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| Taxi driver Russell Hall |
"I've been a taxi driver for 27 years. As the son of a taxi driver, who's married to a taxi driver, taxi driver's blood runs through my veins.
The Olympics is the biggest event in the world - far bigger than the 1966 World Cup.
It's a massive event for London, and we'd like to help make it a success.
I can't see how transportation can happen without the assistance of the London taxi trade.
We're part of London and we need to be involved with what's going on. We need to be spoken to.
We played a big part in getting the Olympics to London with the Back the Bid campaign. In 2004 it was promised that we'd be involved and now it looks like we can't use the Games Lanes.
Park Lane nightmare
There are murmurings that there could be further demonstrations by taxi drivers. There isn't a London cab driver that wants to hold anyone to ransom. We just want the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Lord Coe to meet us and talk through the issue.
Park Lane is a major thoroughfare, and due to the IOC and VIPs being based in the hotels there - from Marylebone Road and down into the city is going to be a complete nightmare.
Travelling to the Games from the West End, or main stations like St Pancras, Euston and Paddington will be difficult.
Cab fares will increase four-fold because of the time spent in clogged traffic as we won't be allowed to use the Games Lanes.
Customers will be sent on lengthy diversions and it doesn't have to be like that.
I don't see what the problem is with letting taxis use the lanes to get to the Olympic Park. If people want to get from central London, Heathrow or St Pancras to the Games I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to use the Games Lanes.
I've suggested a taxi-share scheme that could involve all London cabs - four or five people in a cab from a station to the Olympic Park at a fixed price.
None of the drivers who are members of the black taxi company I've set up - which has 2,700 members and is growing every day - agree with the idea of putting up taxi fares during the Games. We won't be taking a three-week break during the Olympics either - we'll be here trying to earn a living.
Talk is cheap; money pays our wages."
What are your thoughts on transport during the London 2012
Agree with all you say Russ but how do we force them to allow us in the ORN?
ReplyDeleteMaybe we give an ultimatum:
No access, 100 mini blockades on the Opening Ceremony?
As for your goodself wont you be busy on hunger strike 'Free Harry Redknapp'!!!
Up the Lions!
So that will be a fourfold increase plus 20% if Oddy gets his way.
ReplyDeleteAnd 2700 more drivers against this cretinous man.
I propose a demo outside his house in Harrow on the day he is due to use his complimentary tickets to stop him getting to the games.
get your facts right before you start making threats like that, for your information we earn alot less sitting in traffic than we do moving freely with a fare on board.
DeleteWe all know that apart from the VIP transport and the Rickshaws who will get away with what ever they want! Will be the Only ones using the lanes!! Maybe the powers to be might decide to get off there arses and stop what in my mind is the biggest security risk to this country and the Olympics due to the fact that they are unregulated and can conceal anything on these wonderful and dangerous bikes! So who is responsible for overseeing the security!
ReplyDeleteHail is brilliant, best innovation to come in to our trade for years.
ReplyDeleteWell done Russ and the boys
Taking tbe work back from Addo loo
I can still see the images of Lord Sebastian Coe proudly posing amongst two London Licensed Taxi Cabs, when they were bidding for the Games.
ReplyDeleteThe dust has settled now, and the spotlight on London to host the dream is real and alive.
Coe has dropped our world famous trade like a red hot poker !
The greasy palms, dodgy deals, Krug suppers and nights out in Grouchos, is in full swing, and the benefactors of the prestige Olympic VIP lanes are celebrating their business acumen.
This is all about money folks, make no mistake about it.
London Licensed Cabbies may very well be the best in the world. They may very well be the optimum of professionalism. They may very well be the elite and the qualified, BUT...........they dont and cant give bribes and backhanders !
Our Noble Lord Sebastian may try to give the impression of aristocratic bravado, St George, English heritage and pride. But strip away the wrapping, and you will find an unfaithful,cunning, disloyal, fraudulent, selfish, non conforming, lying cheat !
I didn't like the little ponce when he cried about Steve Ovett in his athletic days, and dislike the betraying litte wimp even more now.
Sebastian Coe is not to be trusted. He is an unfaithful lying cheat.
More worrying, he is in total charge of our destiny during the London Olympics and he will have no guilt whatsoever of hanging our trade out to dry.
What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall with the infrastucture deals that are currently taking place.
You can bet your life that Coe will see he is looked after nicely.
And they made him a Lord ! The corrupt, murky waters of Parliament and the chosen few are in full swing. We must stop dodgy Coe from sweeping us under the carpet, and challenge the little wimp.
The only person ever to go into Parliament with honest intent...was Guy Fawkes !
The noble one used us as a backdrop to win the bid, and we won it.
Either he uses our world professional services as we are entitled to.....or we will take it ourselves !
Sebastian Coe couldn't lay in bed straight.....dont trust him !
8829 Semtex
i have to agree with semtex on this one (i can't stand the little shit) but i thought it was in the olympic contract before we even won it that we had to have vip lanes for vips only. Coe will never try to bend the rules for us incase of upsetting the IOC.
ReplyDeleteCoe got into parliament as an mp ,next thing you know he became hagues judo partner then surprise surprise Hague puts him forward for a peerage, they all make me sick.i will never vote again because it makes no difference,this is a virtual democracy,I will go and spoil my paper but not vote.everything gets dearer every year no matter which shit party gets in...it's very sad.and Olympic opening ceremony costing £27million and total cost of all opening and closing ceremonies is £81million...oh but no money to pay my wife's nursing pension ...what a shit joke...
ReplyDelete