Stroudley Road is the northern entrance to the station.
Taxi drivers expressed their outrage at the decision with one dubbing it “the most bizarre idea I have ever heard”.
But since then members of the Green Party and several residents from the area have voiced their support for the move.
St Peter’s and North Laine city councillor Lizzie Dean said she “welcomed the news” and urged train company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which is responsible for the move, to also tackle the problems of “engine idling, traffic fumes, noise and late night disturbance”.
She said: “Residents will be pleased that GTR has finally taken the decision to relocate the taxi rank to the rear of the train station, freeing up the narrow residential streets they live on from traffic fumes, congestion and noise.
“This news will be particularly welcomed by people living on Surrey Street and Upper Gloucester Road where day-long traffic queues have become commonplace.
“Greens repeatedly urged the railway company to acknowledge residents’ concerns, arranging public meetings and also raising this at council committees.
“The existing arrangement has been far from ideal, even for car drivers as Surrey Street in particular has become overly congested.
“Buses also find it hard to get through to the station.”
Reacting to the news that the taxi rank would be moving, cabbie Gavin Castle, 48, from Patcham, raised concerns over the likely increase in journey times to the seafront – as taxis would have to leave the station travelling in the opposite direction.
He said: “In New England Road (where taxis will exit the new rank) at peak times, it can be murder to even move.
“If you have got to go from the back of the station to the seafront it will probably add on 20 minutes to your journey and add another 50 per cent on to many passengers’ fares.
“I feel so sorry for the people who will have to queue up for the cabs and whose journeys will take longer.”
But Cllr Dean responded to this claim.
She said: “It is also hoped that any longer journeys southbound will be counterbalanced by shorter journeys to other parts of the city.
“Overall, I believe there will be benefits for everyone with this new arrangement, and I encourage GTR to reach out to as many groups as possible in order to make sure their plans for the new rank are as accessible and user-friendly as possible.”
This praise was matched by Surrey Street resident Zimran Samuel who said: “This is a positive change that will benefit the immediate area.
“Residents are hugely grateful to their dedicated representatives such as Caroline Lucas MP and Councillor Lizzie Deane for advocating for the strength of the views held by their constituents.”
http://bit.ly/31XIEIL
------------------------------------------
Drivers are exposed to the highest levels of harmful air pollution – and taxi drivers are most at risk
There’s overwhelming evidence that air pollution has a significant impact on human health. It’s been shown to cause a number of respiratory conditions, such as pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma.
And recently, it’s even been linked to dementia, cognitive decline and delayed lung development in children. Not only that, but there’s also evidence that traffic-related air pollution causes greater adverse health effects compared to other sources.
This is particularly the case for diesel engine exhaust emissions, which are cancerous to humans, a special concern in Europe as 42.5% of registered vehicles are diesel (compared to only 4% in the US). While commuting, people may spend one to two hours a day being exposed to diesel emissions. These levels of exposure are even higher for people who are required to drive as part of their job.
My colleagues and I recently investigated how much air pollution professional drivers are exposed to. We measured the pollution levels experienced by 141 professional drivers from different sectors, including taxi, truck, waste removal and emergency services drivers, in London for a continuous 96-hour period.
Our study found that professional drivers were exposed to four times higher pollution levels when driving than when at home – 4.1 micrograms of black carbon per cubic metre of air (4.1 µg/m³). While this amount may sound low, studies have found significant respiratory health effects, such as asthma and impaired lung function, with changes in black carbon exposure for values as small as 1 µg/m³.
There are over 1m professional drivers in the UK alone. Despite knowing how harmful high levels of pollution can be to human health, there have been very few studies looking at the risks professional drivers face.
The pollutant we measured was black carbon (commonly referred to as soot or elemental carbon), which is often used as an overall representation for diesel emissions in the urban environment. We found that the level of pollution drivers were exposed to (4.1 µg/m³) was a third higher than measurements recorded at one of the busiest roads in London (3.1 µg/m³). This exposure is higher than if you worked at a desk that was literally sat on a road frequented by 90,000 vehicles each day.
We also found that taxi drivers were exposed to the highest levels of pollution (6.5 µg/m³), which is twice the level of the least-exposed drivers, those in emergency services vehicles.
This is largely due to the fact that taxi drivers spend the majority of their working day in central London, dropping off and picking up passengers in congested areas.
http://bit.ly/2MhWBLa
-----------------------------------
HONG KONG
Enraged protesters beat and kicked a taxi driver who had ploughed into a Hong Kong demonstration as thousands of others marched wearing banned face masks amid new clashes with police.
The unnamed taxi driver rammed into protesters and knocked them down. At least two needed medical care.
Protesters then immediately circled the man's car and dragged him out on to the street before beating him to a bloody pulp.
Shocking footage shows masked protesters stamping on his face and kicking him during the struggle while he lies helpless and unable to move.
First aid was eventually called and the man was treated on the scene while other protesters cleared a circle around him to protect him.
https://dailym.ai/2LXyXo4
------------------------------------
SANDWELL
A taxi driver who mounted the pavement outside a school causing a mother to fear she and her child would be run over has been stripped of his licence.
The unnamed man was one of two drivers who had their permits revoked by councillors at a closed meeting of Sandwell’s Council’s licensing sub committee.
They had appeared before a private meeting, which was held to decide if they should be allowed to keep their licences after breaking traffic laws.
The decisions were revealed in minutes of the committee’s meeting held on September 2 where one, only identified as Mr M I, admitted he had mounted the pavement and partially parked on double yellow lines outside a primary school as parents and children were arriving.
In a witness statement given to councillors, the mother said the vehicle almost drove into her and her child leaving her shocked and fearful.
She added she had felt intimidated by Mr M I’s driving and his attitude when she challenged him.
Explaining his actions to the committee, Mr M I said a passenger had requested him to park near to the school gates and wait for them to return and he had only mounted the pavement because it was a narrow road.
But in revoking his licence the committee said he had exhibited unacceptable behaviour as a professional driver and a disregard for public safety and was therefore was not fit and proper to hold one.
In a second case heard by councillors, a driver identified as Mr I H admitted he had been convicted by magistrates for driving on a defective tyre and not wearing his seat belt after police investigated an accident when his car had hit a brick wall.
He told the committee the accident had happened as he was driving his taxi in snowy, icy conditions and had skidded on black ice.
He explained he had purchased a tyre two weeks before the accident and had assumed that it was safe.
But revoking his licence councillors said drivers should be clear of major road traffic offences for a period of three years and the committee had no reason to depart from guidelines.
http://bit.ly/2Vx3P2h
--------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment