Black cab bully

[tdr1nka]

I regularly get grief, once or twice a week, from taxis using the bus lane as a rat run on the A2 from the Bricklayers Arms roundabout to New Cross, where I live.

Luckily I have the confidence to hold the road when these cabs come charging down the bus lane expecting me to be intimidated out of their way.
Any tailgating or attempts to overtake when there is staionary traffic to our right, is met by my simply slowing down, not by much, but enough.

What is satisfying is when you get the chance to indicate and pull back into traffic deftly, leaving them with a parked car or bus in their way causing them to stop and have to be let back into the traffic!

 

[Brains]

The two worst bits of anti-cyclist driving I have ever seen were two black cabs

 

[classic33]

He would've got 4 points for this "unsatisfactory behavour or conduct on the road or wearing a football shirt"

I'm a Taxi operator in Devon and although i cant speak for the London cabbies if you think reporting the license No displayed on the rear of the vehicle is a waste of time "Then Dont" the licensing authoritys take these reports very seriously and quite often you will have your Hackney License suspended until you have been up in front of the committee to explain your side of the complaint which can take upt to 3 weeks

The licensing office will always keep you up to speed on what is happening

Simon

Bull.
Put a hole through the radiator of a taxi driving the wrong way along a one way street. Local licensing department were not interested. They only saw it as someone having a go at them, not someone reporting bad driving.

Plate fitted to the vehicle did not belong to the vehicle that hit me. Wrong type & colour for the plate the had issued.

Told to stop complaining, "Your alive aren't you".
We have drivers with 12 points on their license who are applying & succeeding, in some cases quite easily, to be allowed to drive whilst disqualified.
The council are afraid of upsetting them.

 

[Muddyfox]

Bull.
We have drivers with 12 points on their license who are applying & succeeding, in some cases quite easily, to be allowed to drive whilst disqualified.
The council are afraid of upsetting them.

I dont believe for one second that any licensing authority are issueing disqualified drivers a Hackney or Private Hire license

 

[classic33]

I dont believe for one second that any licensing authority are issueing disqualified drivers a Hackney or Private Hire license

Two applications, and the respective fees of course, taken one after the other.

I was making a complaint against an unlicensed taxi that was plying for trade as I waited. Right outside the building!

No I'm not one who moans for the sake of moaning. But when the drivers do what they want to do with no regard for the law, then I'll report them.

Reporting them to their company achieves about the same as reporting them to the licensing authority. Nowt.

 

[Muddyfox]

Two applications, and the respective fees of course, taken one after the other.

I was making a complaint against an unlicensed taxi that was plying for trade as I waited. Right outside the building!

So which licensing authority took the fee's from 2 different applications and granted them ?

If it was an unlicensed taxi then it is a police matter the licensing authority only have powers over vehicles and drivers licensed with them ... it's abit like phoning the fire brigade to tell them that someone has stolen your bike ?

 

[classic33]

Which one doesn't matter. What does is that its been done.

But the enforcing part of the licensing authority found over 25% of the vehicles that had licences issued for use as taxis were unfit for purpose & in some cases unsafe to be on the road.
17 disqualified drivers found in under two hours. ALL had been issued with licences issued which enable them to drive taxi's.

All this a month after they said that there were none on the road. But if as you say that it can't happen then maybe it isn't happenning.

I have no intention of turning this into a slanging match. Records of their findings should be available to anyone in the business.

They(the licensing authority) are afraid of upsetting the drivers.

 

[Muddyfox]

I have no intention of turning this into a slanging match. .

Niether do i mate .. it is'nt why i use these forums

I am genuinely interested in what you are saying ... it cost me a small fortune to get licensed and remain legal so any flouting of the rules just makes a mockery of those of us that run our businesses within the rules

As you wont identify the licensing area ... i remain dubious

 

[jmaccyd]

Back what up? TFL and the mayor have mooted that more needs to be done with cab driving standards (I would hazard due to the increasing number of complaints, like those outlined by the OP) - hence the forthcoming consultation on cabbie training and vulnerable road users. In addition, it's not just about collision stats - subjective safety needs to be considered and that's why boorish/intimidatory driving needs to be stamped out in bus lanes.

If you want some stats (from the PCO no less):



FYI, I had to threaten the PCO with the Information Commissioner to get a response (6 months later).



I meant a bus lane and a traffic lane in parallel - using "rat-run" in my ealier post was unclear. What I was trying to get across is that it is normal for cabs to undertake stationary or slow moving vehicles in the traffic lane by using the bus lane - this is where I notice conflict between cyclists and black cabs - mainly due to driver impatience.

Is TLRN (Transport for London Route Network?) If so I assume that means central London. So you are about six and a half times more likely to be in collision with another vehicle as a cyclist than with a London Taxi in central London. I assume this is all collisions not taking away any that are the fault of the cyclist. Excuse my slight confusion, much as I would welcome better driving standards from the London taxi trade, surely your ire and dedication is slightly mis-aimed?

Less road casualties full stop surely, so don't we target the drink driver, the speeder and the downright careless (plus the uninsured, untaxed) because they are the ones that are causing the vast majority of death and injury on our roads and pavements regardless of if you are a pedestrain, driving a taxi or on a bike

Sorry still don't get your bus lane thing. You are of course allowed to undertake if your lane is moving quicker in built up traffic - it is one of the specific exceptions to the no undertaking rule. As for the main requirement of taxis in bus lanes towards cyclist - surely it is safe overtaking and giving good clearance? But hey I just drive in them, if there is something more important than that I stand corrected

 

[jmaccyd]

Which one doesn't matter. What does is that its been done.

With all due respect mate it does matter! You have stated that something has occured you need to provide the source for that - if not your statement can not be taken at face value.

 

[Origamist]

Is TLRN (Transport for London Route Network?) If so I assume that means central London. So you are about six and a half times more likely to be in collision with another vehicle as a cyclist than with a London Taxi in central London. I assume this is all collisions not taking away any that are the fault of the cyclist. Excuse my slight confusion, much as I would welcome better driving standards from the London taxi trade, surely your ire and dedication is slightly mis-aimed?

Evening, jmaccyd. Here's the TLRN network. As you can see red tentacles spread a considerable way:

http://londonroadsafety.tfl.gov.uk/engineering_tlrn_map.php

I have no ire toward the London taxi trade. What's more, I am not suggesting cabbies are skittling cyclists at a disproportionately high rate. However, I am keen to see an improvement in taxi driving standards (particularly) in bus lanes. IME, bus drivers are more considerate and patient than cabbies. I believe TFL's additional training for bus drivers and their focus on vulnerable road users has been effective. I would like to see this supplementary training for taxis too.

Less road casualties full stop surely, so don't we target the drink driver, the speeder and the downright careless (plus the uninsured, untaxed) because they are the ones that are causing the vast majority of death and injury on our roads and pavements regardless of if you are a pedestrain, driving a taxi or on a bike

Certainly - I have campaigned in these and other areas too. However, bus lanes are an important and popular part of integrated infrastructure for many cyclists and as such we should try to make this environment as friendly for cyclists (and potential cyclists) as is possible. We need to work on perceived safety as well as actual risk.

Sorry still don't get your bus lane thing. You are of course allowed to undertake if your lane is moving quicker in built up traffic - it is one of the specific exceptions to the no undertaking rule. As for the main requirement of taxis in bus lanes towards cyclist - surely it is safe overtaking and giving good clearance? But hey I just drive in them, if there is something more important than that I stand corrected

Exactly - this is what I was referring to when I mentioned boorish/intimidatory/impatient driving earlier in the thread! I thought you would know what I was talking about. Here a few examples:

• taxis tailgating cyclists in bus lanes
• persistently beeping the horn
• overtaking too closely
• deliberately blocking cyclists who wish to over or undertake etc
• not indicating when merging/cutting cyclists up
• driving too fast

 

[BentMikey]

I regularly get grief, once or twice a week, from taxis using the bus lane as a rat run on the A2 from the Bricklayers Arms roundabout to New Cross, where I live.

Luckily I have the confidence to hold the road when these cabs come charging down the bus lane expecting me to be intimidated out of their way.
Any tailgating or attempts to overtake when there is staionary traffic to our right, is met by my simply slowing down, not by much, but enough.

What is satisfying is when you get the chance to indicate and pull back into traffic deftly, leaving them with a parked car or bus in their way causing them to stop and have to be let back into the traffic!

I've noticed they can be a bit pushy through there. It's not on my normal route though.

 

[Molecule Man]

I regularly get grief, once or twice a week, from taxis using the bus lane as a rat run on the A2 from the Bricklayers Arms roundabout to New Cross, where I live.

Luckily I have the confidence to hold the road when these cabs come charging down the bus lane expecting me to be intimidated out of their way.
Any tailgating or attempts to overtake when there is staionary traffic to our right, is met by my simply slowing down, not by much, but enough.

What is satisfying is when you get the chance to indicate and pull back into traffic deftly, leaving them with a parked car or bus in their way causing them to stop and have to be let back into the traffic!

Me too, I've had them beeping their horn at me all the way from Tesco to PC World, when all the time there's been barely a car's length between me and the bus in front

 

[Bollo]

There's a danger here of tarring with a dirty great big brush. Black cabs are uniquely identifiable, so any bad experiences with a minority tend to get applied to all - just like those pesky cyclists.

Having said that, I'd love to post that cabbies are shining beacons of driving excellence but it just ain't so. On my corner, they're no worse than the general population, but no better either.

As usual though London is a place apart. Everything in London goes up to eleven.

While I'm on, do I remember a certain Origamist promising a mid-winter break from CC once his post count hit 2k? Mmmmmm?

 

[jmaccyd]

Evening, jmaccyd. Here's the TLRN network. As you can see red tentacles spread a considerable way:

http://londonroadsafety.tfl.gov.uk/engineering_tlrn_map.php

I have no ire toward the London taxi trade. What's more, I am not suggesting cabbies are skittling cyclists at a disproportionately high rate. However, I am keen to see an improvement in taxi driving standards (particularly) in bus lanes. IME, bus drivers are more considerate and patient than cabbies. I believe TFL's additional training for bus drivers and their focus on vulnerable road users has been effective. I would like to see this supplementary training for taxis too.

Evening - certainly thought there was more to agree about than disagree about reading deeper into our posts - a safer road environment for all. I don't know what training TFL have undertaken, and what affect it has had on not just casualties but on bus driver attitudes. Not quite sure what can be added to three years on a moped and an additional driving test. I would think that if someones attitude stinks to the extent of serious harrasment of a road user, than it isn't a training issue, but more of a proper discipline issue through an active PCO