Westminster Council have now started to rub the Taxi trades nose in the dirt.
A council that is under investigation by the serious fraud squad for dodgy contract awards. A council that has allowed its councillors to jump the housing queue. A council who in the past only gave Council houses to people they suspected of voting for a particular political party (gerrymandering). A council who's leader fled to a foreign country to evade paying back millions of pounds to tax payers. A council that has gone off on a crusade to make it as difficult as possible for Taxi drivers while bending over backwards to help mini-cabs proliferate.
A few months ago, the Anderson Shelter announced that John Anderson had been refused planning permission to turn Hamilton Motors, Edgware Road, into a 24 hour Taxi rest centre with canteen and toilet facilities badly needed by the trade. This was a bitter blow to Mr Anderson, who used to run the Royal Oak Taxi centre, as he had invested a large sum of money acquiring the lease on this old Vauxhall showroom.
One of the main bones of contention used by the council was that there is already a taxi shelter in Warwick Avenue. The fact that this is only open in the day time seems to have eluded the councillors who blocked the application. If 25,000 cab drivers wanted to stop at the Warwick Avenue shelter for an hours break, it would mean that each driver would have to wait 260 days before they could use the facility again.
A spokesman for the council said, "parking in the surrounding area at night would be a major problem".
Well have a look along the Edgware road, between Orchardson Street and Church street any night, but especially at weekends and you will be astounded by the number of newly established Turkish, Iraqi and Iranian restaurants, open right through the night. Most with wood burning clay ovens billowing out all sorts of different smells and pollution. Tables have been set up outside for the customers to smoke large amounts of perfumed tobacco from hookah pipes sitting under CO2 producing patio heaters. No problem getting licenses and planning permission there.
But worst of all have a look at the vehicles illegal parked outside. Minicab's having a break, using toilet facilities, illegally touting customers.
One rule for them and another rule for us.
Is it because we are Licensed Taxis? You bet your life it is!
The most disgusting thing about the whole of this problem is that the LTDA and the LCDC refused to help Mr Anderson in his application because they thought his past shelter had become a hot bed for recruitment for the RMT.
Mr Anderson personally spoke to Bob Oddy as representative of the Taxi trade on the board of TfL but he refused to help , so no conflict there then Bob.
We believe another toilet protest is in the offering at Westminster City Hall. Last time we just waved toilet brushes and made some noise. Its time to get down and dirty like WCC.
Say 8-9000 drivers turn up with a bottle containing their waste bodily fluids from the previous shift. We could hand them to the council to dispose of.
Brilliant do it ! LETS "PISS" OFF these council thugs @TC14
ReplyDeleteCareful Boys & Girls!
ReplyDeleteMr Low Westmonsters Highway's Officer is pals with our Lord & Master Mr Bob Oddy.
As for John Anderson and his thwarted attempt to provide valuable service to the cab trade, Surely even the most paranoid could not call it a 'hotbed' of anything!, it was used by thousands of drivers daily, All in The RMT?
What an absolute disgrace, Killing a mans living!
Shows what people will stoop too.
SHAME ON THEM.
I think the forum should concider this action. The cast time we demo'd at City Hall, Martin Low was furious. This time we could just all give him the piss he's been taking for years, in little bottles.
ReplyDeleteAs you might be aware, NoToBikeParkingTax have be taking direct action for some while, even blockading City Hall more than once. You'll find a lot of dirt of WCC on www.nutsville.com Let's unite against a common enemy. We'd make an impressive allied force!
ReplyDeletePS Sorry to anyone inconvenienced by our Trafalgar Sq demos. Feel free to complain to WCC :-)
I sometimes think we are our own worst enemys,and i for one am not surprised that planning permission was turned down,Look where its situated,bang in the middle of a residential area,I for one would be against a Taxi resturaunt opening within a mile of my house,not because we are bad people,Simply because it seems we dont have the ability not to shout,imagine,1am in the morning the last thing you want is HARRY and BERT,shouting thier goodbyes,or a load of TX2s starting up all night long,although the latter not really being our fault,Look at the a Astral cafe,as soon as it started opening late,the complaints started pouring in,At the time Hestletine got the blame,But was it him or was it all of them,Just sometimes maybe we should look at ourselves........
ReplyDelete