Brighton cabbies bring city centre to a standstill

Cab drivers furious about the temporary closure of the taxi rank at Brighton Station brought the streets around it to a standstill during yesterday afternoon’s rush hour.

The Go Slow protest started at 5pm in Queen’s Road and lasted until about 6.30pm. Drivers are angry that Southern Rail has closed the taxi rank at the front of the station for three months while it renovates the forecourt.

In the meantime, they have been allocated eight spaces at the back of the station, which they say means they will lose money. They also say that elderly and disabled people will struggle to get to the new location, which is further from the platforms and bus stops.

Taxi driver Raj Vasanthen described how the go slow built momentum. He said: “At first there were six of us as  we turned down North Road. By the time we turned into spring gardens there were about ten of us.

“As we drove across Portland Street,  the whole length of it was full of cabs and as we turned right into North Street more cabs joined us.  Then we turned back into Queen’s Road at the Clocktower, where even more joined us.”