Westminster Step-up Victimisation of Taxi Drivers...by Thomas the Taxi.

Westminster City Council have now stepped up their relentless victimisation of Licensed Taxi drivers.
Tickets are flowing freely in a bid to claw back millions lost by this inept administration after it was found that brand new digital CCTV cameras were of the wrong resolution and had to be replaced at great expense to the council tax payers. (£21 million I believe)

Seen as an easy target Taxi drivers are now finding PCN's dropping on their door mats just for going about their everyday job. Their crime, taking longer than two minutes, to drop and be paid off by passengers.
It seems that Councillors and Transport management teams from Westminster City Council believe that Ken Livingston had no legal right to inform Taxi drivers (PCO Press Release 44/06) that as far as he was concerned Taxi drivers had "as long as it takes" to drop off or pick up passengers on red or yellow lines.

We have seen drivers penalised for over ranking at Paddington Station, Victoria Station and many hotels in Westminster, but now they (WCC) are also concentrating on the heinous crime of...waiting for passengers to withdrew money from ATM's to pay the fare.

Last night a friend who wishes to stay anonymous as he lives in Westminster, informed me of two PCN's acquired in the same week. One in South Wharf Road W2, where he committed the terrible crime, at 3 am, of waiting for a young lady to get safely into her apartments. He wrote a hand written letter to the council asking to see any evidence they had, that he was parked or illegally waiting. As a tax paying resident of Westminster City Council he had always believed that the accusations of corruption against the council were grossly exaggerated, until he received his reply. It stated that after careful examination of his appeal, the council considered that his excuse was invalid and on this occasion his appeal had been turned down.
He said "The funny thing is, I haven't appealed yet and reading my letter, there is no way one could assume I was making an appeal, as no excuse was tendered. This just goes to show how corrupt this service really is. This is a standard letter sent out to the recipient of every PCN who makes an appeal. No first appeal is never read or even considered by the council. This letter is sent out automatically".

"My suspicions were shown to be correct by the fact an identical letter was sent in reply for my second offence. This being, stopping at a Cash Machine in Eastbourne Terrace in the early hours of the morning (2am), while a passenger withdrew funds to pay her fare".
"OK, so we are not allowed by this council to stop on double yellow lines at ATM's ( unlike Camden council or TfL's red rout's. PCO Notice 13/09 and 26/09) But I just cant believe in these dangerous times that single women have had their safety compromised by a greedy, corrupt council. A council that I helped elect".
This is not just a one off case. Drivers are reporting hundreds of unnecessary tickets are being issued every day.
It is a fact that 75% of PCN's that are appealed against are eventually revoked. The first appeal is informal and you will get the standard letter without your evidence being considered, that's a fact. You are then giving the chance to make a formal appeal which is taken into consideration. If this fails you have the right to appeal to the adjudicator, but remember this service is financed by the Council. You also have the right to go to court to appeal if successful you can claim loss of earnings expenses and travel costs.

But most of all , you must appeal if you feel you have a case. These tickets are issued to Taxi drivers because the council knows most can't be bothered and will just pay. By paying you are just prolonging this corrupt practice.