Temporary taxi rank in Durham City made permanentA CONTROVERSIAL change to a taxi rank in Durham City centre has been made permanent after councillors agreed it was the lesser of two evils.
Durham County Council has been trialling the new rank on the A690 slip road next to the Prince Bishop’s car park for the past 18 months after concerns were raised about the previous taxi pick up point on Claypath opposite Millennium Place.
The temporary restriction was imposed after residents complained of vehicles parking up Claypath with their engines running in the early hours of the morning.
The council’s highways committee, which met in Durham today (April 9), has now agreed for the piloted programme to be made permanent.
The authority received 25 letters of objection to the changes from taxi drivers.
They argued some taxi drivers were ignoring the new rules and continuing to use the old rank, in effect “poaching” the passengers as they leave the Gala Theatre area.
David Wafer, strategic traffic manager for Durham County Council, said a CCTV camera has been set up to monitor the Claypath area with taxis being penalised if they park there.
Other drivers said the new rank is not large enough but Mr Wafer said it is an appropriate size and the Claypath rank was designated for 10 taxis, although it appeared to have more space as vehicles queued up the road.
David Freeman, councillor for Elvet and Gilesgate welcomed the change.
He said: “The situation before was unacceptable and was causing problems for residents and other drivers who were having to overtake a line of up to 60 taxis on the wrong side of the road.”
source:
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/l ... permanent/
Login
Register
FAQ
