Black Cab Accident/Assault London

[Old Walrus]

From your description of the incident it looks like there's possibly been a RTC (depends of if the cab was damaged or you were injured by the collision if you actually hit the cab). There has definitely been an assault (him on you) + criminal damage to your crash hat.
He can be identified from his cab number and you have witnesses. If you reported it to me he would be getting a visit very quickly hopefully followed by a charge sheet/summons.
REPORT IT! (and best wishes for a speedy recovery)

 

[jmaccyd]

Agreed, you have the plate number/reg/or badge number report the incident to the Police. Take it from me as a Taxi Driver myself, this type of thing are taken mightly seriously.

Yes, those cycle lanes down Tavi Place are shockers. Must have been designed by someone who doesn't drive or cycle. Got to be very careful when turning right across the cycle lane, and talking as a driver, it requires a great deal of care and careful checking. Really should have been better designed but dosen't lessen what happened to you- - get well soon!

 

[Cab]

Not by me mate. Most cabbies are awesome, good drivers, and fun to chat to at the lights. The few bad ones are usually amongst the worst of scum, IMO.

Thats pretty much my view too. Most cabbies are just people doing jobs, no better or worse than anyone else. And most people are, at heart, good eggs. Trouble is that they're driving around all day, and it doesn't take many bad ones to give cabbies a bad reputation. One bad cabbie might be responsible for dozens of instances of dangerous or discourteous driving every day.

 

[mootaineer]

Report him...

...nobody needs people like that on the roads.
I'm glad you had witnesses who can back you up.
Also I hope you're ok!

I had a nearish miss today when a large truck "didn't see me" and pulled out of Princes Street (I was riding northwards along Regent Street) at a reasonable pace.
I had 2 sets of lights (one very bright) and a high viz windproof...and he had been waiting at the give way line for a while so I doubt he hadn't seen me.
I had a feeling he may have been trying to bully his way onto the main road but I wasn't sure.
I swerved "just enough" to miss him and he also braked sharply.

I did think of giving him a bit of grief - but I was ok and I didn't think it was worth getting too stressed about. I don't particularly enjoy confrontation unless I want to make a point (ie I keep my fight for real idiots).

Anyway I seem to keep surviving...ho hum...

 

[mootaineer]

By the way I find most cabbies ok too.
As long as I don't take the piss by placing my bike infront of them at lights they seem to give me enough space and are quite considerate most of the time...

 

[handsome joe]

Hope you get over this mate. I am a born and bred Londoner but over the years my opinion of cabbies has dropped to below freezing.

I once spent over 30 minutes helping a blind and disabled man who had speech difficulties to get a cab from London City Airport. The man had a taxi card which allows discounts for disabled people in taxis with the computer cab sign.

I went along a taxi rank, over 10 cabs, all with the computer taxi sign on their doors. Not one wanted to take this obviously disabled man home. Some couldn't even be bothered to unwined their window.

Eventually i found one taxi driver with a heart. He was almost at the end of the taxi rank and was livid when i told him what me and this guy had been through. On the way out he pulled up along side the taxi at the front of the queue and screamed blue murder. He told that they would rather sit at the front of the queue for hours waiting for a City *anker to drop into the city for big bucks.

You know why they wouldn't take this man home? He lived too near to the Airport. These grown men would prefer to sit on their fat hairy arses and wait for some city suit to jump in to their cab. Then they can some sucking up so they can charge them the earth.

When a taxi driver tells you he is working class through and through tell him to stop bullshiting. A lot of them are just lower middle class cannon fodder who would rather stab a real working class person in the back for a few dollars.

Before i am strung up I have had good experiences with taxi drivers but unfortunately the negatives outweigh the positives. I feel the drop in standards is a sign of how cold, unfriendly and money grabbing London has become.

 

[catwoman]

In addition to reporting him to the Police you should also contact the Public Carriage Office in Penton Street. I think Black Cabs are bound by a very strict code of conduct by the PCO and TFL. If the Police won't take action against the errant cabbie then hopefully the PCO will particularly as you have witnesses.
Good luck and hope you feel better soon.

 

[gezza]

Hope you get over this mate. I am a born and bred Londoner but over the years my opinion of cabbies has dropped to below freezing.

I once spent over 30 minutes helping a blind and disabled man who had speech difficulties to get a cab from London City Airport. The man had a taxi card which allows discounts for disabled people in taxis with the computer cab sign.

I went along a taxi rank, over 10 cabs, all with the computer taxi sign on their doors. Not one wanted to take this obviously disabled man home. Some couldn't even be bothered to unwined their window.

Eventually i found one taxi driver with a heart. He was almost at the end of the taxi rank and was livid when i told him what me and this guy had been through. On the way out he pulled up along side the taxi at the front of the queue and screamed blue murder. He told that they would rather sit at the front of the queue for hours waiting for a City *anker to drop into the city for big bucks.

You know why they wouldn't take this man home? He lived too near to the Airport. These grown men would prefer to sit on their fat hairy arses and wait for some city suit to jump in to their cab. Then they can some sucking up so they can charge them the earth.

When a taxi driver tells you he is working class through and through tell him to stop bullshiting. A lot of them are just lower middle class cannon fodder who would rather stab a real working class person in the back for a few dollars.

Before i am strung up I have had good experiences with taxi drivers but unfortunately the negatives outweigh the positives. I feel the drop in standards is a sign of how cold, unfriendly and money grabbing London has become.

not guilty!!!

well thats computer cab for you

it really does make my blood boil when i hear stories like that,because one day we might have to rely on them,if we did that on my radio circuit and were caught ,not only would we get a suspension/expelled but we would be shamed in the in-house magazine.** Only once in 8 1/2 years i have ranked up there,live right on the other side of london from there ,cant understand why anyone would sit there for 2/3 hours all for a £10 job to the Island(Canary Wharf) or for extra £5 to the city



Handsome Joe,believe you me I DONT,NEVER HAVE & NEVER WILL suck up to the city type,i am also on a radio circuit (DIAL A CAB) and last night 3 times i had account customers not once ,when they got in or got out did they say please or thank you !!!"Manners dont cost anything" i told them as they got out of the cab.

i am not bullshitting ,but i am working class, have a good job,2 bedroom home on the outskirts of london,do all the usual stuff and 99% of the time life is good

it does pi$$ me off a tad though that you never get to hear the good stories about black cab drivers(day trips to the coast for underprivelidged children,trips to eurodisney for the terminally ill children,trips to the war graves in northern france,i could go on.....but then again i suppose its the same in every other job,be it nurses,doctors,police,teachers etc you never get to hear about the good deeds,its as if we like to be a nation of doom-mongers

** talking of in house magazine,google DIAL A CAB MAGAZINE,click on 2008(top left crnr),then click on Apr 2008 and then go to page 33 (pdf version) and yours truly is all lycra'd up

 

[Eat MY Dust]

How's this for a nice London cabbie story. One gave me a lift into Soho from Watford and didn't charge me a penny!! How's that?

 

[gezza]

How's this for a nice London cabbie story. One gave me a lift into Soho from Watford and didn't charge me a penny!! How's that?

and my name is eddie mercx

wasnt me was it ???

 

[Eat MY Dust]

Sh_t Gezza is that you in the photo?!?!?!?! Last time I saw you, you were. let's say.......a bit rounder!!!!!

 

[Twenty Inch]

OK here's a nice Black Cab story. I got wiped off my bike by an uninsured, unlicensed minicab driver on my way to register for the London Triathlon. I ended up in Whitechapel Hospital with my bike cluttering up the A&E room, barely able to walk and feeling very sorry for myself.

Cummins came down from Stepney to rescue me and organised a cab outside the hospital. The cabbie drove us back to Cummins' place, helped me out, helped my bicycle out, helped us all into the house, and didn't charge us. Nice one mate, whoever you are. I'm still grateful.

 

[Arch]

OK here's a nice Black Cab story. I got wiped off my bike by an uninsured, unlicensed minicab driver on my way to register for the London Triathlon. I ended up in Whitechapel Hospital with my bike cluttering up the A&E room, barely able to walk and feeling very sorry for myself.

Cummins came down from Stepney to rescue me and organised a cab outside the hospital. The cabbie drove us back to Cummins' place, helped me out, helped my bicycle out, helped us all into the house, and didn't charge us. Nice one mate, whoever you are. I'm still grateful.

And there's the thing - there's good and there's bad and the bad ones give the good ones a bad name (and sadly, it's human nature to remember the bad more) - just like with private car drivers, and lorry drivers and bus drivers and, yes, cyclists...

Not living in London, I can't really comment on Black Cab drivers, but I'd say that up here in York I see good taxi drivers and less good, and I try not to judge until I have something to go on...

 

[jmaccyd]

Hope you get over this mate. I am a born and bred Londoner but over the years my opinion of cabbies has dropped to below freezing.

I once spent over 30 minutes helping a blind and disabled man who had speech difficulties to get a cab from London City Airport. The man had a taxi card which allows discounts for disabled people in taxis with the computer cab sign.

I went along a taxi rank, over 10 cabs, all with the computer taxi sign on their doors. Not one wanted to take this obviously disabled man home. Some couldn't even be bothered to unwined their window.

Eventually i found one taxi driver with a heart. He was almost at the end of the taxi rank and was livid when i told him what me and this guy had been through. On the way out he pulled up along side the taxi at the front of the queue and screamed blue murder. He told that they would rather sit at the front of the queue for hours waiting for a City *anker to drop into the city for big bucks.

You know why they wouldn't take this man home? He lived too near to the Airport. These grown men would prefer to sit on their fat hairy arses and wait for some city suit to jump in to their cab. Then they can some sucking up so they can charge them the earth.

When a taxi driver tells you he is working class through and through tell him to stop bullshiting. A lot of them are just lower middle class cannon fodder who would rather stab a real working class person in the back for a few dollars.

Before i am strung up I have had good experiences with taxi drivers but unfortunately the negatives outweigh the positives. I feel the drop in standards is a sign of how cold, unfriendly and money grabbing London has become.

I'll add something - REPORT THEM (YES all ten of them) It took you 30 minutes to help that gent, probably ten minutes to write this forum post and a bit less then that to report the matter to the PCO.

Lets get clear who has been 'stabbing in the back' the working person in our society. Not the London cabbie, but those who wear the suits and the red braces, and seem to do well regardless of the effects of their gambling of other peoples retirement or motgages. The biggest crooks in our society wear a suit and tie - suck up to them not a chance!

I don't feel the need to defend my class or background, but then again I was part of a trade union, and out campaigning for Labour when I suspect your where still in your nappies

 

[tdr1nka]

I have had the same problem with computer cabs in the past.
There are countless occasions where in central London I have had to wait hours, and I mean anything up to two hours for a registered computer cab to collect me and my disabled Mum.

What astounds me, and forgive the plot spoiler, is that there are the cabs out there which have the facilities to take wheel chairs but it seems down to the discretion of the driver weather to take a computer cab passenger, who pays a reduced rate over that of say, an airport run with tip expected, IMO over time you can start to see a pattern of stubborn reluctance.

On a happier note my Mum lives outside of London now and has little problem getting her cabs.