Taxi drivers are avoiding picking up and dropping off passengers along Madeira Drive because the new one-way system adds an expensive detour to fares.
Brighton and Hove City Council closed the road during the first lockdown as it introduced “active travel” measures to encourage people to walk along the seafront.
When the road reopened in September last year, it was to eastbound traffic only, as proposed in the £8 million phase three of the Valley Gardens scheme.
The scheme also proposed replacing the Aquarium roundabout replaced with a T-junction which creates fear will artificially create unnecessary congestion.
Former Conservative councillor Lee Wares raised concerns about the effects on taxi fares when Labour and Green councillors voted to approve the final phase of the Valley Gardens revamp in February 2019.
He warned that it could add £7 to fares and have the less environmentally friendly result of cabs driving further.
Now, Brighton and Hove Cab Trade Association representative Andy Peters said that taxi and private hire drivers are reluctant to pick up fares from Madeira Drive.
If passengers are heading west, drivers have to go east to Duke’s Mound and through a new set of traffic lights first before heading back into town.
Mr Peters said: “If you have a job to pick up from, say, the Volk’s Tavern to come back west, you end up with about £7 on the meter by having to go up Duke’s Mound and all the way back down Marine Parade to just get back to where you effectively started from.
“And if you drop a customer in Madeira Drive … again you have to do a loop to get back to the city centre which uses more fuel and time – and that is if you don’t get stuck in the jams that the one-way system has caused.
“It was suggested that when ordering a taxi, people could walk up from Madeira Drive, which I clearly stated is not a safe option nor is it practical when there is extremely limited access.”
The seafront road is home to popular venues such as Concorde 2 and Yellowave, with other attractions planned or under way including Sea Lanes and the new Soho House private members’ club.
The council said: “We are aware of concerns expressed by some of our taxi drivers about the current arrangements in Madeira Drive.
“A consultation we have been running on future transport options for Madeira Drive has just finished.
“Our Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee will consider a report analysing the responses to the consultation when it meets in January.
“The recommendations in the report will take into account the responses we’ve had from the taxi industry as well as from residents and other local businesses and groups.”
The committee is due to meet at 4pm at Hove Town Hall on Tuesday 18 January. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
No surprise. The council were warned about this and chose to ignore because it’s bikes or bust! the idea that you should walk up to the top to catch a cab is ridiculous. Some will not be physically able and others may not fancy for safety reasons in the cold and dark – that’s why you would order a taxi.
Unless it has pedals the council don’t give two hoots. So if you’r in any of the following groups, they don’t care what you think: disabled, business owner, trades person, taxi driver, car owner, HGV driver, coach driver or just a resident who is annoyed at the disgusting waste of money being spent undemocratically, to name a few.
There is no joined up planning on roads in the city just random schemes on different trunk routes which don’t work well together as thre is no joined up planning, and still no proper park and ride.
BHCC – put a city plan together and put it to a public vote and remember not everyone can just jump on a bike.
Due to age and being infirm I have been unable to cycle anywhere or walk more than 100m for several years now. There are so many elderly, infirm people in this city and the council expects us all to walk and ride bikes. It is a crime to discriminate against people based on disability… yet the disabled continued to be unseen by this council
Sadly we have a city council full of city saboteurs who have no business being there and who are not working for the good of the city or we, the people, as they are supposed to. Three have recently been publicly shamed through their greed and self-serving hypocrisy and a fourth has a live public petition against her public conduct yet shamelessly, all four rotten apples refuse to resign. May they quickly rot the rest of the barrel.
If you sit outside the Volks on a sunny day you’ll see about 20 pedestrians and cyclists for very car but with one lane open and parking they’re allocated about the same amount of space.
What difference does it make if they’re picking up outside Concorde2 and Yellowave ?
Vote these loons out.