News about Swallow Street, from the LTDA's ranks and highways officer Richard Masset, has been published in the latest edition of Taxi paper.
Unfortunately it's not 100% correct. As you can't change your info once published, we thought we would post a correction on behalf of Mr Masset.
Marshalled ranks
TfL has revised some of its marshalled rank arrangements.
Marshals have been withdrawn from a rank in Bromley Town centre on Friday nights and moved to two touting blackspots in Regent Street.
So far so good!
The original idea was to provide marshals at the rank near Swallow Street from 10.30pm and then move them to Heddon Street at midnight, when that rank comes into operation.
Still good.
The feedback from drivers has been that the Swallow Street operation is extremely successful, and so the marshals will continue to be deployed there on both Friday and Saturday nights.
Now not so good.
Having spoken to the company providing the marshals, I can announce they have only been authorised at Swallow and Heddon on Friday nights.
TfL turned down the request for Saturday nights.
Something else you won't be reading in Taxi Paper.
After a series of meetings, including on-site observations at the invitation of Westminster's parking contractors (NSL), the RMT London Taxi branch have been instrumental in getting Westminster City Marshals and NSL parking wardens to patrol the stretch of Regent Street outside the Swallow Street arch, on most evenings. The Wardens also work alongside the Marshals on Friday nights.
Since this operation started the touts have been conspicuous by their absence and illegally parking in the bus lane has almost ceased. Not only is the traffic moving more freely, but most of the work from the clubs and restaurants in Swallow Street is now going in Licensed Taxi.
The operation has proved that with help from TfL marshals and local council wardens we can provided an excellent service. But without there help, it's chaos and a free for all, as we've recently seen in Charterhouse Street.
Richard Masset goes on to say:
There will be on-going discussions with TfL to ensure that the marshals are effectively deployed and we are hoping that the resources will stretch to the provision of more at Victoria Station, so that a formal rank can operate at night on the station forecourt.
Something Taxi Leaks and the RMT have been asking for since the building works commenced!
Editorial comment:
Discussions have been on-going for far too long...meanwhile, the touts are having a field-day at Victoria station at night. What was the point of an exclusive engagement policy when important matters such as this have been left to fester for more than a year.
BT police are turning a blind eye to the touts and have recently warned Taxi Drivers about ranking on the old rank. Taxi drivers have had their numbers taken and told if they return, they will be done for a number of offences.
The situation at Victoria needs to be sorted with the greatest urgency, as tourists and commuters are being picked up and ripped off by unscrupulous minicab touts.
Victoria sees 73 million travelers per year and is London's second busiest station, after Waterloo.
We have, in the passed seen violence breaking out between Licensed Taxi drivers and Minicabs illegally waiting to tout passengers getting off the coaches and buses in Buckingham Palace Road.
By their non action TfL are putting the safety of Taxi drivers and members of the travelling public at risk.
Another failure from this already disgraced government agency.
