thousands who enjoyed the Battle Proms at Highclere Castle on 3 August.
Swindon residents could be facing a hike in taxi fares from October after councillors gave the green light to a £1 increase in the standard fare minimum charge.
Ricky Harold, a 20-year veteran of the town’s taxi trade, was parked in a lay-by when his vehicle was struck from behind by a black Audi A2.
Chinese automotive giant Geely has deepened its commitment to the UK electric vehicle market with a £120m cash injection into London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC).
North Tyneside Council is facing a backlash over plans to increase taxi fares by 6.3%.
Nazim Asmal preyed on his victims after nights out in Preston and Darwen, driving them to secluded spots before carrying out horrific sexual assaults.
Newcastle is set to see a surge in pink taxis driven by women as part of a new initiative aimed at improving passenger safety.
An unlicensed taxi driver who picked up two vulnerable women in Aberdare has been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 in fines and costs.