Taxi Driver Online

Cycle cash a waste say cabbies


BLACKPOOL cabbies have slammed the council for creating a road nightmare in the town.

Taxi drivers say as well as the traffic chaos caused by the Promenade closure, town hall bosses are clogging up routes by placing too many needless cycle paths on the street.

And they say they would rather the cash be spent filling in potholes.

Bill Lewtas, secretary of the Blackpool Licensed Taxi Operators Association, said: "Just because Cycling England is prepared to fund these so-called improvements doesn't make it right.

"Has anyone from the council seen the appalling road surfaces in Whinney Heys Road and Whinpark Avenue by Victoria Hospital? Don't ambulances need good roads for the health of patients?

"Money is being wasted putting cycle routes in places where I rarely see a bicycle.

"And the cycle route on the pavement right next to the taxi rank in Bank Hey Street is an accident waiting to happen. Can anyone please tell me why there is a dedicated cycle route going east and west on Chapel Street in addition to another cycle route on the other side of the road? I rarely see a cyclist there."

The council says it wants to encourage more people to adopt healthier and greener methods of transport.

Blackpool was awarded £3m by Cycling England to promote cycling.

Four inland routes are being created, from St Chad's Road to Stanley Park; Chapel Street to Stanley Park; Church Street to Blackpool Old Road, and Norbreck Road to Norcross Lane roundabout.

Hoteliers on St Chad's Road have already slammed plans to install bollards alongside the cycle route, which will prevent guests from pulling up to unload cars.

Coun Maxine Callow, portfolio holder for tourism and regeneration on Blackpool Council, said: "We got this funding from the previous Government to encourage cycling because it is healthy and it's green.

"They dictated to us what they wanted and identified routes from the Promenade to Stanley Park. The aim is to make room for cyclists on the roads."

Motorists are currently being diverted away from the Promenade as the Tower Headlands regeneration work has closed a section of the road.

http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I was in Blackpool last week, the prom is a terrible place at the moment.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Not so great even without roadworks !

The prom is ok it's just the route to get to the damn thing if you take a wrong turn and have keep going around in circles like I did ffs

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Last time I was there it mirrored down town Baghdad.

Which is why it will be the last time I'm there.

What did Mr Flanagan suggest the solution was?

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IDFIMH

Reminds me of a cab ride I had there.

Got in the cab, 5 minutes later I'm going past the original place I got in.

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IDFIMH

Wait till its shut both ways in feb till june be f4cking gridlock specially over easter

LOL funny you say that, about 15 years ago we went on a work's "do" about 20 of us, and we were to meet in some club, so booked into some crap B&B, got changed and hailed a Taxi, drove for about 20 mins and got dropped of at the club and was charged about £10......when we left a few hours and beers later, turns out the club was in the next street to our B&B....LOL

Thats how we earn money.Is there another way ?

Normally its by taking the passenger to a destination by the shortest possible route.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

oh ive been missing the point

The streetcabs are notorious for ripping holidaymakers off, not so bad since the council clamped down on it by doing undercover sting operations, but it still happens as I'm sure it does everywhere else. Best advice is book a PH or use a company hack, the majority of these are honest and you have comeback against a company if anything does go wrong.

We had one from the St Chads Hotel to Funnygirls 3 years ago, cost £11.

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Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Believe me, don't get Mercury X2

Dont comment on what you dont know,Strange how its always hackneys.I drive a hackney in blackpool so i know and how would you not have comeback against a street hackney when its the same licensing dept ? Stick to what you know sasha ,nothing !

I'm guessing you drive a streetcab in Blackpool then !

What I'm getting at is if a drunk jumps in a streetcab at the end of a night and gets ripped off their only comeback is to contact the licensing dept, and without the plate/drivers details they have little chance of comeback. Whereas if they use a company cab (PH or hack) at least the company MAY have details of the job. And if a company cab tries ripping a customer off and the driver gets caught they WILL have action taken against them.

And you'd be surprised at what I know !