CITY FULL UP AND FED UP WITH TAXI GLUT - CYCLISTS DEMAND TOTAL BUS LANE BAN

Taxi drivers' call to action

Media Release - 14/05/04

As taxis today clog up the Square Mile even more than usual as part of their demonstration, City Cyclists are demanding a daytime ban against taxis travelling along all City bus lanes, having proposed and campaigned successfully for the ban on taxis using the St Paul's bus lane, that sparked off the protest.

The London Cycling Campaign's local group for the City made the plea following a week which has seen the City's record as the most dangerous part of London for cycling confirmed by yet another road death. (1) The group fears in particular that allowing taxis in bus lanes encourages them to squeeze past cyclists also using the lanes, something buses are too wide to attempt doing.

"The taxi trade can't seriously expect to use priority lanes in the City when it already has accepted that central London is 'overflowing' with taxis." (2) said Ralph Smyth, co-ordinator of City Cyclists, "Traffic queues in bus lanes on City streets such as Queen Victoria Street are now longer than the neighbouring lane for all traffic: letting taxis use bus lanes makes the bus lanes completely pointless."

According to Corporation of London traffic surveys (3), taxis made up over half of traffic around Bank even before the Congestion Charge. Following the introduction of the charge from which taxis are exempt, there has been a 20% surge in taxi numbers, many of them travelling empty just kerb-crawling the City's mediaeval streets for a fare. With similar increases in bus and cycle numbers it's clear there is not enough space for all in the bus lanes.

City Cyclists believe taxis are worse than private cars for the City in traffic terms, as so many are travelling empty or with just one passenger. Rather than stopping in off-street car parks they block the kerb side making bus and cycle lanes unusable. In fact most taxis avoid going into the Fleet Street or St Paul's bus lanes, from which they are about to be banned, as these lanes are blocked by waiting taxis. City Cyclists also want to end taxis' special privileges of being able to enter the busiest bus and cycle lanes to set down or pick up passengers during rush hour, even when other vehicles are prohibited from stopping.

Yet City Cyclists are 100% behind the taxi trade's call for the City Police to crack down on illegal taxi touts, as cyclists themselves have the most to fear from their unlicensed and unroadworthy vehicles. "However if the taxi trade focussed on the City more during the evening and night rather than the day, there wouldn't be the congestion problem during the day or indeed the need for the public to rely on touts during the evening and night." concluded Smyth.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

1. Vicki McCreery became the second person to die cycling in the City this year when she was hit by a bus on Blackfriars Bridge on Monday 10 May. The City has by far the worst Killed or Seriously Injured rate for cycling of anywhere in London (source: London Accident Analysis Unit).
2. The LTDA argued in March as part of its opposition to taxi deregulation that the supply of taxis in central London exceeds demand with the average wait to hail a cab being just 19 seconds.
3. Cycles and buses are over six times more efficient in space terms than taxis. In a recent MORI survey of City workers and residents commissioned by the Corporation, traffic was identified as being the biggest problem in the City. City Cyclists believe that dealing with the taxi glut has to be a major part of any solution.

LATESTMayor Ken comes out in favour of taxis and against cyclist priority & safety in suggesting taxis should always be allowed in bus lanes, even where there may be "some safety concerns" such as Blackfriars Bridge. Are cyclists lives worth a few extra votes?