The Strangulation of the City
Because the Easter holidays take up most of the third week in April,
I’m running at a slightly earlier schedule than usual with the Call Sign
printers selfishly not wanting to work over that holiday. Fortunately
I’m an easygoin’ kinda guy! However, I have to say that I am fuming -
but it’s nothing to do with Easter or the printers…
On a quiet Sunday (April 9), the Corporation of London, an organisation
that amalgamates the total brainpower of the City with it’s equivalents
in Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets, put into practise an
“experiment” that comes under the continuing classification of the
Broadgate Area Traffic Scheme. Some would call it progress – but at what
cost? Or perhaps we could call it the City of London strangulation
system, because that is exactly what it is doing. I don’t know whether
any of the trade organisations had any say in the matter, but if they did,
it obviously had the effect of hitting the side of a building with a slice
of damp toast.
By now, you will all know which streets are open and which closed so I
won’t waste space going over it again, suffice to say that going through
the City now is akin to driving through the Brazilian rain forest – you
get nowhere slowly. I recently spent 15 minutes just trying to get out of
Finsbury Square!
According to the Corporation, the scheme is an “extension to the
existing City Traffic and Environmental Zone” and is designed to
discourage through traffic from the Liverpool Street area and surrounds.
So guys, as long as you only want Moorgate and assuming that you and your
passengers have an abundance of time and patience, then you’ll have no
problem!
Taxis obviously mean as much to the
Corporation as the Corporation mean to us – and to me
they represent a group of people who haven’t a clue about what the City
needs re traffic management. The City needs taxis to function but the
Corporation couldn’t care less. They’ve come up with a scheme
that stinks and they really couldn’t care less.
The press release mentioned bikes, it mentions motor cycles, but you’d
have a job finding even the word ‘taxi’ let alone any meaningful
mention.
I hope that Richard Harvey (020
7332 3839) of the City Corporation gets inundated with phone calls
asking why taxis are treated so abysmally. The answer will tell you how we
are allowed along Moorgate when cars are banned. But is there anything
else? How’s the London Bridge crossing nowadays? Tried using Godliman
Street recently? Islington High Street?
This is, says the Corporation, an experimental scheme set for six
months. At the end of that period they will no doubt “consider
carefully” all views and then make it permanent.
If ever there was a time to bring the City to a standstill and to bring
the situation to the public’s attention, then it is now. I believe that
we would also have the full support of our valued City clients who must
suffer as much as we do. The question is when, who and how…?
New Cabs Galore…
I have been in the taxi driving business since May 1971 and I’ve seen
the gradual transformation of the vehicles we drive from the bone-shakers
in which you had to stand on the brakes in order to have a chance of
stopping, to the TX1 which is considered by drivers and passengers to be
the most comfortable cab ever. The excellent intercom system makes
speaking a pleasure whereas thirty years ago, you couldn’t even hear
enough to follow directions. The TX1 will shortly have to have a new power unit due to EC emission
regulations – although I have been assured that current TX1 purchasers need have no
fear about their vehicles.
We also have the Toyota TTT turbo powered Metrocab that I haven’t
driven, but which sounds and looks good.
KPM’s Peter DaCosta has now produced the first commercially
viable Ecocab with its K series engine. According to Mr DaCosta, this LPG
fuelled taxi has an extremely low emission and will save the driver
substantial amounts on fuel.
The Jubilee cab has been around for
some time and now former Metrocab director Geoff Chater has revealed his new
enterprise, the Peugeot Eurotaxi. Even Citroen have now entered the UK taxi
market.
But At What Cost…?
So what’s wrong with having new
cabs? Well, nothing and everything! I have been going to the same taxi
garage for the past 15 years other than during warrantee periods, but I
won’t be going there again. As of Friday April 14th Carlton
Garage of Bancroft Road, Mile End closed their doors for the last time.
Dave and Tony have been servicing and
overhauling my taxis since 1985 and only once during that time has a cab of
mine failed an overhaul. But they are now no more. Why? Well simply, because
of the new cab situation.
They operated a small garage that
worked to the highest specifications but kept their prices as low as they
could. All the regular drivers at Carlton knew that there was nowhere better
at repairing or servicing their cabs. But Carlton’s profit margins
didn’t allow them to offer a free cab during repairs or overhauls. And
then there was the new cab situation…
With more and more drivers buying new
cabs and with the choice seemingly set to expand, warrantee work was taking
their customers elsewhere and quite often they just didn’t bother to come
back. Carlton refused to cut corners to try and fool the PCO. They were good
– very good – at their jobs and now they are no more. Progress is
unstoppable, but at what cost…
