July 5, 2008
Cabbies to boycott new taxi rank
TAXI drivers in Southampton are threatening to boycott a new rank over concerns it is too difficult for late night revellers to find.
As reported in yesterday's Daily Echo, city council planners refused to have the rank in London Road, near the majority of night-time venues, because it could ruin the look of the recently redeveloped street.
Despite advice from the police, taxi drivers and their own licensing department highways chiefs instead allowed the rank to be located around the corner in Bellevue Road.
Despite having marshals on the rank, drivers say they are not prepared to use it amid concerns about it being a residential road with limited lighting and no CCTV coverage.
They are planning a boycott of the rank and are set to protest by "cruising" slowly through London Road on Friday and Saturday nights.
Taxi union representative Perry McMillian said: "This is a completely inappropriate place for the taxis to rank up.
"We are boycotting the rank in protest at the complete lack of understanding by the planners.
"Both Southampton City Council and Hampshire police say drivers need to give the new rank a chance before taking any action.
Licensing Sergeant Stewart Chandler: "We accept that the location of the rank in Bellevue Road is not the best, however, that is where the highways department decided it should be sited."
Richard Ivory, assistant solicitor to Southampton City Council said CCTV was being installed to cover the new rank and lighting issues addressed. "If, after two months of trying the new rank, they have concerns then we will sit down and look at them but there is no point jumping on this bandwagon after one weekend."
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