Peterborough City Council’s cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald, has switched the use of nine spaces opposite the Broadway Theatre.

They can now be used as waiting spaces for black cab drivers seeking to pick up customers from outside Tesco supermarket, in Broadway.

It comes after almost 100 taxis held up city centre traffic when they protested about a lack of parking spaces for cabs on Monday.

Drivers were demonstrating their concern at the cost of keeping their taxis on the road every year, and the lack of allotted space to pick up customers in the city centre.

Today, Cllr Fitzgerald said the nine spaces were a “temporary solution”.

He added: “Instructions have been put in place to create a new rank on the corner of Park Road with Fitzwilliam Street.

“As far as taxi drivers saying too many permits are given out, only three new applications were processed in the last year. We have reached a plateau and are levelling out.”

The temporary taxi spaces are expected to revert back to metered space for public vehicles.

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Temporary-parking-spaces-introduced-to.4178811.jp