Page 10
Call Sign November 2011
Last month's Call Sign ran an article from
Former DaC driver Stanley Roth, who drives a gas powered taxi, read
London Assembly Green Party representative,
Darren Johnson's article in last month's Call Sign and tells this magazine...
Darren Johnson, in which he denied being
anti-taxi but insisted that we should be con-
Darren Johnson Green?
cerned about our health if we continued using
diesel vehicles. Among items Mr Johnson
wrote of in the article was that he used the
I don't think so!
Mayor's figures "...to highlight the link
between black cabs and air pollution because
cabs are responsible for nearly a third of par-
Natural gas. At the moment the trade is still
ticulate pollution in central London. It harms
waiting to hear an answer, despite the fact that
the drivers, their customers and many other
as Mayor, Ken Livingstone said that the age
Londoners."
limit would not apply to gas cabs.
Mr Johnson added that because of his
Any money going into electric taxis is a
views, he got much grief from cab drivers who
waste. Darren Johnson was showed the minutes
felt he was always having a go at them. He
of the New York Carriage Office meeting on the
said he understood the reaction because the
scrapping of the electric taxi project because it
cabs were the driver's livelihoods and that
did not live up to what the maker's claimed. In
they represented a huge investment for owner
China, drivers of electric cabs are having to
drivers. He said:
change battery packs 5 times each shift!
"The biggest let-down is that innovation has
I have tried emailing Darren Johnson sever-
been blocked, partly because of the rigid adop-
al times, but he never responds. Why?
tion of the conditions of fitness, which favour a
Because he really is anti-taxi with the green
monopoly provider. More fuel efficient alterna-
aspect coming second...."
Stanley Roth - A taxi lifetime pushing
tives (with less CO2 emissions) to the TX series
merits of gas cabs... and now victory!
Victory for Stanley!
have been consistently blocked because of the
Clearing the Air: The Mayor's draft air quality
PCO clinging to the turning circle."
Then, just days after Stanley had writ-
strategy for public consultation (March 2010)
He also blamed the Mayor for not helping to
ten the article for Call Sign, we heard
and look on page 42 of 151, it shows that taxis
fund a scrappage scheme for drivers who were
from the Mayor's office that important
cause 20% of the PM10 while 40% is caused by
forced to sell their old cabs and added that if
changes had been made following the
buses and lorries. Twenty percent is nowhere
pollution levels did not reduce quickly, then
consultation with regard to the
near the one third he mentions.
the 15 year age limit could soon become 10
Mayor's Air Quality Strategy. It
**From Clearing the Air: The Mayor's
years. He then went on to blame the cab trade
detailed any exemptions.
draft air quality strategy for public consul-
for talking Boris Johnson into abolishing the
We were reminded of the 15 year age
tation (March 2010): Around 35 per cent of
short-lived six-monthly inspections, claiming
limit placed on London taxis with the
PM10 emissions in 2008 from road transport in
that while it may have saved us money in the
Mayor's estimate being that some 1,200
central London come from tyre and brake wear.
short term, it did long-term damage to the cred-
licensed taxis were likely to be more than
Emissions of PM10 from car tyre and brake
ibility of both the Mayor and the taxi business.
15 years old in 2012 and added that a min-
wear are now greater than those from car
He also said that the infrastructure for gas
imum emission standard of Euro 5 for
exhaust emissions and over the next five years,
fuels such as LPG had not been supported,
newly licensed taxis entering the business
this is also expected to become the case with
with TfL showing little willingness to support
would apply from 1 April 2012 (Euro 3 for
heavier vehicles such as HGVs and buses. This
those drivers who for several years had want-
cabs licensed before that date).
reflects the fact that measures have been taken
ed to reduce pollution by switching fuels
However, the release from TfL said that
to reduce emissions from exhausts but similar
rather than buying a new vehicle. Instead,
vehicles powered by alternative fuels
reductions have not been achieved for tyre and
cabbies had been required to fit clean-up
would be given an extra 5 years on top of
brake wear emissions, largely because there are
devices of dubious worth.
the 15 years already allowed. The fuels
no technical improvements on the market.
He spoke of various meetings he'd been to
referred to are Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Other significant sources of PM10 within central
where the topic of hybrid devices had been
(LPG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
London include cars (responsible for 23 per
raised and how their design to fit existing
and Biomethane. Taxis running on petrol
cent), taxis (responsible for 20 per cent) and
engines sounded like a promising solution to
do not get the extension.
LGVs (responsible for 17 per cent).**
tackle air pollution in the short to medium
After we passed the word on to Stanley,
As for NOx, the bulk of that is again buses
term. Mr Johnson said in the Call Sign article
he told Call Sign: "Yes, I am very pleased
and HGVs. Pages 57 and 58 Policy 2 states a
that those devices were cheap to install and
with the decision; however I have to say
grant be given to the cab trade for cleaning up.
designed to keep the engine ticking over
that this is something I spoke about to
**From Clearing the Air: The Mayor will
when the taxi was idling something he said
Darren Johnson around 2 years ago, but
encourage central Government to extend its
taxis did for much of the time. The TfL pro-
absolutely nothing came of it. The maxim
scrappage scheme to target particular vehicles
curement process, he said, was faulty and
that good things are worth waiting for
such as taxis, as well as introducing a grant
challenged it, but added that since
doesn't really apply when the waiting has
scheme for retrofitting vehicles with pollution
then the Mayor's office has simply dropped
been unnecessary."
abatement equipment.**
the project despite what Mr Johnson claimed
Anyone wanting to convert their taxi to
It was pointed out to Mr Johnson that by
was the obvious benefits to cab drivers.
one of the three alternative fuels can only
using methane - especially biomethane - we
Former Dial-a-Cab driver Stanley Roth
carry the conversion out after consultation
could greatly reduce pollution in London
(ex Y53) has been driving gas cabs for
with the Vehicle Policy Manager at LTPH.
because Los Angeles had reduced its PM10
many years and attended many meetings
Taxis can only be converted from diesel
bus pollution by 80% by having no diesel
on the subject and suggests that Mr
and not petrol. Successful conversions will
buses, but a fleet of 2221 natural gas buses.
Johnson talks about the subject but does
then get a 5 year extension following
You
can
read
about
that
at:
nothing about it. Following last month's
proof that the conversion meets Euro 5
http://thecityfix.com/blog/los-angeles-retires-
article, Stanley told Call Sign of one meet-
specification.
its-last-diesel-bus/.
ing he attended with Mr Johnson. It was in
In addition to the alternative fuel vehi-
Many cities around the world are using
October 2009:
cles, the Asquith taxi has also been given
Natural gas as well as LPG to run factory built
"I have sat on this for two years, in fact
an extra five years as it comes under the
NGV taxis. We in London are light years
since the October 2009 meeting. Mr Johnson
new classification of historic and
behind in cleaning up. Darren Johnson asked
claims we produce nearly one third of the pol-
classic/niche vehicles although that vehi-
a question two years ago about extra life for
lution, which is strange because if you go to
cle is diesel operated.
owners who convert to LPG and, I hope,
