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Soon after an announcement
that pedicabs may be given "parking places" where passengers can
go to find them, it seems that could be the forerunner to a
campaign preventing the three-wheeled menaces from "ranking up"
at many popular tourist haunts. Certainly London’s major theatres could use a broom to sweep away the pedicabs that block exits whilst touting their wares. However an encouraging sign was seen in Regent Street recently where a pedicab rider waiting outside possibly the world’s most famous toy store, Hamleys, was nicked for his troubles. His excuse in fairly good English and overheard by a Call Sign reporter, was that he had seen many pedicabs parked there so he assumed it was ok for him to also do so. What he hadn’t realised was that the pedicab riders previously there had been warned away from the store exit by another police duo, leaving this poor chappie to take the music! Ever since the first pedicabs were spoken of, Call Sign had no objection to them being given spaces in tourist spots for circular tours ending up back where they began, but not to be used as transport for getting from A to B. But it wasn’t just the pedicab the "hobby bobbies" were looking at. The Call Sign reporter put his taxi |
NICKED! Is it the beginning of a clampdown on pedicabs? |
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 The Pedicab is nicked |
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 Empty cab parked on the Hamleys rank… onto one of the two ranks in the centre of the road opposite Hamleys whilst listening and taking a photo. The first rank was filled with taxis for hire. The second had Call Sign’s cab plus one other, with no sign of the driver. He was obviously parked there. After nicking the pedicab, they walked over to the rank. Our |
reporter explained that he was
there briefly to take photos. Reluctantly, he told the police a
lie that he believed the other driver was on a radio job and
probably looking for his passenger. They seemed to accept that
and walked off. Whether they returned later, we do not know but
at a time when drivers are finding it difficult to pick up a
job, is it right that parked taxis should take up valuable
ranking space? Unused back street ranks, well ok, but outside
Hamleys? We have deleted his registration number. Is it the beginning of an anti-pedicab campaign? We await with interest… |
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Lucky For Some? |
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The traditional cabbing saying of ‘be lucky’
had a particularly significant meaning recently for Dial-a-Cab
driver Cliff Giffin (C55). Cliff told Call Sign that he usually parks his cab around Fenchurch Street Station before boarding the train for home in Southend. "On this occasion, I had planned a few days off and took the cab home so as to make an early start when I did get back into the saddle," he said. "The day I returned back to work, I decided to start really early so as to beat the traffic into London… like 04.00 actually!" Cliff continued with his tale. "I wasn’t 500 yards from my own front door when I saw a parked car further down the road. The driver was waving like mad for me to stop, so I pulled in to see the problem. He wanted a jump-start as his battery was flat. I wasn’t very keen as I wanted to get going, but couldn’t leave him there. The suddenly I noticed the Addison Lee logo on his rear window and I lost interest," Cliff said with the slightest of grins! "At that moment, a young lady came running out of the house where the car was parked and asked me if I could get her to St Pancras to catch the first train out of London?" Being a gentleman and seeing a lady in distress, Cliff told her that wouldn’t be a problem, quickly loaded her bag and set off for the Eurostar terminal, |
leaving his Addison Lee ‘friend’ to make his own arrangements. © Call Sign Magazine MM9 |
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