A Nottingham cabbie has pointed out a confusing element in the layout of a city centre road which he claims is dangerous.
Syed Shan, who regularly carries out work in the city, said there was no obvious route for people who want to get from the Maid Marian Way southbound carriageway to the northbound.
The 35-year-old from Lenton said drivers frequently make an illegal right turn after coming down Greyfriar Gate, which is still recommended by navigators such as Google Maps.
Mr Shan said many motorists used to use a cut through at the front of Maid Marian Way car park, but this had since been blocked off by NCP.
"You can't turn around," he told Nottinghamshire Live. "There's no proper turn at all. I'm a taxi driver so I have to do it a lot.
"Everybody used to go through the NCP turning without going in but they've blocked the turn. And you shouldn't be taking private roads.
"It's terrible for everybody. You don't know where to go. As a taxi driver you know the rules, but lots of other drivers don't. You see lots of people do an illegal turn. It's very dangerous."
Nottingham City Council admitted there was no direct route for those wishing to make the manoeuvre, and advised Mr Shah and others to make a U-turn in Albion Street. The authority said it would look at improving signs and road markings near the NCP car park and would contact satnav providers.
A spokesperson said: “We appreciate that in the current road layout, which has now been operating for over two years, there is no direct route for traffic heading south on Maid Marian Way to immediately head up on the northbound side.
"However, this is not a manoeuvre many motorists need to make and we will ensure that local taxi drivers who are most likely to want to do this are aware of the correct route to take, by utilising a U-turn on Albion Street.
“We will also look at suitable options to improve signage and road markings to make it clearer that turning right just after the NCP entrance to head north on Maid Marian Way is not an option, as this places pedestrians using the crossing at risk.
"We are aware that this is the route currently suggested by satnav providers and we will be contacting them to get this rectified.”
Source: https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nottingham-taxi-driver-points-out-8417586
EV owners are being urged to register their cars in the tax system despite being exempt from fees, as failure to do so risks fines of up to £1,000 and having the car clamped.
EV experts at LeaseElectricCar.co.uk are warning owners of electric cars to get their vehicles taxed even though they don’t need to pay a penny.
EVs are currently exempt from all tax charges - so long as the electricity comes from an external source (for example a chargepoint), an electric storage battery which is not connected to power when the car is moving, or from hydrogen fuel cells.
This does mean that the majority of EVs on UK roads aren’t subject to pay tax, despite still needing to register their vehicle on the taxing system.
But research shows some EV owners are being slapped with fines of £80 for driving without road tax because they haven’t registered their vehicles.
Failure to pay the fine means that some drivers could be subject to hefty fines of up to £1,000 if the case is taken to court.
The DVLA may also clamp electric cars which do not have road tax until the fine is paid in full.
However, the government recently announced that electric vehicles will no longer be exempt from paying any tax from April 2025.
With just two years of tax free driving to go, motorists are being urged to register their vehicle for VED and avoid receiving any fines in the meantime.
The Autumn Statement last year announced that EV’s registered from April 2025 will pay £10 towards tax - the lowest rate - for one year, after which the price will increase to the standard rate.
And for electric cars which have a list price of £40,000 or more, they too will be subject to additionally pay the annual supplement cost of £390 each year for five years.
Tim Alcock from LeaseElectricCar.co.uk said: “Many electric car owners know the perks of currently not having to pay any road tax, but some drivers are receiving unexpected fines for failing to register their EV in the tax system.
“This means you could be paying a fine of up to £1,000 yet if you had taken a couple of minutes to register your car you wouldn’t have to pay a penny.
“EV owners should be making the most of the fact that they are exempt from paying anything towards road tax before the law changes in just two years' time.
“It’s easy to tax your vehicle and avoid these fines - go online to the official government website or visit your local Post Office which deals with vehicle tax.”
There is ‘no evidence’ of any unmet demand for taxi services in Warrington, according to a survey.
The Warrington Guardian reports that the taxi and other licensing committee will meet on Wednesday 10 May, to consider the findings of the survey carried out by LVSA Traffic and Transportation into the number of hackney carriage vehicles.
The committee is recommended to consider the findings of the unmet demand study, and to approve the number of hackney carriage vehicles at 148, reduced from 149.
The independent survey document states that, on the basis of the evidence gathered in the survey for the council, the key conclusion is that there is: "no evidence of any unmet demand for the services of hackney carriages either patent or latent which is significant at this point in time in the full Warrington Borough Council licensing area".
It adds: “The committee is therefore able to retain the present limit policy, with vehicle numbers retained at the present value of 149.
“In fact, the evidence suggests retention of this policy is an essential part of the current stability of the hackney carriage industry in this area, and a strong public benefit.
“Further, the reduction of the active fleet by one vehicle has not led to any reduction in the effectiveness of the fleet (service levels have in fact improved against national trends) and it would be prudent to extinguish that single spare plate, and put on record that any further small numbers of plates handed back could also be considered for extinction.
“Unlike the results from most other authorities recent surveys, where reduced overall rank-based demand has occurred alongside increased levels of unmet demand, for Warrington the reduced demand levels have also seen improved levels of service to the public and reduced unmet demand (the expected result from having lower demand levels and a similar sized vehicle fleet).
“The significant contribution of both hackney carriage and private hire to the transport policy and economy of the area needs to be made more widely known.”
Source: https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/23501863.no-evidence-unmet-demand-taxi-services/
A Derby private hire driver and his family have been left devastated after a hit-and-run driver careered into their home and left their living room in ruins.
DerbyshireLive reports that Muhammad Khan says the last four weeks have left him "mentally finished" after a blue hatchback car careered into his property and damaged his PHV, leaving him with a bill for £12,000.
Rubble and debris were piled on the floor in the front room, with the wall bent in at an angle. The brickwork around the window is cracked.
Mr Khan's Toyota he uses for his job with PJ Cars was dented on both the left side, where the car had hit it, and on the right, where it had been forced into the lamppost outside the house on the street.
The nightmare started when Mr Khan and his family were awoken at 3am on the night of March 12 to a "very powerful bang" which Mr Khan said made the whole house shake.
His sons, sleeping in the room upstairs, looked out of the window to see a blue car speeding off but could not catch the registration due to the lack of light.
The police arrived in a matter of minutes but continue to investigate as a lack of evidence is hampering their efforts, leaving Mr Kahn frustrated.
To make matters worse, a mistake on his car insurance form meant he had to fork out £9,000 to repair his vehicle himself as well as an extra £3,000 to cover the insurance excess on his home.
Mr Kahn said: "I am mentally totally finished. The house is very cold inside. Every time I ring the police or the insurance or the council I've not got anywhere."
A surveyor attended the property and determined that, while the house was safe and still habitable, the residents should avoid the lounge completely. The company quoted him £9,300 for the job.
Mr Khan has attempted to obtain CCTV from local businesses and neighbours but was told for the most part that it could only be provided to the authorities.
On the video footage he did obtain, the car was travelling too fast for the registration to be picked up. When the police did complete their own CCTV enquiries, they also failed to find evidence strong enough to identify the vehicle or its driver.
And to rub salt into the wound, when Mr Khan claimed on his insurance policy, the company found that he had failed to declare a previously void policy from five years prior.
Instead of upholding his claim, they cancelled his policy entirely.
It meant the 55-year-old could not work for six weeks, and he had to shell out the entire £9,000 cost of the repair himself.
To make matters worse, the damage to the Toyota had been recorded as a fault of his own, and as a result he was then rejected by other insurers and quoted far more than he would've been otherwise for a new policy.
Mr Khan has only just returned to work.
A spokesperson for Derbyshire Police said: "Officers continue to make enquiries into the incident and are keen to hear from anyone who may be able to assist officers in their investigation."
Source: https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/property/hit-run-driver-leaves-derby-8408356
Taxi fares in Aberdeen could rise in the summer as the trade aims to encourage more drivers to take to the city streets. The latest review of cab charges went before the city council’s licensing committee on Wednesday 3 May.
According to Aberdeenlive, Aberdeen City Council officers had put forward two proposals for consideration. The first would have seen basic fares rise by ten per cent, while the second suggested a 20 per cent hike.
Fares in the city were last increased in early 2020 following a review held the previous year. Taxi firms did request a slight increase last year but it was refused.
However, cabbies were given permission to pass on any charges they receive from Aberdeen International Airport on to customers.
Despite the local authority’s proposals, Aberdeen’s taxi firms had drawn up their own charges and asked members to back them. They suggested that the basic tariff start at £3 for the first 950 yards of a journey, up from the current £2.60.
And they asked for a change to existing nighttime and weekend charges too.
Currently, trips over the weekend have a surcharge of £1 on top of standard fees. But cabbies suggested introducing a basic charge of £5 instead.
They also asked that the nighttime hours be amended to begin two hours earlier, moving to 8pm from 10pm.
Finally, the taxi firms requested that waiting times jump from £23 to £27 per hour.
Rainbow City Taxis boss Russell McLeod told members the last year has been “difficult” for the trade due to rising fuel costs. Vehicle purchase costs, servicing and parts have also shot up in price, leaving many cabbies out of pocket.
And drivers will face extra financial pressures as many will have to buy new vehicles to meet Aberdeen’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) regulations.
Mr McLeod argued that the fare change was needed to encourage more drivers to work in the evenings and over the weekend. He also believes the changes could attract new drivers to the trade.
He said: “There needs to be an incentive, we need more drivers to try and work in the evenings. The last three years has seen the trade absorbing significant cost across the board.
“Nothing has moved in a positive direction, we have an opportunity to change this.”
While councillor Steve Delaney noted it was a “difficult situation” he wanted members to go with the council’s option to raise fares by ten per cent.
The depute provost believed that a 20 per cent increase would harm the city’s taxi fleet.
He said: “We need to encourage more drivers back into the trade. On the other hand, we’ve got to make sure that taxis are affordable to the public. It’s all a balancing act.”
Members went on to support the trade’s proposal.
A further report on the matter will come before the committee in June for councillors to make a final decision.
If approved, the fare increase would be implemented at the end of July.
Source: https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/taxi-fares-could-rise-much-8411323
A former paratrooper turned pet taxi driver is in the running for an Animal Star Award for his work in Wakefield and Pontefract.
Tariq Rehman, 75, from Stechford, had his licence removed by Solihull Council in November last year following a complaint from a passenger.
A taxi firm boss has branded the criminal justice system "broken" after new figures revealed almost a third of offenders in the town reoffended within a year.
Dramatic CCTV footage has captured the moment a hooded figure set a taxi alight on a residential driveway.
A Drongan taxi driver has been convicted of sexually assaulting a female passenger after offering to waive her fare in exchange for sex.
Artur Nowostawski has been jailed for six years and nine months after he attacked a taxi driver earlier this year.
Taxi drivers in the city are facing significant financial losses after a series of electric vehicle charging point failures left them unable to operate.
Police are appealing for help to trace a man who disappeared after getting into a taxi bound for the Otley area of Leeds.
The company’s operator licence includes a condition ordering all drivers to undergo the same training as those from other companies.
Police have stopped a private hire driver who was driving the wrong way on the M1 close to Junction 8 at Hemel Hempstead.
Newcastle City Council is set to introduce strict new measures to tackle illegal and inconsiderate parking near Newcastle International Airport.
West Mercia Police is appealing for information following a rape that took place in Malvern's Priory Park early on Sunday, August 4th.
Glasgow taxi users could be facing a near-10% fare increase and extended night-time charges.
At least 14 cars have been damaged since June, with drivers suffering financial loss and emotional distress.
The attack happened at around 12.45pm on Etruria Vale Road, Stoke, when the victim, driving a Toyota Avensis, was punched in the face by one of the men.
Cumberland Council has taken decisive action to protect public safety by revoking the licence of a taxi driver charged last week with a serious racially aggravated offence.
A historic bridge has been closed indefinitely after an Uber car became wedged on Saturday morning.
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.