NOTTINGHAM

It sounded like a wild goose chase, but police in Nottinghamshire really did find the bird in the back of a taxi after it smashed through its window.

The force said they received a call about a goose flying into a car in the Radford area, a few miles from Nottingham.

In a post on Twitter, Radford Road Police said: "When a colleague asked if a call had been received about a goose flying into a taxi over the radio, we had to see it to believe it."

The force joked on social media that the bird may have been heading to the Nottingham Goose Fair, an annual event which takes place in the area in the first week of October.

    When a colleague asked if a call had been received about a goose flying into a taxi over the radio, we had to see it to believe it. Goose was taken to the vets & unfortunately the taxi had to repair the damage.

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 CAMBRIDGE

New taxis on the streets of Cambridge must adhere to ultra-low emissions from April next year, after a failed attempt by taxi drivers to delay the change.

Cambridge City Council’s licensing committee voted unanimously today (September 30) to uphold the rule change which takes affect in April and requires all new saloon taxis to be at least “ultra-low emissions” – effectively electric or plug-in hybrid.

Council officers had recommended the committee delay the policy starting until April 2021, with representatives of the city’s taxi trade arguing the market is “still in its infancy” and the change is not feasible.

More than 125 people signed a petition against the change, with many raising concerns in a public consultation, including the headteacher of St Matthew’s Primary School.

Chair of Cambridge City Licensed Taxis Ltd, Alaur Rahman, said the mileage on electric cars has not been as good as advertised, damaged parts take a long time to replace, and the infrastructure is not ready – with cases of drivers either having to refuse a journeys or getting stuck out of the city without charging points.

“As taxis they are proving to be impractical,” he said, arguing the better models are too expensive.

He said he could not guarantee the industry would not have to ask for a further extension next year.


“We agree that we need to move forward with electric vehicles, but at this moment in time the infrastructure is not there,” he said.

If the changes go ahead next year, he said, “it will put a lot of drivers under pressure.”

He added: “I’m not against electric cars, but it’s in its infancy and at this moment it’s not feasible for us.”

The drivers present also argued taxi drivers are being discriminated against, with private cars and buses not subject to such strict rules.

But councillor Richard Johnson raised concerns of further and further delays if the city does not commit to a deadline. He said: “I’m concerned we could just bogged down in constant deferrals.”

Three representatives for resident groups in Petersfield argued streets near to the station act as “taxi rat-runs” and suffer the consequences of poor air quality and taxi emissions disproportionately.

“There is no safe limit [of vehicle emissions],” argued the secretary of the South Petersfield Residents’ Association, Frank Gawthrop. He said he recognised that other authorities may license taxis, collecting a fee and not upholding the same standards.

The meeting heard taxis can be licensed by other authorities, with lower standards, and then pick up in Cambridge.


“There is no safe limit [of vehicle emissions],” argued the secretary of the South Petersfield Residents’ Association, Frank Gawthrop. “You must not give up on this matter. You must be resolute, you may be thwarted by taxi drivers who don’t want to do this. But you must have a clear conscience.”

Councillor Kelley Green said: “We have evidence to show that recently there have been numbers approaching 200 deaths per year in Cambridge related to air pollution. We regularly see protests around climate change and the environment.

“We are not in a position where we can afford to pull any punches on this – we have to attack this issue.”

https://bit.ly/2ped2QR
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 NATIONAL

 Professional drivers working in congested cities are exposed to black carbon levels that are on average a third higher than would be experienced at a busy roadside, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.

The research also found that taxi drivers experience the highest exposures to black carbon, an indicator of diesel engine fumes, compared to couriers, truck drivers, waste removal and emergency service workers.

However, the study suggests that professional drivers can take simple steps to protect themselves from pollution, such as driving with their windows closed.

The research was presented by Shanon Lim, a research assistant and PhD candidate at King's College London, UK. It was a collaboration between researchers at King's and researchers at Queen Mary University of London.

The researchers recruited 140 professional drivers from a range of occupations working in central London. The drivers were asked to carry black carbon monitors, which were linked with GPS trackers, for a period of 96 hours. The monitors measured exposure levels once every minute. Drivers were also asked about the type of vehicle they drive, their working hours and whether they drive with their windows or air vents open.

The results showed that, on average, professional drivers were exposed to 4.1 micrograms of black carbon per cubic metre of air (μg/m3) while driving, which was around four times higher than their exposure at home (1.1 μg/m3). Researchers say the levels recorded at home are similar to levels experienced by office workers at their desks. Professional drivers also experienced extremely high spikes in exposure to black carbon, often exceeding 100 μg/m3 and lasting as long as half an hour.

During the same period of time, researchers found that pollution levels at a busy London roadside (Marylebone Road) were 3.1 μg/m3 on average and, away from the roadside, the average level in London was 0.9 μg/m3.

Taxi drivers had the highest levels of exposure on average (6.5μg/m3). Emergency services workers had the lowest levels of exposure on average (2.8 μg/m3).

https://bit.ly/2m6IWNT
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Pissed Chelsea Player Tries to Bilk Liverpool Taxi Driver

England star Ross Barkley was escorted to a cashpoint by two police officers to withdraw money to pay a taxi driver after a late night row.

The Chelsea midfielder became embroiled in a blazing argument with the driver after chips were spilled in the back of his cab.

Police were called to the incident in Liverpool and talked to 25-year-old Barkley for several minutes.

Eye-witnesses taunted him as he was spoken to by officers before finally agreeing to pay the driver.

One joked: “The Chelsea player can't pay the taxi.”

An eye-witness told the Mirror: “It was just after 11pm on Sunday night and I was having a cigarette outside Hannah's bar.

“I saw a taxi pull up and there was a row between the driver and the passenger who was Ross Barkley.

“It looked like Barkley had spilled his chips on the floor in the back of the cab.

“He was refusing to pick them up and then refusing to pay. He appeared to be very drunk and was unsteady on his feet.

https://bit.ly/2otGiT5