What The Council Don’t See

by Admin on June 3, 2008 · 2 comments

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Private Hire in front of Rank

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thelighthousekeeper June 8, 2008 at 10:42 am

I have decided to write this comment about what the COUNCIL & NORTHUMBRIA POLICE, do not see in SOUTH PARADE, WHITLEY BAY with relation to PARKING OFFENCES, that causes the traffic congestion problems, when HEAVY MOTOR VEHICLES are parked on the VERGE OF THE ROAD.

NORTHUMBRIA POLICE employ a specialist TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT for PARKING ENFORCEMENT ADVICE for the humble BOBBY ON THE BEAT on SOUTH PARADE.

NORTH TYNESIDE COUNCIL now have PARKING WARDENS controlling the NORTH TYNESIDE AREA under the DECIMINALISATION PARKING ENFORCEMENT(DPE)that could be used to inform HOTELIERS what they must instruct drivers of these HEAVY MOTOR VEHICLES to do inrelation to parking such vehicles in WHITLEY BAY, away from SOUTH PARADE & the surrounding areas. perhaps HOTELIERS could even offer a pick-up service from the HEAVY MOTOR VEHICLE for the driver only, when parked at the correct PARKING POINT in WHITLEY BAY to encourage SOUTH PARADE to be TRAFFIC friendly at all times, meaning no HEAVY MOTOR VEHICLES PARKED ON YHE VERGE OF THE ROAD outside the HOTELS or BED&BREAKFASTS.

A couple of years ago I remember reading about a much advertised scheme where Local Hoteliers must inform NORTHUMBRIA POLICE of any large parties booking HOTELS or BED&BREAKFAST in WHITLEY BAY so they could manage the deployment of POLICE OFFICER staffing levels for Whitley Bay.

Does this scheme still operate with Inspector Blacklock & the Whitley Bay Command Unit?

Now many of you may wonder, what am I going to write next & how does it affects the NORTH TYNESIDE HACKNEY CARRIAGE TAXI.

Whitley Bay used to have a LORRY PARK at Hillheads, which was turned into part of the MORRISONS CARPARK a few years ago.
Did North Tyneside sell it, or give it away, as it needed was in a bad state of repair & needed resurfacing?

I believe, but stand to be corrected, the new LORRY PARK is in the SMALL CARPARK AREA at the BANDSTAND TURNING CIRCLE on the corner of Eastbourne Gardens where one of the high restriction barriers has been removed to enable vehicles over 7.5tonnes to park.

I believe, but stand to be corrected, the BRIARDENE CARPARK is the new BUS & COACH PARK after the SPANISH CITY BUS&COACH-PARK beside the Whitley Bay Libary was replaced by the NEW SCHOOL a few years ago.

Having established that WHITLEY BAY does cater for vehicles over 7.5tonnes known as HEAVY MOTOR VEHICLES, why does NORTH TYNESIDE COUNCIL not promote with SIGNAGE these 2 LAWFUL PARKING POINTS IN WHITLEY BAY for the 2 classes of vehicles. I would go even further to say why dont they put SIGNAGE for BUS&COACHES to a central PICK-UP/DROP-OFF POINT, for weekend drink tourists at the AVENUE PUB PARK AVENUE BUS STOP AREA. This would remove the problem of where they park to unload causing huge problems for the traffic in Whitley Bay & the SIGNAGE could be easily followed by the driver of the vehicles, to the correct LAWFUL PARKING AREA for LONG STAY VEHICLES off the Public Highway on the VERGE OF A ROAD.

The Highway Code states on page 83, Rule 246, Goods Vehicles;
Vehicles with a maximum laden weight of over 7.5tonnes(including any trailer)MUST NOT be parked on a VERGE OF A ROAD,PAVEMENT or ANY LAND SITUATED BETWEEN CARRIAGEWAYS, without POLICE PERMISSION. The only exception is when parking is essential for loading and unloading, in whish case the vehicle MUST NOT be left unattended.
LAW RTA 1988 section 19.

LEAVING VEHICLES IN DANGEROUS POSITIONS:
SECTION 22 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 states;
If any person in charge of a vehicle causes or permits the vehicle or a trailer drawn by it to remain at rest on the road in such a position or in such condition or in such circumstances as to be likely to cause a danger to other persons using the road,he is guilty of an offence.

PLEASE NORTH TYNESIDE COUNCIL & NORTHUMBRIA POLICE, CAN YOU WORK TOGETHER TO REMOVE THIS PROBLEM THAT YOU BOTH HAVE THE POWERS TO DO, under THE ROAD TRAFFIC ACT 1988.

Thanks for taking the time to read this long article & please post your comments about the sense of this article to remove the problem easily with a little thought.

The last thing we want is less visitors to Whitley Bay, so keep it friendly please to the visiting drivers, who probably because of a lack of SIGNAGE in a strange area, do not know where to park & just need educating, as to where the correct places to park are in Whitley Bay.

GOOD LUCK ALL.

Reply

The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
thelighthousekeeper June 16, 2008 at 10:35 pm

27 January 1993
Licensing Sub-Committee

ZONING POLICY

The question of zoning had been considered by the Sub-Committee as a result of the intended zoning of vehicles by FOXHUNTERS TAXIS LIMITED contained in their planning application NT/959/92DM which had been considered by the Developement Control Sub-Committee on 8 October 1992. Zoning had raised certain legal issues and matters of policy and it had been decided to refer the matter to this Sub-Committee before a final decision was made on the planning application.

Research and consultation with the other Authorities had revealed no other cases of zoning at the present time. The main reason for this appeared to be the risk of plying by the private hire vehicles and conflict with the hackney carriage trade.

THE COUNCIL WERE WARNED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN BACK in 1993, What we are now experiencing at epidemic proportions now and they still decided the following!

RESOLVED;
(1) a policy of zoning be vehicles be approved on the basis that locations are within areas of PRIVATE LAND which are to the satisfaction of the Head of Transport and Engineering and the Policy and Resources Committee be requested to ammend the delegation scheme accordingly;
(2) the unrestricted zoning of vehicles by new private hire operators is not to be approved;
(3) minute 721(19)/1/93 concerning the approval of zoning if they are sited on private land and not an public highways be recinded;
(4) zoning for existing licensed private hire vehicle operators requiring an increase in the number of hackney carriage and private hire vehicles for which they are currently licensed to operate be approved. subject to approval of locations by the Head of Transport and Engineering as outlined in (1) above;
(5) the private hire vehicle operators licence conditions be ammended to the effect that all private hire vehicles being operated under the above scheme should when empty, and not having another job to go to, RETURN TO THEIR OPERATORS BASE OR BASES; and
(6) the zoning policy be reviewed within 12 months.

WAS IT EVER REVIEWED WITHIN 12 MONTHS?

I COULD NOT FIND ANY EVIDENCE WHEN I LOOKED IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS!

BUT WAIT LOOK WHAT I FOUND IN 2001

3 MAY 2001
LICENSING COMMITTEE

LQ58/5/01 THE ZONING POLICY FOR PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLES (Previous MINUTE 854(12)/3/94

The Heads of Environmental Services and Legal Services reported that under the provisions of the Local Government(Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 the Council could impose any conditions on aprivate hire vehicle operators licence that they considered reasonably necessary. In January 1993 the Council had introduced a zoning policy. This policy meant that a condition was imposed on new licences which require private hire operators to identify specific locations as “BASES” where they would park their vehicles when waiting for bookings. THESE SPACES HAD TO BE ON PRIVATE LAND,BE SUBJECT TO THE NECESSARY PLANNING PERMISSION AND BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE COUNCIL. The policy had been introduced to enable private hire operators with limited parking facilities at their office to expand their operation and increase the number of vehicles they were able to operate with minimal effect on the local community.

The Council decided not to introduce the policy retrospective to existing operators as ir was felt that it would be sesceptible to challenge by, in particular, long established operators who had been operating for a considerable period of time.

(REMEMBER FOXHUNTERS MADE THE REQUEST, SO NO LONG ESTABLISHMENT FOR EASTCOAST, AS THEY TRADE NOW AS IT WAS HIS PLANNING APPLICATION THAT DEBATED ALL THE ZONING POLICY.)

The Head of Environmental Services reported that there had been a number of approaches from private hire operators requesting that the Council review its zoning policy as operators were:-
(a) experiencing difficulties in identifying land on which to zone their vehicles; and
(b) where land had been identified on which to zone their vehicles, there were difficulties obtaining written permission from the landowner.

Recently an applicant for a new private hire operator licence had appealed to the Magistrates Court against the imposition of the zoning condition, arguing that the condition was not reasonably necessary,that no other Council operated a zoning policy and that the Council were using licensing conditions to resolve planning matters.

In view of this appeal Counsel`s opinion was obtained on the reasonableness of the policy and the Council`s chances of success if challenged in the Magistrates Court. Councel`s advice was as follows:

(a) an appeal to the Magistrates Court in relation to the zoning policy would not be meritious and ought not to succeed;

(b)the two main features of the zoning policy, namely a condition requiring a sufficent number of suitable parking spaces and a condition requiring vehicles to return to base when not in use, would be within the powers conferred by the Local Government(Miscellaneous Provisions)Act 1976; and

(c)the zoning condition attached to the operators licence should be redrafted so that it encaptulates the true basis of the zoning policy.

Having obtained Counsel`s opinion the Licensing Committee were requested to consider:-

(a) whether to continue to apply the zoning policy in relevant cases ie all new businesses wishing to operate a number of vehicles over and above the parking facilities available at their offices and any existing operator who wishes to expand their business with the same result; and

(b) if so, to authorise the Head of Legal Services to ammend the wording of the zoning condition to take account Counsel`s opinion.

RESOLVED; that
(1) the Council`s zoning policy as described in the joint report of the Head of Legal Services and Head of Environmental Services be reaffirmed; and
(2) the Head of Legal Services be authorised to ammend the wording of the zoning policy condition attached to operators licences and this be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee for approval and adoption.

THIS ALL TOOK PLACE ON THE 3 MAY 2001!!!!

WHY ARE EASTCOAST PRIVATE HIRE NOT RETURNING TO THE “BASE OR BASES” THEY HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION WITH WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE LANDOWNERS WITH PLANNING PERMISSION OFF THE PUBLIC HIGHWAY AND ON PRIVATE LAND, WHEN THEY ARE NOT BOOKED THAT THEY HAVE TO RETURN TO UNDER THE OPERATORS LICENCE CONDITIONS, AS THE PHOTOS ON THIS SITE CLEARLY SHOW THEIR VEHICLES BREACHING?

THE PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE IS A GREAT PLACE FOR COUNCIL LICENSING COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES FREELY AVAILABLE AS A CERTAIN “MOUTH OF THE TYNE” KEEPS SAYING UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION!

GOOD LUCK ALL.

Reply

The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade

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