Taxi ranks - Hereford city centre

[Bilbobobby]

After reading the article in the HT about the over zealous street warden, I thought a debate should be started about the number - or lack of - taxi ranks in the city.

I understand that ranks are based in -

1 St Peters Sq - 2 spaces

2. Commercial Rd - both sides numerous from 7pm

3. Broad St

4. Bridge Street

5. Maylord Orchards slip road

That means there are NO official ranks in Widemarsh Street, St Owen Street near the Barrels, Bluschool Street near Play and Bewell Street near Tescos.

So what to do. Quite clear not enough spaces and ranks in the wrong places

Perhaps something for the council to look at to ensure a proper regulated service with enough spaces at the right locations and at right time of the day and night

[Slim]

Interesting about Bewell St.  Went there Saturday and counted 3 taxi's picking up and 1 dropping off,this at 1230. The official rank near the bus station had 1 taxi waiting. Taxi drivers, in my opinion, disregard ranks and traffic laws!

[ragwert]

St Peters Sq this morning...8 taxis

[Roger]

 

There's the actual ticket that was issued by Civil Enforcement Officer 40. His machine only operates in whole minutes so we'll never know if the car was illegally parked for a nanosecond or 59 seconds. That's if his machine was absolutely synchronised with a recognised accurate time source. At any rate it was a truly desperate attempt by the Council person to ruin someone's day just to get another ticket on his bedpost and to prop up the shaky finances of The Council. Everyone involved in that cash cow parking operation should hang their heads in shame.

 

The Council, in the HT article, have trotted out the very easy and obvious reply that they are responding to complaints from taxis about misuse of that Planet Buffet taxi rank but I'm pretty sure we (The Public) could argue a lot more about what the taxi drivers' get up to. Not all ... But a fair few.

[ragwert]

Way to many taxis in Hereford

[Roger]

Perhaps something for the council to look at to ensure a proper regulated service with enough spaces at the right locations and at right time of the day and night

 

There are so many blue badges and taxis out there! This has caused a situation where there will not be enough parking space in Hereford City Centre unless you make everywhere only accessible to those groups. 

 

Are you suggesting Bilbobobby that the Council are not operating a 'proper regulated service' at the moment? 

 

I do think it is fairly comical that The Council are hounding a taxi bay that serves the old Odeon cinema and Fusion Nightclub when both premises are currently empty. I know for a fact that taxis are never going to park outside Planet Buffet if they can get away with tagging along behind a full rank on a yellow line a bit further down the road outside Yates ..... Situation is a total joke. 

[Glenda Powell]

There are always 6 or 8 taxis in St Peters Square, also the taxis are by the bus stop outside Tesco and also outside Tesco store in Bewell street, I have seen them in Broad Street, Widemarsh Street and at the back of Maylord Orchards.Also they park outside the Kindle Centre. So plenty of taxis imo.

[Bilbobobby]

The council say to increase taxi spaces or to create new ranks is not a priority unless its a clear road safety issue. It will normally take 2-3 YEARS to get it sorted. In the meantime unofficial ranks continue to operate without challenge by street enforcement (traffic wardens in old money) because its too confrontational/unsafe to ask a taxi to move. One rule 4 one, another rule for others. Vast majority of taxi drivers are law abiding citizens, its the few who take the p... who ruin it for the majority by blatantly ignoring parking restrictions or basic common sense.

[ragwert]

 

There's the actual ticket that was issued by Civil Enforcement Officer 40. His machine only operates in whole minutes so we'll never know if the car was illegally parked for a nanosecond or 59 seconds. That's if his machine was absolutely synchronised with a recognised accurate time source. At any rate it was a truly desperate attempt by the Council person to ruin someone's day just to get another ticket on his bedpost and to prop up the shaky finances of The Council. Everyone involved in that cash cow parking operation should hang their heads in shame.

 

The Council, in the HT article, have trotted out the very easy and obvious reply that they are responding to complaints from taxis about misuse of that Planet Buffet taxi rank but I'm pretty sure we (The Public) could argue a lot more about what the taxi drivers' get up to. Not all ... But a fair few.

[Bill Thomas]

So there is no one official taxi rank then, just lots of little ones?

[Roger]

So there is no one official taxi rank then, just lots of little ones?

 

Yup. Here's one outside the Jalsagor .... Totally illegal. 

 

[Steve Major]

After reading the article in the HT about the over zealous street warden, I thought a debate should be started about the number - or lack of - taxi ranks in the city.

I understand that ranks are based in -

1 St Peters Sq - 2 spaces

2. Commercial Rd - both sides numerous from 7pm

3. Broad St

4. Bridge Street

5. Maylord Orchards slip road

That means there are NO official ranks in Widemarsh Street, St Owen Street near the Barrels, Bluschool Street near Play and Bewell Street near Tescos.

So what to do. Quite clear not enough spaces and ranks in the wrong places

Perhaps something for the council to look at to ensure a proper regulated service with enough spaces at the right locations and at right time of the day and night

 

How about removing a few of the disabled spaces, there are far too many as it is, especially in Broad Street.

[Bilbobobby]

To make the rank legal in Bewell St Tesco have been asked a number of times to put their hand in their pocket to pay for road lay-out work. No was the answer. To change or put in place a new road order can take years. Look at the mess in Widemarsh St with delivery vehicles and taxis making the road a straight line mornings before 1030 and evenings after 430pm Plus cars left there all day with no enforcement in a supposed traffic free area. Why. Because the council forgot to put in place a traffic order when the road lay out was changed.

Put ranks where they are needed

Put traffic orders where they are needed

Enforce where required

[Roger]

To make the rank legal in Bewell St Tesco have been asked a number of times to put their hand in their pocket to pay for road lay-out work. No was the answer. 

 

The whole problem is the illegal ranking on the actual road which is too narrow to accommodate a rank. This is a road issue and nothing to do with Tesco. I don't blame them.

 

 

Plus cars left there all day with no enforcement in a supposed traffic free area. 

 

No enforcement as there are no restrictions/yellow lines.

 

 

Because the council forgot to put in place a traffic order when the road lay out was changed.

 

Was it 'forgotten' decision or just a 'bad' decision ? 

 

In any event we all know that the so called 'pedestrian' area is anything but that. It's just a compromise dressed up as a foot friendly area only ....

[Roger]

Because the council forgot to put in place a traffic order when the road lay out was changed.

 

I drove along Widemarsh Street tonight and I was reminded of this as I passed the 'No Waiting' symbol on the revolving type sign situated at the junction with the ring road as you drive into the old centre. Why is that there as it's misleading? 

 

[Roger]

I left Wetherspoons 1 1/2 hours ago at 00.15 and the rank in Commercial Road was filled from the start (by the Long Bar) all the way back to Planet Buffet. And it was snaking back into the bus station. This included taxis right on the junction by Union Walk on the yellow lines. The only premises where customers could realistically come from were the only two places with visible people left in them. The dregs from Wetherspoons ~ which shut at Midnight. And people in Perfect Pizza. There were five in the pizza shop which included me and my son. And we walked home. In fact there were more taxi drivers' than potential customers. Just more evidence of too many taxis in town.