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Page 14 Remember – You saw it first in the Globe! 15 August 2012 Five Die In Bogota Taxi Chase Five people died and two others were injured when their car crashed during a high-speed chase with four taxis through the streets of Columbian capital Bogota. The chase began when the driver of a Mazda car failed to stop after colliding with one of the taxis. Police said the Mazda lost control and spun into a concrete electricity pole and then hit the cab. “We crashed with a taxi just after coming out of a disco but didn’t stop,” one of the two survivors of the car wreck told a local television news programme. “Four taxis then came chasing after us,” he added. Bogota cab drivers frequently carry guns or knives to defend themselves in the capital, where crime rates are spiralling. They also call fellow radio drivers to gang up on passengers who fail to pay fares. One taxi driver was arrested. CCTV Turns UK Cabbies into Snoops? We don’t usually look at the UK in Global News but this one grabbed our attention because it could be important. It even involves those who have the notice but not the equipment – and no, that isn’t meant to be a joke! A number of London taxis are fitted with CCTV, the idea being that should anything untoward occur then an image of the perpetrator would be captured. Any images can only be downloaded by the licensing authority via the Met Police, but the CCTV option is now in danger following an order from the Information Commissioner’s Office to Southampton City Council, who since 2009 have ordered local taxi drivers to video and record their passengers’ conversations. Now information commissioner, Christopher Graham, has told the licensing authority that all the equipment must be removed from their taxis by 1 November 2012. He said that by requiring taxi operators to record all conversations and images while the vehicles were in use, Southampton City Council were going too far. Mr Graham added: “We recognise the council’s desire to ensure the safety of passengers and drivers, but this has to be balanced against the degree of privacy that most people would reasonably expect in the back of a taxi. However, their policy is a breach of the Data Protection Act and recording all conversations is out of proportion to the very low amount of trouble seen by taxi drivers. It is also important to stop the recordings because many drivers use their vehicles outside work.” The ICO – sometimes referred to as the Snoop Patrol – recently stopped Oxford City Council from implementing a similar CCTV service in its taxis surveillance policy. They closed by saying: “We hope this action sends a clear message to local authorities that they must properly consider all the legal obligations on them before requiring the installation of CCTV or similar equipment and that audio recording should be very much the exception, rather than the rule.” GLOBAL NEWS Would You Believe It – Minicabs in Ghana! Nothing special in this story other than to show that London’s problems are by no means unique. A Ghanaian judge in the south eastern Atlantic coast city of Tema recently sentenced an “unlicensed taxi driver” (yes, a minicab driver!) who faced a touting offence to 14 days in prison - with hard labour! Ben Arthur pleaded guilty at the court to charges of picking up unauthorised passengers and in doing so, preventing the free flow of traffic. The prosecutor told the court that a policeman on patrol saw the accused park his vehicle at the local business centre. Arthur was then seen to ask passers-by if they wanted a taxi. Meanwhile, traffic struggled to squeeze through the small gap he had left. “Let this sentence be a lesson to other unlicensed “taxi drivers,” said the judge after mentioning the hard labour. Make it six months and you might even get rid of them in London! Scottish Taxi Driver Gets Ticket For Helping A Blind Passenger! Like London, traffic wardens in Glasgow seem to be rather over zealous. This stems from a spate of parking tickets (PCNs) issued after drivers had briefly left their cabs to help disabled passengers – one driver especially who received a ticket while helping a blind passenger from his TX4. Taxi authorities now want talks with the council following another driver, Iain Robertson, who received a PCN that included a photo of the TX2 driver helping a one-legged passenger into a shop! A taxi spokesperson told Global News: “It’s ridiculous. You can’t possibly leave a blind person or someone with one leg by the side of the road, especially when they aren’t even familiar with the area? How can you provide a service with these type of restrictions?” The local authority had refused to cancel the disputed tickets despite an appeal from the first driver, James Devine. A computerised log from his radio circuit showed that his cab had stopped for just two minutes outside a dental hospital while dropping off the blind passenger. But the council rejected his appeal. That’s what you call a council with heart... a bit like London? Polish Taxi Drivers Demonstrate In Support Of Death Penalty Angered by a spate of murders of their fellow taxi drivers, Polish cabbies drove through major cities recently in a demonstration to demand the restoration of the death penalty. “The death penalty would deter criminals,” said Kazimierz Dobrowolski, a 60-year-old taxi driver from Warsaw. Poland abolished capital punishment many years ago leaving life imprisonment as the country’s toughest sentence with defendants being able to apply for a conditional release after 25 years. Website: www.taxiglobe.info – To advertise in the most independent newspaper – Telephone – 01778 391189 Editorial – 01707 885439
15 August 2012 Remember – You saw it first in the Globe! Page 15 Across the world, the London taxi service is renowned for its drivers - and the iconic vehicles they drive. There are also an increasing number of people who want to own a vintage vehicle and the taxi is their vehicle of choice. For many of these people, once owning a cab becomes a reality they are passionate about restoring their vehicle – some just for pleasure, whilst some use them for business purposes. Many join The London Vintage Taxi Association, which was founded in the UK, but today has members around the world. Some members of the London Vintage Taxi Association are cab drivers in London and some are licensed elsewhere in the UK. There is a dedicated American section in the USA. There, as in the UK, many of the members own and preserve historic London taxis. It isn’t always a case of just “spit and polish” - many of members’ cars have been rescued in derelict condition, with many years spent on the restoration process. Members receive a full colour, glossy bi-monthly magazine, ‘Vintage Taxi’. EVENTS SHOWCASE THE CABS The LVTA can answer quite a wide range of questions about the London taxi and its history, from researchers, family historians and writers. Each year, the LVTA attends a number of rally events although unfortunately one of the larger shows, as well as some of the smaller events, this year was cancelled due to the inclement weather. Over the weekend of October 6/7th this year LVTA members will be showing some of their vehicles at the London Transport Depot Open Week-End held at the Acton Depot. There will also be display cases containing memorabilia and driving tests for members of the public and ‘Mystery Tours’ in vintage cabs round the local area. Bill Munro, a London taxi driver, and a well-known trade writer, will be giving a couple of lectures every day. Story telling will also take place with readings from the recently published “Toby The Taxi” book, which was created by LVTA member Peter Marshal) and a ‘Knowledge’ trail for younger visitors. Once again this year the LVTA will have a stand at the Footman James Classic Car Show, held at the NEC in Birmingham. This is always a wellattended popular event with many vintage cars on show. Visitors last year got the chance to take a close look at some of the members’ vintage LVTA Member Golf Tabbert in Germany, with his cab Enfield Pageant 2012 ICONIC VINTAGE TAXIS vehicles and also a new TX4, loaned by The London Taxi Company. This event takes place over the weekend 16th-18th November. If you are interested in joining the LVTA, please contact the Membership Secretary, Stephen Dimmock by email Stephen.Dimmock@btinternet.com or by post to 51 Ferndale Crescent, Cowley, Uxbridge, UB8 2AY. You do not have to own a taxi to join, all are welcome. MAYOR OF LONDON’S ROADS TASK FORCE London’s roads face a number of challenges in the short, medium and long term: • Conflicts between competing uses and users • Need for significant investment and London’s road asset, to ensure they are fit for a 21st century city • Growth in London’s population and employment will add to existing pressures on the road network • Rising expectations of quality of public space • Imperative to continue improving safety on London’s roads Roads are vital to the Capital’s economy and to movement around the city; roughly 80% of all passenger trips and many freight trips in London are made by road. London’s roads are also important public spaces and are the location for economic and social activity. The first major strategic review of London’s road network for a generation has begun. It is working to propose long term solutions to improve the capital’s roads and tackle some of London’s most high profile junctions such as Hammersmith Flyover, Purley Way, Wandsworth Town Centre, Euston Road, Archway, and Kings Cross. The Roads Task Force was a key election pledge made by the Mayor; the group is looking at how TfL and the boroughs could redesign gyratories and congestion blackspots, make journeys more reliable, and continue to make roads safer for all users. It is also looking at how the road network could better serve local communities, helping to transform the urban realm, cut pollution and ease congestion across the capital. More than 70% of trips to work are made entirely by walking, cycling, driving or taking the bus, and the remaining 30% use roads to access rail and tube stations. On top of this, almost 90% of freight deliveries in and out of London are made using the capitals road network. As London’s population grows by an expected 1.25 million people by 2031, congestion will also rise by an anticipated 14% despite a programme of combative measures and investment. This will place increasing challenges and demands on the road network, as we strive to strike heighten the local quality of life while enabling efficient movement of people and goods around the city without weakening London’s productivity and competitiveness. Boris Johnson said: “A healthy road network is essential for this great city; for our economy, for pedestrians, bus passengers, motorists, and cyclists. London deserves a road network that isn’t just a relic of 1950s and 1960s urban planning, but a road system that is fit for the 21st century. My Roads Task Force will consider every need and help ensure the future success of our capital.” An interim report will be prepared for the Mayor by November 2012. The final report published in spring 2013. Together with the Mayor’s Rail Vision, this report will form an important part of TfL’s contribution to the Mayor’s 2020 vision for the capital. You can submit your comments at https://consultations. tfl.gov.uk/roads/taskforce or by email to RoadsTaskForce@tfl.gov.uk – the consultation is now open and runs until 14th September 2012. Website: www.taxiglobe.info – To advertise in the most independent newspaper – Telephone – 01778 391189 Editorial – 01707 885439
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