Taxi drivers in Shrewsbury protest over changes
Friday 28th January 2011, 12:07PM GMT.
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Taxi drivers protest about zone changes in Shropshire. Richard Price with Derek Storey, Cilff Weston, and Adie Wilkes.
Up to 200 taxi drivers were due to take to the streets today and block traffic in Shrewsbury to protest over a proposed shake-up for black cabs in Shropshire.
Fears the town would be brought to a standstill were sparked after drivers announced plans to leave Abbey Foregate car park this afternoon and take their protest around Shrewsbury town centre and the Shirehall.
It is in protest against Shropshire Council’s plans to de-zone the county’s taxi structure.
Currently the county is zoned into five different areas, based on the old borough districts of Bridgnorth, north Shropshire, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Atcham and south Shropshire.
With the council’s plans to repeal the by-laws on zoning, and create one zone, following a move to a unitary authority, a single rate card will be set for the county.
Drivers claim that fares in Shrewsbury will rocket by up to 300 per cent and say a standard trip from the train station in and around the town could cost up to £15.
Richard Price, chairman of the newly formed Shrewsbury Drivers Action Group, said: “The losers again are the general public with rising fares and it is felt that there are very serious safety concerns for the general public with the amount of taxis that are expected to be plying for hire in Shrewsbury on a weekend.
“The current zoning has worked well over the years, and the general public have benefited in the form of low fares and security. If the de-zoning policy is adopted by Shropshire Council it will be armageddon in Shrewsbury.”
Councillor Rosanna Taylor-Smith, chairman of Shropshire Council’s strategic licensing committee, said that when the shake-up to local government took place in 2009 it led to “significantly inconsistent” approaches to taxi licensing.
She said: “To give all taxi users the assurance of a safe, consistent and fair standard across Shropshire, the council is looking at ways to provide this regular approach.”
No decision has yet been made.
By Russell Roberts
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Shropshire Council doing its best to continue to ruin the town yet again.
Time for the publiuc to stand up to this nonsense and protest on mass outside Shirehall.
Enough is Enough!
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So all the basic rate workers who work late at night and require taxis to get home get penalised again.No wonder people choose not to work !
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Why does it cost Taxi Drivers so much to be registered? It does not seem to apply to other trades. I can understand they need to be regulated, but no more so than pubs or buses.
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Hereford got deregulated years ago and we’ve gone from about 60 cabs to 600 …. madness …drivers are plying for hire having travelled from Birmingham …
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I often use the town taxis after a night out in town if I am alone. We trust the local taxi firms and often get the same driver. A night out is expensive now, a couple of drinks and a taxi home costs a lot. A trip to the theatre or the cinema, then a taxi can break the bank.!!!
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Congestion caused by taxi-drivers, will anyone notice that they’re protesting?
Personally I can’t see I should have to pay my hard earned money to be driven around in a 10yr old Vauxhall Vectra when others manage to provide new or nearly new transport.
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It’s the black Hackney cabs the article refers to.
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Market forces will soon bring down the cost of a taxi ride once we get more cabs in from the West Midlands.
Some may even bring their fees down to cost price just to get the trade, bring it on I say.
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No 1 Phil.
You are typical British, all talk and no action.
You mention mass protests …. no way and the Council know you and others won’t do it.
I am not having a go at you personally but at the British apathy.
The people in power, Goverment or Councils, know damn well you will not do a thing about it, except moan, so they walk all over you.
Sad.
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Is Shropshire Council trying to kill off Shrewsbury ? has anyone one of the high paid bods on the council got one grain of common sense ?
If it anin’t broke don’t fix it applies here I think!
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Read it again – its about all of Shropshire, believe it or not there are places other than Shrewsbury and its me,me,me attitude.
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Police should nick the lot and charge them with obstruction, you upset a taxi and he will do his dammed to reek revenge, they illegaaly park, ignore no entry signs and generally break the law. BOOK THEM ALL
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It sounds like the taxi drivers have a good case.
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Ive never caught a black cab in shrews, and dont think that anyone i know has either…
result: couldnt give a monkeys, but if the taxi drivers want to make a nuisance of themselves then I suggest the police start dishing out the fixed penalty notices, start at 3 points and double it for any of them that give it gob….
Should do the trick :)
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