NORTHERN IRELAND.
New rules are to be announced that will allow all taxis in Belfast to stop on the street and pick fares.
Environment Minister Mark H Durkan is expected to announce the new measures in the Assembly today, along with details of the timetable for the introduction of changes to the taxi licensing regime.
The changes are due to come into play in January next year.
Belfast’s taxi regime is one of the longest-running sagas to come under the Environment Minister's remit and has prompted heated debates, pitting private hire firms against public hire drivers who are permitted to ply for trade on the street.
Outside Belfast, all taxi drivers are allowed to pick up fares on the street, instead of having to wait for telephone bookings, as private hire drivers in the city have to do.
The current regulations, which have been described as “archaic” by the minister, were due to be replaced with new rules introduced as part of the Taxis Act in 2008.
These were promoted as raising standards, improving compliance, promoting road safety, reduce illegality, improving accessibility and allowing fairer competition, but only parts of the act have been implemented in the six years since it was brought in.
The rule changes also include new driver testing and training measures and taxi meters.
The introduction of the single-tier licensing system has undergone a series of delays and is opposed by Belfast public hire drivers who have mounted protests.
They said the one-tier system and deregulation of taxi meters had no benefit to Belfast public hire or the general public, insisting the rule change puts their livelihood at stake.
But supporters of the changes say they will tackle the problem of a shortage of taxis that can pick up fares during peak periods, meeting demand and ensuring public order.
The Department of the Environment has said it will introduce a maximum fare structure for all taxis operating here.
Former Environment Minister Alex Attwood said last year that taxi law and practice needed to be reformed and upgraded to deal with illegal operators, to improve business opportunities for all drivers, and to ensure the best service for customers and increasing number of tourists.
http://tinyurl.com/o8qzmc4
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
STOKE
DETECTIVES are reviewing an unsolved murder case in the hope of finally discovering who killed a Stoke-on-Trent cabbie two decades ago.
A 49-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent has been arrested in connection with the investigation into the murder of a taxi driver almost 24 years ago.
The driver, Steven Johnson, who was 25, was found a short distance from his taxi in a remote farm track in Mow Cop in Staffordshire three days before Christmas in 1990.
Police say a number of properties in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire have been searched in connection with the latest investigation.
The man, who was arrested on Monday, has since been bailed.
http://www.itv.com/news/central/update/2014-06-18/arrest-in-connection-with-taxi-driver-murder-almost-24-years-ago/?
Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Police-look-Mow-Cop-murderer/story-12581082-detail/story.html#ixzz353TNXzOc
http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/archive/2001/01/12/5289061.MURDER_APPEAL_10_YEARS_ON/?ref=arc
DETECTIVES are reviewing an unsolved murder case in the hope of finally discovering who killed a Stoke-on-Trent cabbie two decades ago.
A 49-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent has been arrested in connection with the investigation into the murder of a taxi driver almost 24 years ago.
The driver, Steven Johnson, who was 25, was found a short distance from his taxi in a remote farm track in Mow Cop in Staffordshire three days before Christmas in 1990.
Police say a number of properties in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire have been searched in connection with the latest investigation.
The man, who was arrested on Monday, has since been bailed.
http://www.itv.com/news/central/update/2014-06-18/arrest-in-connection-with-taxi-driver-murder-almost-24-years-ago/?
Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Police-look-Mow-Cop-murderer/story-12581082-detail/story.html#ixzz353TNXzOc
http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/archive/2001/01/12/5289061.MURDER_APPEAL_10_YEARS_ON/?ref=arc
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
Sprat to Catch a Mackerel.
There has been much debate about the Deregulation Bill, mostly concentrating on the matter of anybody driving PH cars when they are not on duty, and the safety issued involved in that stupid decision.
The much bigger issue of ending restrictions on 'cross border hiring' of PH cars, has to some extent been sidelined.
Do not forget some 'big players' have paid good money to have cross border hiring relaxed, it is essential to their business plan.
Having unlicensed drivers using their cars, is not part of that plan.
After Vera Baird Q.C,s much trumpeted statement yesterday, I would respectfully suggest THAT part (unlicensed drivers) of the Deregulation Bill will be dropped.
Ms Baird and others will rightly say they have been victorious.
The fact is, they may have been suckered.
There has been much debate about the Deregulation Bill, mostly concentrating on the matter of anybody driving PH cars when they are not on duty, and the safety issued involved in that stupid decision.
The much bigger issue of ending restrictions on 'cross border hiring' of PH cars, has to some extent been sidelined.
Do not forget some 'big players' have paid good money to have cross border hiring relaxed, it is essential to their business plan.
Having unlicensed drivers using their cars, is not part of that plan.
After Vera Baird Q.C,s much trumpeted statement yesterday, I would respectfully suggest THAT part (unlicensed drivers) of the Deregulation Bill will be dropped.
Ms Baird and others will rightly say they have been victorious.
The fact is, they may have been suckered.
Coventry MP Jim Cunningham is fighting changes to taxi and private hire cab laws – amid concerns they could put passengers at risk.
The reforms are included in the Government’s Deregulation Bill, which will be voted on by MPs on June 23.
The Government’s proposed reforms to the taxi and minicab trade will enable people without a minicab license drive one when it is “off duty”, end annual checks on drivers’ licences, and allow minicab operators to subcontract bookings to firms in other areas.
Campaigners, industry bodies and unions are among those who have warned the proposed changes could have “severe safety implications”.
Coventry South MP Mr Cunningham said: “At present minicabs in Coventry are driven by people who have undergone criminal, medical and background checks with Coventry City Council.
"But the Government are threatening to remove these safeguards, and let anyone drive an off duty minicab.
“I know many people in my constituency, particularly women and those with impaired mobility, rely on taxis and minicabs to get home safely.
"I’m worried the plans will increase the number of rogue drivers on the city’s roads. I’m calling on the Government to abandon these proposals and put passenger safety first.”
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which campaigns for better personal safety, has also raised concerns that enabling anyone to drive a licensed minicab will provide “greater opportunity for those intent on preying on women”, while the Local Government Association has also called for the plans to be scrapped.
Shadow roads minister Richard Burden added: “The Government’s changes to taxi and minicab law are poorly drafted, badly consulted on and could result in real risks to safety.”
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-mp-says-taxi-reforms-7278097
-----------------------------------------------------
BLACKBURN
A TAXI boss has failed in his legal bid to force Blackburn with Darwen council to licence his white car as a hackney taxi which can pick up customers from the street.
Charles Oakes was furious the borough would not approve his white ‘Eurocab’ Peugeot E7 unless it was repainted, or licensed as a private hire vehicle only entitled to carry pre-booked fares.
Before the case, the council’s licensing committee confirmed its policy that all hackney carriages, other than two specified ‘London taxi cab’ designs, must be black.
Last week Judge Anthony Russell at Preston Crown Court dismissed Mr Oakes appeal.
Now the chairman of the Bolton-based Hackney Carriage Association is considering taking the council to the High Court in Manchester asking for a judicial review.
Council environment boss Jim Smith said: “We are very pleased the court agreed with the licensing sub-committee’s decision to refuse this application to licence a white, non-London style hackney carriage”.
Now the council faces further legal action from Mr Oakes and anger from Blackburn Taxi Association over new bodywork standards for the borough’s black cabs being debated tonight.
Blackburn with Darwen’s licensing committee will discuss the proposed regulations when it meets in the town hall. Taxi association vice-chairman Mohammed Mangera said: “We are pleased at the court decision on the taxi colour rules.
“However we are concerned at the proposed new bodywork regulations. They seem to be based on London taxis which cover many more miles. They would be unnecessary and too expensive from Blackburn drivers to afford.”
Licensing committee chairman John Wright said: “Everybody is unhappy at the current bodywork regulations which are difficult to administer.
“We have consulted the taxi trade and will debate new proposals before making a recommendation to coun Smith.” Mr Oakes said: “I am very disappointed about the court decision on my white taxi. Other councils approve different colours.
“Blackburn with Darwen council is stuck in the past. I am taking legal advice on a judicial review.
“This is not finished.
“The borough needs new bodywork standards but not ones based on London.”
-----------------------------------
NOTTINGHAM
A demonstration by around 400 Hackney carriage drivers in Nottingham this morning caused chaos during the rush hour.
The drivers were protesting about a row over private hire vehicles picking up passengers in the street.
They say the number of unbooked private cars picking up passengers is growing, which the council disputes.
Many people tweeted their frustration about the delays.
http://www.itv.com/news/central/2014-06-17/taxi-strike-causes-delays-in-nottingham/
The reforms are included in the Government’s Deregulation Bill, which will be voted on by MPs on June 23.
The Government’s proposed reforms to the taxi and minicab trade will enable people without a minicab license drive one when it is “off duty”, end annual checks on drivers’ licences, and allow minicab operators to subcontract bookings to firms in other areas.
Campaigners, industry bodies and unions are among those who have warned the proposed changes could have “severe safety implications”.
Coventry South MP Mr Cunningham said: “At present minicabs in Coventry are driven by people who have undergone criminal, medical and background checks with Coventry City Council.
"But the Government are threatening to remove these safeguards, and let anyone drive an off duty minicab.
“I know many people in my constituency, particularly women and those with impaired mobility, rely on taxis and minicabs to get home safely.
"I’m worried the plans will increase the number of rogue drivers on the city’s roads. I’m calling on the Government to abandon these proposals and put passenger safety first.”
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which campaigns for better personal safety, has also raised concerns that enabling anyone to drive a licensed minicab will provide “greater opportunity for those intent on preying on women”, while the Local Government Association has also called for the plans to be scrapped.
Shadow roads minister Richard Burden added: “The Government’s changes to taxi and minicab law are poorly drafted, badly consulted on and could result in real risks to safety.”
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-mp-says-taxi-reforms-7278097
-----------------------------------------------------
BLACKBURN
A TAXI boss has failed in his legal bid to force Blackburn with Darwen council to licence his white car as a hackney taxi which can pick up customers from the street.
Charles Oakes was furious the borough would not approve his white ‘Eurocab’ Peugeot E7 unless it was repainted, or licensed as a private hire vehicle only entitled to carry pre-booked fares.
Before the case, the council’s licensing committee confirmed its policy that all hackney carriages, other than two specified ‘London taxi cab’ designs, must be black.
Last week Judge Anthony Russell at Preston Crown Court dismissed Mr Oakes appeal.
Now the chairman of the Bolton-based Hackney Carriage Association is considering taking the council to the High Court in Manchester asking for a judicial review.
Council environment boss Jim Smith said: “We are very pleased the court agreed with the licensing sub-committee’s decision to refuse this application to licence a white, non-London style hackney carriage”.
Now the council faces further legal action from Mr Oakes and anger from Blackburn Taxi Association over new bodywork standards for the borough’s black cabs being debated tonight.
Blackburn with Darwen’s licensing committee will discuss the proposed regulations when it meets in the town hall. Taxi association vice-chairman Mohammed Mangera said: “We are pleased at the court decision on the taxi colour rules.
“However we are concerned at the proposed new bodywork regulations. They seem to be based on London taxis which cover many more miles. They would be unnecessary and too expensive from Blackburn drivers to afford.”
Licensing committee chairman John Wright said: “Everybody is unhappy at the current bodywork regulations which are difficult to administer.
“We have consulted the taxi trade and will debate new proposals before making a recommendation to coun Smith.” Mr Oakes said: “I am very disappointed about the court decision on my white taxi. Other councils approve different colours.
“Blackburn with Darwen council is stuck in the past. I am taking legal advice on a judicial review.
“This is not finished.
“The borough needs new bodywork standards but not ones based on London.”
-----------------------------------
NOTTINGHAM
A demonstration by around 400 Hackney carriage drivers in Nottingham this morning caused chaos during the rush hour.
The drivers were protesting about a row over private hire vehicles picking up passengers in the street.
They say the number of unbooked private cars picking up passengers is growing, which the council disputes.
Many people tweeted their frustration about the delays.
http://www.itv.com/news/central/2014-06-17/taxi-strike-causes-delays-in-nottingham/
Monday, 16 June 2014
Boris Johnson has warned that it would be "difficult" to ban the controversial cab app Uber, which has angered taxi drivers so much that they last week brought the capital to a standstill.
The London Mayor told reporters that he could understand taxi drivers' concerns, but admitted any attempt to ban Uber would risk a judicial review.
"I think it's a very difficult [question]," he told reporters at the launch of London's Tech Week. "We've gone to the high court to get a ruling on this, and the issue is basically: is the driver's mobile in the cab equivalent to a taxi meter? I can see why m'learned friends might think that it is, because it's receiving data about, or it's calculating, the distance and time and the fare.
"And there are other lawyers who say that it isn't, and that was the advice of the counsel to TfL. And so we've got a legal problem."
Black cab and licensed taxi drivers who went on the protest said the app was leading to unlicensed drivers being contacted, with no checks on whether they are legitimate.
Protesters in Trafalgar Square chanted "Boris, Boris, Boris, out, out, out", while taxi drivers beeped their horns as demonstrators held placards.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/06/16/boris-johnson-uber-london-difficult_n_5498908.html
The London Mayor told reporters that he could understand taxi drivers' concerns, but admitted any attempt to ban Uber would risk a judicial review.
"I think it's a very difficult [question]," he told reporters at the launch of London's Tech Week. "We've gone to the high court to get a ruling on this, and the issue is basically: is the driver's mobile in the cab equivalent to a taxi meter? I can see why m'learned friends might think that it is, because it's receiving data about, or it's calculating, the distance and time and the fare.
"And there are other lawyers who say that it isn't, and that was the advice of the counsel to TfL. And so we've got a legal problem."
Black cab and licensed taxi drivers who went on the protest said the app was leading to unlicensed drivers being contacted, with no checks on whether they are legitimate.
Protesters in Trafalgar Square chanted "Boris, Boris, Boris, out, out, out", while taxi drivers beeped their horns as demonstrators held placards.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/06/16/boris-johnson-uber-london-difficult_n_5498908.html
NEWCASTLE
Road rage taxi driver David Baillie convicted of causing death of Sarah Jane Burke
Talented art and design student Sarah Jane Burke was mown down and killed by a road rage driver, off-duty cabbie David Baillie
Killer driver David Baillie is facing a lengthy jail term after he was convicted of causing the death of a teenage girl during a road rage incident with another driver.
Talented art and design student Sarah Jane Burke, 17, was on her way home from college when off-duty taxi driver Baillie ploughed into her as she crossed the road.
A court heard Baillie was, at the time of the collision, involved in a road rage incident with the driver of a Vauxhall Corsa, which was in front of his Volvo S60 as they travelled along a 30mph road in Sunderland.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Baillie, who had a young child and a woman in the car, swerved and accelerated to get past the Corsa as Sarah was crossing the road.
Baillie, who afterwards described the youngster as “like a rabbit in the headlights”, crashed into her, throwing her into the air and she landed on her head. She suffered multiple injuries and died five days later in hospital from her injuries.
After jurors convicted Baillie of causing death by dangerous driving yesterday, he was warned he faces a substantial prison sentence.
Judge Paul Sloan QC is due to pass sentence on Baillie tomorrow and remanded him in custody.
After he was convicted, the court heard he has two previous convictions for dangerous driving, 10 for theft of a motor vehicle, five for driving with no insurance and one for driving while disqualified.
Prosecutors said that as he overtook the Corsa, Baillie was focusing on the other driver alongside him, rather than the road ahead.
Sarah, described in court as a “talented teenager”, had been on her way home from college on September 17 last year. The teenager, who lived with her parents and sister in Sunderland was crossing the city’s Ormonde Street around 5.30pm when she was hit.
Prosecutor Nick Dry said Baillie had been seen driving dangerously before the impact as he became enraged by Corsa driver Paul Potter.
Mr Potter, who was taking his 12-year-old daughter to her grandmother’s, said Baillie pulled up alongside him at traffic lights, where one lane filters into two.
Mr Potter, a bus driver, pulled away but said Baillie kept accelerating very close behind him and another witness estimated he was within a foot at times.
As they travelled along Ormonde Street, Baillie made the fatal overtaking move near a zebra crossing.
Mr Potter braked to let Baillie past but it was too late to prevent him hitting Sarah.
Baillie, 40, of Magdalene Place, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving as his trial was about to start but denied the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/road-rage-taxi-driver-david-7277102?
Road rage taxi driver David Baillie convicted of causing death of Sarah Jane Burke
Talented art and design student Sarah Jane Burke was mown down and killed by a road rage driver, off-duty cabbie David Baillie
Killer driver David Baillie is facing a lengthy jail term after he was convicted of causing the death of a teenage girl during a road rage incident with another driver.
Talented art and design student Sarah Jane Burke, 17, was on her way home from college when off-duty taxi driver Baillie ploughed into her as she crossed the road.
A court heard Baillie was, at the time of the collision, involved in a road rage incident with the driver of a Vauxhall Corsa, which was in front of his Volvo S60 as they travelled along a 30mph road in Sunderland.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Baillie, who had a young child and a woman in the car, swerved and accelerated to get past the Corsa as Sarah was crossing the road.
Baillie, who afterwards described the youngster as “like a rabbit in the headlights”, crashed into her, throwing her into the air and she landed on her head. She suffered multiple injuries and died five days later in hospital from her injuries.
After jurors convicted Baillie of causing death by dangerous driving yesterday, he was warned he faces a substantial prison sentence.
Judge Paul Sloan QC is due to pass sentence on Baillie tomorrow and remanded him in custody.
After he was convicted, the court heard he has two previous convictions for dangerous driving, 10 for theft of a motor vehicle, five for driving with no insurance and one for driving while disqualified.
Prosecutors said that as he overtook the Corsa, Baillie was focusing on the other driver alongside him, rather than the road ahead.
Sarah, described in court as a “talented teenager”, had been on her way home from college on September 17 last year. The teenager, who lived with her parents and sister in Sunderland was crossing the city’s Ormonde Street around 5.30pm when she was hit.
Prosecutor Nick Dry said Baillie had been seen driving dangerously before the impact as he became enraged by Corsa driver Paul Potter.
Mr Potter, who was taking his 12-year-old daughter to her grandmother’s, said Baillie pulled up alongside him at traffic lights, where one lane filters into two.
Mr Potter, a bus driver, pulled away but said Baillie kept accelerating very close behind him and another witness estimated he was within a foot at times.
As they travelled along Ormonde Street, Baillie made the fatal overtaking move near a zebra crossing.
Mr Potter braked to let Baillie past but it was too late to prevent him hitting Sarah.
Baillie, 40, of Magdalene Place, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving as his trial was about to start but denied the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/road-rage-taxi-driver-david-7277102?
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