Taxi drivers have been reminded not to wait in front of Brighton Station after a number of complaints.
Brighton and Hove City Council sent the reminder to cabbies because a small number have been spotted waiting in Queen’s Road on zig-zags, double yellow lines and at bus stops.
People can flag down taxis in front of the station but pre-booked vehicles are meant to use the pick-up and drop-off point at the back of the station.
Drivers breaking the rules risk having their licence revoked, suspended or not renewed if they break the by-laws.
The council can also take drivers to court for breaching by-laws, resulting in fines of up to £500.
The council’s regulatory services manager Jim Whitelegg and Green councillor Steve Davis, the deputy chair of the council’s Licensing Committee, sent a letter to all drivers and proprietors on Tuesday 4 January.
They said: “If you are a licensed driver that is stopping at the front of Brighton Station looking to be hired, then please stop this practice immediately.
“While we sympathise with the financial stress brought about by the pandemic, we cannot allow this practice to continue.
“You must abide by the rules and conditions of your licence and the legislation as set by Parliament.”
When the council’s Licensing Committee met on Thursday (17 February), councillors were told that the situation had improved although another complaint had been received in the past week.
Green councillor Sue Shanks said that she had approached drivers parked at the front.
She said: “I usually don’t complain but usually say, ‘excuse me, are you a bus?’ It’s good to know there is a legal basis for me reminding them.
“The taxi rank generally is working quite well at the back of the station.”
Labour councillor Carmen Appich said that she had reported issues at the front of the station in the past and had recently seen taxis dropping off passengers at bus stops there.
She said: “They’re making buses late in the pouring rain, splashing passengers, causing a nuisance, then waiting and picking up other passengers.
“If you’re a passenger on the bus, you’re not going to make the bus even later and take a photograph of that and email it in and complain.
“You’re just going to get on the bus and mutter about it and get on with your life.”
Councillor Appich said that bus drivers should be encouraged to report taxis waiting in the wrong place.
Green councillor Lizzie Deane said that she had received repeated complaints from a resident who was concerned that taxi drivers were dropping people off in Guildford Road, outside their house, causing a nuisance.
Councillor Deane, who chairs the Licensing Committee, asked officials to look into the complaint.
What about people with mobility problems? Or older people who order taxis in order to get as close to where they need when they are struggling with luggage etc
Isn’t inclusivity part of BH policy?
. . only if you’re hip, young and woke
“If by ‘woke’ you mean ending racism and inequality, reforming our curriculums so that they are factual and representative both of historical truth and how Britain is changing, and striving for a world where your chances in life are determined as little as possible by your birth, then sign me up.”
Do you remember the chaos which attended on the old system of taxis at the front? Queens Road regularly blocked by taxis, buses unable to get to stops… The new rank at the rear has level access and is no great distance – don’t see how people who can manage to reach Queens Road would be excluded from using the lawful taxi rank. More to do with the convenience of cabbies IMO.
I totally agree with you, I struggle to get to back of the station with my hip but no one cares about that and the one time I did go that way when they first put it in place they only had higher cabs which I struggled to get into. I need a lower saloon so have to book one in advance. So much for council equality policies for disabled people.
Brighton and Hove communist party strikes again, trying to take away everybody’s freedom “ get a bus or cycle or we’re going to punish you “
Steven Winsor
Nobody is trying to take away anybody’s freedom, this article is about Taxis causing problems by poor parking/waiting.
It has been a problem since the road was reworked, buses and taxi’s used to go straight on towards the station from Queens road, now it’s a one way system.
The whole situation is poor planning and design.
Why don’t people just use an eco-friendly traffichreducing electric scooter? Oh wait, the govt has kept it illegal to use a privately owned scooter in public and the council hasn’t approved any scooter hire companies.
No wonder there’s such a traffic and parking problem in B&H
Rank at the back is 10000000% better for everyone than traffic jams of taxis up and down Queens Road.
The women moaning about them outside her house, put a cctv camera up and then send that in.
If you drive up this way, bus or indeed cycle, there is nothing more annoying than cabs blocking the traffic outside the pub by the station.
I hope ubers are also getting slapped with fines for this too
It’s not so good for non taxi people trying to drop someone off at the station.
It’s now illegal for non taxi private motorists to use the previous drop off points at the rear of the station
With unreliable train arrivals the time limited access via the car park is too risky.
So very uncomfortable for car drivers to pick people up
Agree.
I have given up dropping or collecting people at Brighton totally.
The Green/Labour alliance have really no idea.
Enforce it with wardens and/or cameras. It’s not difficult.
It would surely have been better to have the main taxi rant at the back and a smaller picking up/dropping off area at the front. There have been various consequences of having the rank at the back only, including traffic congestion in the New England area; people being dropped off at inappropriate places; and problems for various groups of people including those with children, people with health conditions and older people.
Larger taxi rank at back and smaller one at the front makes most sense. The smaller one at the front could be a collecting (request) point and dropping off point for licensed taxis only. It could be at the site of the previous taxi rank and properly monitored to prevent the Uber cowboys from nicking trade from local cab companies. Consult with our local taxi companies please!
This council just got NO COMMON SENSE. travelers arrive with heavy bags, exhausted from travelling and some like international Students have never even been in UK.
Why so much hate with cars???
Seriously. I feel sorry for taxi drivers.
It should a rule of max number of taxis or surely something more sensible and practical for taxi drivers and passengers
It seems barmy to leave the area at the front of the station empty. I was told the area is not owned by the council and was being allocated for a McDonalds?? Even if it is not owned by the council, can it not put pressure on network rail or whoever owns the area to free it up for taxis. The rank at the back is unreliable and, as others have said, has simply caused congestion in the roads at the back.
Bus drivers do complain about the taxis. Fit camera’s up to catch them. Also no right turn into North Street. Taxis are always breaking the rules there too
Al,
Looking forward to the sight of you trundling up Southover Street/Elm Grove/Bear road etc carrying eight heavy bags of shopping in the pouring rain.
Me – I’ll stick to taxis thank you and leave the kiddy toys for the kiddies.