A black cab protest on Tottenham Court Road has angered commuters inconvenienced by the blockade while some said the action damages the taxi drivers’ cause.
It is the second day cabbies brought the busy area to a standstill in protest over plans to restrict daytime access to the route as part of a £35 million project.
In response a week-long demonstration has been called by the Independent Taxi Alliance (ITA) against the proposals.
One disgruntled person said they thought the drivers even deserved “points on their licences” due to the situation.
Footage also emerged of one man debating the issue with a taxi driver, before leaving as the disagreement became more animated.
Some people responded more positively to the protestors though, with a staff member from a nearby shop taking tea to some of those involved.
However, it was suggested by others the protest may have backfired to an extent.
While another wrote: “Passed Tottenham Court Road with the black cab protests and it’s so peaceful. Close the road off to vehicles all together.”
Only buses and bikes will be allowed on Tottenham Court Road from Monday to Saturday between 8am and 7pm, when it is converted from one-way to two-way traffic from March.
Camden Council says the changes will improve road safety and air quality, which it feels will lead to a change in fortunes for an “unloved” street.
Drivers who breach the restrictions face a £130 fine.
In a statement on Monday, the ITA called on the council to lift the restriction on cabs and said: “The local authority could reasonably conclude that taxi access to bus lanes is liable to enhance the efficiency of the London road transport system”.
https://bit.ly/2OYB5uS
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HERTFORDSHIRE
Taxi drivers across Herts were invited to a training session in Letchworth to raise awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking.
Representatives from all 10 taxi licencing authorities in the county attended the workshop last week which was about recognising people who are being trafficked or controlled by other people.
This includes within drug trafficking networks, known as county lines, as well as child sexual exploitation and extremism.
Sue Darker, operations director in adult care service for Herts County Council, said: “Hertfordshire is generally a safe place to live and work but exploitation, trafficking and slavery does exist here.
“Taxi drivers are often unwittingly used by criminals to move exploited people from location to location.
“They also see a broad cross-section of society through their work. “As a result of this event, licencing officers will better train and support taxi drivers in recognising the signs of exploitation.
“They, in turn, will be able to report their concerns to authorities, so that those exploited people can be saved from a life of abuse and mistreatment.”
Also speaking at the event were Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Operation Tropic, Watford Borough Council’s licensing department and the charity Unseen.
Unseen discussed how the national Modern Slavery Helpline that it runs can provide information and support to victims and witnesses.
The charity works to support victims of modern slavery with medical care, counselling, legal advice, education and more.
Anyone with concerns or who would like advice about modern slavery or human trafficking should call police via 101 or the national Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700. In an emergency call 999.
https://www.thecomet.net/news/herts-police-tackle-modern-slavery-1-5861990
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MADRID
A man is reported to be in critical condition after being hit by a car as he was participating in a Madrid road block organized by taxi drivers.
The accident took place at around 2pm on Tuesday, as an open-ended taxi strike in Madrid entered its second day after the main industry associations and regional authorities failed to reach an agreement on more stringent regulation for online ride-hailing services like Uber and Cabify.
And in Barcelona, taxi drivers continued a stoppage that began last Friday over new regulations covering VTC (vehicle for hire) licenses, which ride-hailing apps in Spain use to operate.
Several violent incidents have been reported during the protests, including vandalized vehicles and police charges in Barcelona against protesters who hurled objects at the officers. Economy Minister Nadia Calviño has called the acts of violence “deplorable.” More than 26,000 taxi drivers are participating in the stoppages in Madrid and Barcelona.
Taxi drivers blocked access roads leading to Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez- Barajas airport, including parts of the A-2, but lifted the roadblock after a colleague got hit by a passing car. Earlier, drivers had cut off sections of Avenida de la Hispanidad, M-14 and M-11 roads.
Regional premier Ángel Garrido said he would not yield to the taxi drivers’ pressure or pass laws “to eliminate a sector.” He added that the taxi industry on Monday “missed a great opportunity to reach a consensus.”
https://bit.ly/2T8sJmN
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Cork TD proposes Uber-style taxi service in 'isolated' rural areas
Locals in towns and villages across the country could soon be allowed to act as taxi drivers to plug a public transport gap.
The idea for an Uber-style system is being put forward by Junior Minister Jim Daly.
It would see people in small towns allowed to use their own car to pick up people within 15km of where they live.
The drivers would be able to use a mobile phone app to find passengers and set cheaper fares.
"This would be for areas with a population of less than 5,000 so it won't impinge on existing taxis and taxi services because they're non-existant in most of the areas that I represent," Minister Daly told C103.
With recent changes to drink-driving laws and public transport Minister Daly said he hopes the measure could help tackle rural isolation.
"The more isolated people, are the less social interaction they have," he said.
The TD also said legislation may need to change to deal with the issue of insurance.
"At the moment the legislation doesn't allow that to happen and I'm trying to get the law changed in Ireland," he said.
"I wrote to Shane Ross on this back in October and proposed it to him. I met him to tease it out further. He had a look at it but he has asked me to put it all in writing again to him to outline it so he can pass it on to the National Transport Authority, which I have done."
"I'm meeting with the CEO of the National Transport Authority on February 6 in my offices in Dublin to see how we can progress this proposal."
"The insurance companies should be offering a reduction to people who do this.
"This has the potential to make our roads so safe. It takes drink-drivers off the roads and it takes those pedestrians, who are the most vulnerable people on rural roads that are not lit up [off the roads].
https://bit.ly/2HEN41R
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