Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers say they are being targeted for tickets by camera car

Wednesday, October 13, 2010, 07:00

Taxi drivers are up in arms after being hit with a spate of parking tickets issued by Plymouth City Council's new camera car.

Drivers at AA Taxis in Devonport say they have started getting parking tickets for dropping off customers in the city centre, where previously wardens had given them some leeway.

Manager Paddy O'Reilly said many of the company's customers were elderly or disabled and wanted to be dropped off close to shops and amenities, for example at Derry's Cross.

He said: "I've been a taxi driver for 20 years and I've always done that. All we used to get was a friendly traffic warden telling us to hurry up. They knew we were only stopping for a couple of minutes."

But he said that last week, drivers started to get parking tickets from the new camera car – unlike traditional tickets, they are not placed on the vehicle but mailed to the recipient, so that one driver received two tickets on the same day.

Mr O'Reilly said his drivers would no longer be able to drop passengers where they wanted, as they risked a £35 fine.

He said: "There's no leeway any more. All we are asking for is a two minute window, when we're not blocking traffic and it's safe for our passengers to get out."

Mr O'Reilly said he thought other taxi firms were having the same problem.

John Tungate, a driver with Need-a-Cab on Union Street, said he had been given a ticket for dropping off at Derry's Cross in the past, but the camera car was making things worse. One of his colleagues had already received one of the new-style tickets in the post, he said.

Mr Tungate said: "Taxis have got to drop off. There should be an allowance for taxis of three or four minutes. Most taxi drivers want to move off quickly anyway, to make more money."

However, a Plymouth City Council spokesman said fines were now issued automatically were parking rules were clearly broken.

She said: "The new camera car is being used to tackle illegal parking in school 'Keep Clear' zones, pedestrian crossing zigzags, and to assist in reducing congestion through the enforcement of bus lanes and helping to keep bus stops clear.

"Together with the police we have communicated regularly with users likely to spend a lot of time on the roads, such as private hire drivers, to remind them of the finer details of traffic law as well as offering advice about avoiding penalties.

"The penalties issued by the car are automatic and are only registered should a parking rule clearly be broken.

"No fine will be imposed for stopping to offload or collect passengers in areas where any driver may legally stop as there are no loading restrictions, such as the loading bay behind Marks & Spencer and Colin Campbell Court."

Source; http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Ta ... ticle.html

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

So they are now saying no stopping on double yellows to unload even if they are not causing an obstruction I think Plymouth council are effectively penalising the elderly and disabled who need dropping off in such places

No doubt one of the legal beagles will correct me but as I understand it you can legally pick up and drop passengers unless it clearly states NO STOPPING!,ie zig zags,Bus stops etc.
this is even ok on NO Loading places as long as you stay in the car!
Any older Brighton cabbie will remember the problem at St Peters with Sainsbury's supermarket!,we could pull over and stop BUT not get out to load the shopping!!

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42 years now! and still going strong!

That should now read 38 years and still going!! Just!

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42 years now! and still going strong!

I would say quoting the DDA would provide a resolution.

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

Get used to it boys.

We've had it in London for years. We now have a few thousand cameras all over London looking to fine you for every move you make.

Trust me. It'll spread like wildfire as councils look for more and more ways to make up any budget deficit.
Westminster Council in central London make around a sixth of their total budget from parking charges, and parking / moving traffic offence camera fines.

Over £400 million last year alone.

When London sneezes . . .

Taxi drivers convoy down Royal Parade in ticketing protest

​PLYMOUTH taxi drivers carried out a protest in the city centre against ticketing by Plymouth City Council’s new camera car.

Private hire drivers are angry that the car, which can record parking infringements on a camera mounted on its roof, has issued tickets to taxis dropping customers off on double yellow lines.

They face fines of up to £70 for each infringement.

They say that many elderly and disabled customers require dropping off near the shops or services they want to visit, but unlike the wardens, the camera car is giving them no leeway.

Iris Sears, of Taxi company Excel, said drivers from several firms took part in the demonstration, which consisted of driving slowly in convoy down Royal Parade.

She said: “The drivers organised it amongst themselves, which is unusual as they don’t normally get together.

“Although it was only a small demonstration, the feeling is getting quite strong.

“This little camera car is effectively stopping us doing the job we are licensed by the city council to do.”

The protest took place at noon on Saturday.

The drivers are especially angry that hackney carriage ‘black cab’ drivers are considered public transport and can stop on double-yellow lines to drop off or collect passengers.

In previous stories about taxi drivers’ grievances over the new camera car, the council has told The Herald it had “increased enforcement” with the introduction of the camera car.

The council said there was no leeway on dropping or collecting passengers in Old Town Street, New George Street, St Andrew’s Cross roundabout, Royal Parade, Derry’s Cross, Charles Street – outside the northern entrance to the Drake Circus mall – or Mutley Plain.

It advised private hire drivers to use city-centre car parks and side streets to drop and collect passengers.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Ta ... ticle.html

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

Goes without saying that yet again Journalists mix up and amalgamate Taxis and Private Hire.

If you go to the link, you will see a "Taxi" tout sign that simply does not exist in Plymouth - they should have used a Private Hire top sign but that would have meant someone getting of his 'arris I suppose.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

Always appeal council parking tickets.

Most councils feck up at some time during the appeals procedure giving you a slam dunk win if you get as far as adjudication.

Although www.pepipoo.com do not appear to haver dealt with many tickets from Plymouth recently, Westminster make a complete pig's ear of civil enforcement. Justy about everyone who challenges a Westminster ticket eventually wins a cancellation.

Crackdown on illegal bus-stop parking, which has angered cabbies, is praised

Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 07:00

Bus drivers have praised the crackdown on drivers who park illegally at Plymouth bus stops.

The crackdown has angered private hire drivers, who have been hit with fines of up to £70.

On Saturday some drivers drove slowly in convoy on Royal Parade in protest, as reported in The Herald.

Since Plymouth City Council introduced a camera car to catch drivers parked illegally, there had been noticeable reductions in the numbers of cars parked on bus stops on Royal Parade, Victoria and Wolseley Road and the bus bay outside Comet, according to Peter Oliver, commercial manager at Plymouth Citybus.

Private hire drivers say many elderly and disabled customers require dropping off near the shops or services they want to visit.

Mr Oliver said motorists parked illegally in bus bays caused difficulties for disabled passengers, who had to walk out into the road.

He has offered to work with the council to catch even more illegally parked drivers, using cameras mounted on the buses.

Mr Oliver said: "It's not just private hire cars. This camera car isn't going around targeting them."

"Just one person parking on a bus stop for their own convenience makes life inconvenient to our passengers and other road users."

"Not only does it force the wheelchair and baby buggy users, the infirm and elderly to step on and off the bus away from the pavement, but the bus also then holds up traffic and creates additional congestion."

He said there were still problems with motorists double parking in areas such as Albert Road in Devonport, and Stoke Village shops. Bus users were also being inconvenienced on the Barbican and Mutley Plain.

Andy Ash, a driver with Tower Cabs, said there was discrimination because black cabs were allowed to stop in the bus lanes.

Private hire drivers will meet council officers next week.

Source; http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Cr ... ticle.html

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Yes, agreed. Had two from Westminster, one for loading (when I was a courier) in a loading bay during restricted hours, but the camera zoomed in on the wrong sign, and got the sign for the road, and not the bay itself.

Plus another for stopping in a bay for buses to unload, but the signs were covered by flowers, so I couldn't see it.

Also, one from Lambeth council for stopping in a bus lane (during restricted hours) with a single yellow to pick up passengers and their luggage (permissible). They didn't give any evidence of a timeplate, their traffic management order they submitted to the adjudication was experimental (therefore non-enforceable), and it didn't cover the place where I stopped! Plus they didn't submit a copy of the Notice of Rejection (a letter sent by the council explaining why your appeal is rejected) to the adjudication, which amounts to "technical impropriety"

A choice of either paying £60 upfront (in London), or fighting it out at adjudication where if you win you pay £0 or if you lose £120. Keep a list of all expenses incurred - time taken for evidence gathering, lose of earnings, postage and stationery, and claim!