On the subject of effective enforcement by Newcastle City Council.
Firstly,can I just thank the members of the Forum for the work done so
far,and lets hope the apparent good relationship with the `council`
continues.
Right thats the polite bit,now to the rather more blunt bit.
Last week we had the races at high Gosforth pk,and I have to say the usual
`fiasco`,if it rates that high,concerning entry and exit from said course.
We had PH and `out of area` cars trying to join in the fun,and having
spoken to a couple of the course marshalls,ill give them credit for at first
asking 2 `berwick and 1 derwentside cars,and subsequently `telling` them to
move off the rank. the said cars did in fact leave,athough i suspect found
somewhere else to park. Where was enforcement!
Now I realise there may be a problem here as the race course is `private
land,owned by im told by either Lord Hastings,or the Duke of
Northumberland,either way,can either the Police or council not do something
about these `clowns` putting the public at risk,I`m sure if the `powers that
be` really wanted to they could do something.
This weekend just gone,3/4/5 july,as trade gets tighter,when is the
council,or should that be `the potty brigade` from the civic,going to
realise that `ENFORCEMENT` of the LAW is supposedly a 24/7 event.
Once again,no names mentioned,BUT,traffic flow on Collingwood St and Mosley
St brought to a near halt,due to certain `cowboy` cars parking just as they
feel like.
I guessed that `enforcement`wern`t out,by the shear number of `cowboy cabs`
running round.
The council are always telling us that action is being taken,is it…or is
this the same old `crap` we have been fed with before,where the council do
enough to make it appear that things are being done,when in fact nothing is
done.
Possibly to keep 1 or 2 office ownwers sweet.
When are we going to see `prosecutions` taking place….I know messers
Bryce,Savage,Smith etc have told us this is happening,BUT IS IT.
I have been in this trade now for inexcess of 20 years,yes I`m `old school`
so im told…BUT in that time,i forget the times the various councils in this
city have `lied` to the trade,this and that will be done….never is of
course.
So when are these drivers due in court,what are they charged with,are they
going to be stripped of their licence.
I`m a suspicious b******,especially of councils,cover ups and red tape,so
when and if I see these cowboys in the press,being put off the road,I`ll
believe the council is taking us seriously.
Incidentally before some one shouts about putting guys out of work and that
sort of `rubbish`,if the person is doing the job `legally`,and not doing it by
the back door,thereby `stealling` work from legitimate drivers,by
undercutting to the point no one can compete,I would support any legitimate
driver.
But in the interests of public safety,i hope the council get their fingers
out and do something.
Incidentally,I tell my customers that if they or their family are injured
as a result of these `illegally operated` cars,and the council does
nothing,should the driver turn out to be uninsured,due to no licence,or
illegal use of the vehicle,I would persue a claim against the council for
negligence,since they know whats going on…but see fit to either ignore it
or take steps that are ineffective to deal with it.
In summary,when are we going to see ,in the press,drivers getting their
arses kicked hard for this.
Im sorry if I offend anyone with the way i have written this,if I
have….tough….I meant to,and believe you me…this is the clean version.
If it were down to me…cars would have plates removed,maybe even
confiscated untll the driver proves the `booking` was legitimate,and should
it be discovered that the job was flimped,I would crush the car.
Using a car without insurance,to cover such use,is illegal and plod can
have the vehicle dosposed of…..permanently.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
did see some enforcement at the races on the thurs but nowt to stop ace setting up there own private hire rank when we asked them to stop them said weren’t sure if they could with it being private land and if they did and were found that they were allowed to do what they were doing they might sue them for loss of earning ??? i also followed a derwentside hack No218 (central north shields)from bt call centre joined our Que took 30 Min’s to get to front then i got out my car and told him that he could not pick up from the rank usual response off him pretend not to understand me but did pull away after i spoke to a cooper not that he said any thing to him just asked me what the problem was so told him said he asked 4 his number and said would have a word with him but just walked away in the other direction
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Can admin tell me:
1. If any members of n/c hackney forum are also part of toomanytaxis admin?
2. Why are drivers being asked to send copies of parking tickets to toomanytaxis instead of the forum ?
3. Is it true that two members of the forum where kicked out of north tyneside for questionable behaviour ?
4. Why is the forum NOT fighting the persecution of drivers with parking tickets, but, is instead bowing down to the council ?
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I made a killing, got sent to the races on a job, but after a no show , i flimpped a job to Durham for £60, then went back for a £20 flimp to the gate! cant wait for next years plate
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Well I hope Mr Shanks reads this `crap`,after all.his current radio advert says that if more than 2 people travel in the same car,the fare is less than public transport.
I know for a fact the bus fare to Durham from the course is nowhere near £60 and i suspect neither is the train fare,including the taxi fare,(in a robbing black cab…as i have been called) to the central stn from the gosforth pk.
So are you one of BLT`s learned drivers who tell people we(hacks)rip peoples eyes out and come back for the sockets.
Are you indulging in a bit of highway robbery yourself.
As for £20 to the Gate,ill be polite…two words…`foxtrot oscar`,if you don`t get the idea,go look it up. All i can say is anyone who pays a piece of shit like you,deserves all they get,you make Dick Turpin look like a saint.
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£60 to durham?
£20 to the gate?
your fooling nobody .
and your willing to wait one whole year to make £80 ,now i really think you need to grow up .what a fool.
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@Sentinel, You should really direct these questions at the Forum members but I will try to answer.
1: No!
2:Because the Forum members would rather not publish their private addresses on the Internet, Would you?
3: I doubt it. Anyone leaving North Tyneside for questionable behaviour would probably not get a Newcastle Badge.
4: Because as yet no one has sent in a copy of their parking tickets and as for bowing down to the Council, in all my years as a Hack I have never seen anyone get close to forging a relationship with the Council like the present Forum members have.
I hope this has answered your questions adequately and thanks for visiting TooManyTaxis.com
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Can you clarify ‘cowboy cars’ at Collingwood St, were they N/c H/c, P/h or Out Of Town cars ?
N/c H/c should have Ranks outside All N/c Venues where there is a Demand. Adequate provision Can Be Made but it takes a Willingness to make Changes on the Councils behalf.
I have heard the 700+ Rank Spaces that I Applied for, called a ‘Wish List’. It was NOT a Wish List, (its NOT Christmas), but, a List of Rank Spaces Urgently Needed.
It was ALWAYS understood that we would NOT get every one of them,but, it was a starting point.
We NEED Ranks at Every One of those Locations.
@ Sentinel and Admin
I Did Ask Members of the Forum (when I was a Member) why copies of Parking Tickets where being sent to Admin instead being given to Forum Members and Nobody could answer that Question nor did anyone acknowledge responsibility for asking them to be sent to Admin.
It was NOT something that was Discussed nor Agreed Upon.
Nobody’s address needs to be given out, Members Names are on the monthly flyer and its only a case of finding out which Ranks they regularly work and handing a ticket copy over.
With reference to Questionable Behaviour, a Forum Member, who was formally from North Tyneside, did mention that he had to leave North Tyneside, He stated this to Myself and Other People were Present. Maybe thats where the Rumor Stems from.
Regarding the Races.
On the Thursday, Race Staff parked their cars on the Section that the Taxis normally Ranked on.
We were being directed on to the Exit Rd. The 1st Car was parked next to pick up point, with the last car abt a mile down the Exit Rd. NO THIS IS NOT A MISPRINT THAT IS WHAT THE SITUATION WAS.
I Refused do that and Spoke to the Stewards and Forced them to Allow the Cars to Rank in the Field.
I am NOT trying to Blow my own Trumpet, any of the 20/25 Drivers before me could have done the same, in Fact a Member of the Forum, was One of these Drivers.
The Gridlock Fiasco Entrance/Exit was caused by TWO Police Officers at the Entrance of the Races.
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Hi Zaf, to clarify my comment concerning `pirate cabs in Collingwood St and Mosley St`, I wouldn`t have thought this nessesary,but if you want to be PC Zaf,then..a pirate cab I would define as any vehicle which is plying for hire,standing for hire,or trying ti importune work,not via a prebooking arrangment,without the nessasary licence allowing that vehicle to operate as such.
In other words Zaf,irrespective of what plate ,out of area,n/cle PH or any other PH,which is not booked,should not be parked outside of any club,bar,restaurant or any other such place,which may appear that the vehicle is waiting for work.
I would say that this includes parking in such a manner as to restrict the flow of traffic past such vehicle,thereby causing an obstruction….as was the case on saturday night just gone….4-5 july 2009,also was the case the previous weekend after the racing.
AS for the chaos at the races…you are right about the 2 young plod at the west gate of gosforth pk,however,not wishing to attach blame to anyone in particular,the problem is caused more over by the lack of coms between the race organisers,police,councils etc.
If
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cont to reply to Zaf,
If the various parties involved could get together and talk to each other properly,im sure this annual chaos could be improved.
Personally,I wouldnt deploy 2 young plod (as was the case) who obviously had very little experience of dealing with heavy traffic,to a major event such as that. I actually felt sorry for them,trying to win a loosing battle with an impossible situation.
As i said,its not the individual officer ,who is doing as he is told,its the officers who should know better to blame for lack of coms.
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zaf, are you the guy that rings night owls with customers in your car? do you not think you should hang up the phone and give all your full attention to the road when driving the public? you give a very bad image of hack drivers
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@bit cowboy
No Not Guilty, you have wrong person.
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@Zaf, sorry for the mistake
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@ john dodds
The original comment was ‘cowboy cars’ NOT ‘pirates’, that is why I asked for a clarification.
If you re-read my original comments you will see that I have stated ‘that there should be N/c H/c Ranks Outside each Venue where there is a Demand for Service’ especially on Collingwood/Mosley St which is currently become a Busy Pick Up Point.
Provisions Can be Made for Ranks at these Places,and if it was done properly the traffic congestion would be reduced.
Active enforcement of Non N/c H/c Vehicles would also help the sitution.
If we Do Not Get Ranks There, ‘Pirates’ will have’field day’, then watch what happens to traffic flow.
Licensing, Parking Control and Police Officers Should Be Targetting Them and NOT Intimidating the N/c Licensed H/c Trade.
CCTV is being used to Prosecute/Intimidate N/c H/c, when it should be targeting the ‘Pirates’
What Nobody Has Mentioned is that currently All Traffic has to Travel this way, because of the Closure of Newgate St. Once that is Open then we should see a Traffic Reduction.
In Addition, Why Not Allow Traffic to Flow along Grainger St/Market St on a Friday/Saturday evening 23:00 to 06:00.
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Concerning ranks on Collingwood St and Mosley St,I agree the provision of ranks would help the situation,considering the Council licensed both Floritas and Perdu,anyone could be forgiven for thinking that parking for taxis would have been provided.
There again,maybe the council in their infinite wisdom didn`t think transport was needed,since we keep getting told our nation is obease,maybe some `joker` on fat cat wages thought people could walk home,getting fit at the same time.
Without effective enforcement,ranks would be ignored by our fleet of `clown` operators,they who see themselves as above the Law,with `out of area`plates.
Examples are `munchies,Percy St,its almost a `blueslime` rank,with the occasional incurstion of `battlehill,or eastcoast`,we sit at the Leazes lane rank and watch all the work done by these `clowns`,makes you wonder if we are the `clowns` for paying the council for nothing.
Other `out of area` ranks are,Gallowgate Flame,home to our Asian friend with his derwentside plate on an Audi.
Grainger St,by the Bigg Mkt,on both sides,the kebab shop on old Marlborough Cres,again we park by the Centre 4 Life,`blueslime` park at the door,picking up 2 to our 1 job.
Or outside the Dog and Parrot ,which involves sitting on a ped crossing,zig zag lines and all….always understood that was a traffic offense.There are more,but you get the jist of it.
I know the idea of using cctv to catch people out is favoured….BUT…its not a deterrant.
What happened to the idea that the Police were there to enforce the Law,rather than a council doing it by covert means.
A cinic could be forgiven for thinking the enforcement of parking had become nothing more than a covert way of raising income for the council.
Covert cameras do play a part in Law Enforcement,but so do Plod on the beat,possibly more so than a daft camera,so why noy give enforcement powers back to plod…let them do their job,and get the mess sorted.
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@john dodds, Hello John,
There is another deterrent the council does not use and many people will probably not know of their existance or there powers nowadays, as when the scheme was first set-up in Northumberland it was very secretive as a pilot scheme even to its recruits in the beginning, as none of the bosses were sure how the public would react in the early days to being spied on by this scheme.
I was one of the second recruited batch of applicants starting in January 2001 and being told you are going to be the “eyes and ears of the community” and we were sent on 10 workshop sessions based over 5 days in the same week at Northumbria Police Headquarters and trained by the Northumbria Police Training School.
I left the scheme after 8 weeks and before I actually did any serious patrolling, when I had recieved various other training that you had to have undertaken before you were legally insured to do the job, as well as the Northumbria Police Training. My reasons for leaving was because I was a former Transport and General Workers Union Elected Representative and I personally did not agree that a working persons wages and conditions, should be effectively reduced by introducing watered down Policeman/woman, because the Community Wardens were going to be used as the new cheaper to employ bobbies on the beat with lesser powers than the Northumbria Policeman/woman.
The Community Wardens were paid for from grants recieved from the European Communities Funding and although in Northumberland I believe they still have Community Wardens, it appears in North Tyneside anyway we have Community Officers with limited powers and dressed in a Police Uniform and they walk the streets of North Tyneside working the same hours as the regular Police personel until the early hours of the morning when the drinkers are in North Tyneside and so why the Council, if these Community Officers are still funded by the European Community do not take these Employed street walking bobbies on the beat, who are suppose to be the “Eyes and Ears of the Community” up to Northumbria Police Headquarters and get a qualified Police Trainer to explain the Hackney Carriage Laws and the Private Hire Laws to these bobbies who could at no cost to the Council, if the European money is still granted to pay there wages or a percentage of them possibly, these street patroling bobbies could easily enforce the law and move these suspect vehicles on.
Hope you like this little nugget of information that you may like to check out with your local councillor for your region!
Good luck all.
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@john dodds, John you have made a spelling mistake we are BLUELINE not blueslime
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@ bit cowboy
You have a lot to say, hiding behind an Alias, Have you the nerve to post your Real Name? Thought Not!!!
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I agree zaf; it appears that we only are getting enforcement of hacks, and those monthly figures that the council choose to release show nothing more.
Where is the figures of covert operation results? Or how many prosecutions pending?
I remember NT did a blitz on private hire over a year ago, around 15 drivers were caught, and ALL were named and shamed in the chronicle. Why do Newcastle not follow suite?
As for losing there badges, no way, I know someone who was caught last years plate day, he is still driving private hire to this day.
Are Newcastle frightened to blitz these guys? For whatever reason?
The only enforcement I see is 780 odd hacks getting shifted continually for not being able to get onto there 71 rank spaces. I suspect the council are doing nothing more than playing a game to see who gets sick first, the trade or them! it is annoying when you’ve sat for 1 hour only to find that your being moved on, because in their own words “we are targeting taxis tonight” and not the traffic parked all the way down one side of the bigg market, or boy racers, who on Saturday had from the bigg market toilet rank, all the way up!
And remember the key word is ‘taxis’, private hire vehicles are another matter!
As for plate day, I have been told that a lad first in the queue was asked for a price on a job, they then went to the car behind also a hack. Then they went across to the other side asked 2 private hire, then a Blyth hack, who happily got them in his car! the n/c hack got the police who was happy to get the passengers back out then chase the blyth hack, but didn’t take his number as he didn’t know the law regarding that! Terrific, we have police officers on duty who don’t know the law! What next surgeons who don’t know the anatomy of the human body! but its strange isn’t it, the police don’t know the law on flimping, nor do they know the law if someone parks on a hack rank, nor do they know the law if a member of the public is picking people up and posing as a taxi, YET they do seem to know the law if your on double yellows, on who you should pick up, on where exactly the rank starts,,,
People, we are being taking for mugs!
ohh, and Newcastle enforcement, I am 99% sure is the same guy as (N13 GLC?), but we now have a silver ford focus, with NOO FOOD OR DRINK on the rear doors, TWO tom toms, one I suppose is meant to resemble a data head, cruising the market. I didn’t get a chance to get the reg, but no doubt I’ll see him again, when your busy chasing us from not being able to get onto one of our 71 hack spaces.
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@andy warhol, Saw that Silver focus last night, he got pulled by a police van at the lights just before the high level bridge.
Also, I haven’t noticed the derwentside flimper in the RN05 Black Audi for a while.
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@Annoyed Newcastle hack,
dont know what time that was, but i saw him pulling up outside Rewind on the opposite side at about 3.05 a.m. so obviously he wasnt rumbled by the van, or he doesnt give a stuff!.
various reasons why i couldnt write the reg down, but its R363 (i believe). but i will get it and hoy it up here, as the public NEEDS to know that this isnt a TAXI of ANY kind!
aye RN05, seems to have gone, or the car has …
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@andy warhol, i saw the black audi last week threough the day parked up talking to another berwick plated car. plus the audi now has the plate fixed to the back bumper .
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Apparently there’s a bit of upset at Newcastle Licensing due to certain names being mentioned in this post. I can’t see a problem with it as it is public knowledge who these people are and as far as I can see nothing Libelous,defamatory or untoward has been said about these individuals. I would suggest though that contributors take care when naming names within a post,it is not always necessary and in this particular post ‘Licensing officers’ would have been a better choice.
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admin, what would an ‘insurance quesry’ consist of, and why does there appear to be so many? has anyone on here been called in for an ‘insurance query’ and what was it for?
228 vehicles checked…
179 hackney carriadges (out of 780 odd hacks)
33 Private hire (out of over 1,000 cars)
16 out of town plates (how many on the road, anyones guess)
complete and utter joke, the figures say it all …
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@andy warhol, is insurance query not where they ask a driver to bring insurance in at random to check they have cover?
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