AS ANYONE would anticipate following the closure of a major thoroughfare between the north and south of town and gridlock everywhere, emergency services teams have demonstrated concern at the lack of routes for their rapid response vehicles, ambulances, fire appliances and of course police vehicles to take in order to quickly get to the scene of an emergency.
The latest route proposed by Highways officer Ian Large sees southbound vehicles using Market Street and Church Street to bypass areas of construction on the Promenade before cutting across the Promenade on to the tram tracks, but Large has alerted local taxi representatives that taxis are blocking Market Street off through “over ranking” and therefore enforcement officers will be ‘strictly’ enforcing in this area to keep it clear. Over ranking is the practise of joining the back of the queue of taxis at a rank, but exceeding the marked rank in doing so; essentially it’s an overflow of taxis from the rank.
One should not be too surprised to see over-ranking going on in Blackpool; it’s way too congested and expensive for a driver to tour the streets looking for a fare, and in addition to ‘huge numbers’ of rank spaces being lost over the last few years, Blackpool Licenced Taxi Operators Association (BLTOA) chairman Bill Lewtas claims a further 30 taxi rank spaces have been lost due to the Promenade closure.
In another blow to cabbies, the new tram stops that are being created as part of the Promenade works are raised such that cabs at neighbouring ranks are unable to open their doors fully without hitting them. This is fine if you are an able bodied passenger and can squeeze in, but if you are disabled, there is no way that the cab can deploy its wheelchair ramps safely. The lack of consultation and notice in relation to this rank encroachment apparently breaches the Local Government (Misc Provisions) Act 1976.
Further to this, Blackpool Transport have now placed a temporary bus stop on the taxi rank outside the Sandcastle.
Whether you like the Blackpool taxi driver or not, you have to have sympathy for their plight against the constant constriction of their operations. It’s almost as if the council are trying to frustrate drivers into not bothering to go out to work.
Anyhow, Ian Large has stated that if a bus stopped opposite the rank on Market Street and if taxi drivers were over-ranking, then there would only be a narrow gap between the two, which could be blocked by more or less any vehicle and therefore provide no path for emergency vehicles.
But the problem is not necessarily taxis over-ranking at all.
So here we have one, two, three, four, five,… six buses on one street, with the first bus not being anywhere near the front of the bus stop and the second bus not passing the lead bus to pull in front. Oh well, lets see what happens when the number 7 moves off. Maybe they’ll all move up.
Looks like the number 14 didn’t want to move up the bus stop either, creating horrific congestion and most importantly leaving emergency vehicles absolutely no chance of getting past. As you can see, there are no taxis blocking the road at all.
Watch out Mereside Tesco bus! Once again, Market Street is jam-packed with buses blocking the road, but there is no sign of any council officials moving them on.
And another example of a convoy of buses blocking Market Street.
The problem here is obvious. Ian Large might well have visited the route once and discovered some over-ranking of taxis, but he has drawn conclusions and taken action based on that single instance in time. The above photographs demonstrate no over-ranking, but Market Street blocked by buses. It doesn’t say a lot about Ian Large’s competence that he jumped to a rash conclusion such as this one when his decisions could put lives on the line.
So why is Large not lecturing Blackpool Transport here? After all, buses that do not use the full bus stop and cause a queue backing up to Talbot Square appear to be the real danger to life in Blackpool when the Promenade closes. Is it fair to single out and bully taxi drivers on this issue?
Of course it isn’t.
I just hope that in the short window of time following an emergency that if emergency vehicles are stuck behind a convoy of slow-moving buses whilst children are suffocating to death in a burning building that the right people are held accountable. Not necessarily the bus drivers, not necessarily taxi drivers, but the people that created this madness in the first place. Those sat in the executive box at Blackpool council, as well as the elected council leaders, have created what cannot be anything other than a tragedy waiting to happen.
Here is a copy of a letter that I sent to Ian Large ,Peter Cross,Helen France,and Cllr Callow, needless to say I did not receive a response.
Ian
Bill Lewtas sent me and other BLTOA Members the advice note about emergency vehicles in the Market Street area, together with his response, which I agree with.
May I kindly suggest you get your own house in order before you lecture other road users, Blackpool highways department have caused no end of delays for emergency vehicles with its persistent positioning of bus stops to block roads using the excuse that it is traffic calming, rather than using embayments which are readily available, which would assist in keeping traffic moving.
We also noticed the agenda by this department to narrow roads and junctions to stop the free flow of traffic thus adding to congestion. We have also had a number of roads closed in the town centre thus creating congestion in other areas, so please don’t make it appear that you are concerned about the delay to emergency vehicles, as the very nature of the road infrastructure we now have in the town centre would suggest otherwise. The reason taxis are having to over rank in the town centre is due to the incompetence of the highways department by not making extra ranks available in the town centre to help facilitate the huge loss of ranks that the trade has been burdened with.
Personally I do not think that the highways department and the people running it are fit for purpose as do a lot of the electorate, good job your jobs are not on the line on the 5th May as I would not even trust you with a simple task, such as building me a scalextric track.
Bill Lewtas has continued to request additional spaces to help alleviate this problem to no avail, shame you cannot show the taxi trade the same sort courtesy as you show Blackpool transport as they seem to be able to get bus stops, be them temporary or permanent in any position they want, with very little regard shown to other road users.
Finally I have to say that the biggest offender of causing unnecessary obstruction of the Highways on Market Street is Blackpool Transport services, I will start taking my camera out with me when I go to work and photograph the road every time it is blocked by buses turning up for a bus stop, when there is already a bus blocking the stop, this then backs the traffic all the way back to Talbot Square. I have even gone to the bother of putting the act down below for you, so that you can prosecute these bus drivers when I send you the photograph along with the time and date of the offence.
Section 137 Highways Act 1980 (wilful obstruction of the highway)
Regards
David Palmer
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/fear_of_gridlock_as_promenade_shuts_1_3122798
NICE ONE DAVE! Top marks my son!
If BTS was not ‘in bed’ with Blackpool Council surely the MD of BTS would be furious at the disruption, delays and huge costs caused by these road works and diversions? If he is not furious is Mr Roberts and his team ‘upstairs’ doing their jobs properly? Bus drivers also have a tough job, trying to keep time, take fares and put up with all the ‘jip’ from the passengers when they are late for work or hospital appointments etc. Its no wonder staff morale at BTS is at its lowest ever since the company was formed in October 1986.
The reasoning and understanding I have for the taxi drivers is this, its their fuel, insurance, licence, and personal loss of income.
With regards to emergency response vehicles they are and always should be given priority, taxi drivers bus drivers and many like minded road users feel the same. But with such gross levels of congestion even the most courteous drivers will be unable to assist the emergency response teams.
All this for a super tramway that deep down nobody really wants even members of Fylde Tramway society and most other transport fraternity groups share the same view. But the trouble with many of those characters they are too Sh*t scared to say anything. Its all close ranks and be too faced!
It is my personal view that BTS should be sold off or franchised to an outside arms lengths company. This could probably happen if it was not for the tramway, and the truth is no recognised transport company in their right minds would be the operator of the new tramway because it will lose too much money!
Good luck to the taxi drivers with their worthy and legitimate campaign. Please drop off some of your campaign flyers to the Galleon Bar Abingdon Street and we will kindly offer all the licensed cab drivers a free take away Tea/Coffee or soft drink.
Excellent article Phil, you really couldn’t make it up, ‘the Council’ have shown themselves for what they are, a bunch of pre-schoolers playing at grown ups, bad ones at that. I was back home last week and didn’t bother going into town, Instead I spent the day/night before my flight back here in Manchester and did my shopping there as I really didn’t want to navigate the few accessible roads and end up getting wound up. Well done BBC, you backslapping bunch of I’m alright Jack’s, f*** the local plebs clique. Rant over….. for now.
Pity we residents didn’t get to know about the protest outside towen hall beforehand, I bet you would have got a big crowd in support.
The buses 10 and 17 arrive in town and have sometimes a few minutes to wait and change drivers. The bus usually parks up opposite Yates’s on Market Street out of the way. There is a notice up at the bus depot to say buses must move down to the loading stop and wait there instead. Then the other buses come in and there’s no room!
There are 3 bus stops and 7 buses!! (5,7,10,11,14,17,68)
what happened to that wonderfull idea that Dave Palmer of the Taxi assocaiton came up with, dishing out leaflets to the fare paying public…. re traffic etc
Or has the Conserviative Callow Party ……… SAT ON MR PALMER and his members.