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05
Feb
Cabbies infuriated by ‘pedantic’ parking wardens in Ripon
Ripon cabbies have expressed anger at the way they are being treated during the ongoing city centre roadworks.
The Market Place taxi rank has been temporarily relocated for the second phase of a £630,000 road resurfacing scheme.
The number of spaces has reduced from the usual 15 outside Sainsbury’s to just four outside the new location outside Boots on the opposite side of the market.
Cabbie Richard Fieldman said parking wardens initially allowed taxis to park in nearby spaces because it was impossible for them all to fit into the allocated area.
But he said their approach has changed and they are now threatening to issue tickets to taxis that can’t fit into the small amount of space outside Boots and attempt to park nearby.
In an email to the council, seen by the Stray Ferret, Mr Fieldman wrote:
The ongoing roadworks and lack of taxi rank space given by North Yorkshire Council is infuriating drivers, as parking services are threatening to ticket drivers that park beyond the only four spaces given, to accommodate 15 taxis trying to service the public, elderly and vulnerable as well as trying to make a living.
Parking services are forcing taxis to drive off, making them drive round and round Ripon, causing unnecessary traffic and added emissions.
Mr Fieldman said taxi drivers agree to relocate to a much smaller area on the basis that they would be allowed to use other spaces but added:
Now that parking services are being so pedantic, this situation is no longer working. The fact that we were parking further along that side on the market square, so as not to cause issues on the road, was not harming anyone, and threatening tickets is just being pig-headed.
This is more than an inconvenience for us, it's actually stopping us from working, and supplying a service to the elderly and members of the public by being made to drive off. To supply us with just 4 spaces for around 15 cars is unacceptable.
‘Outrageous and appalling’
Councillor Barbara Brodigan, a Liberal Democrat who represents Ripon Ure Bank and Spa division on the council, backed the cabbies and said she had asked the council's assistant director for highways and transportation and parking services to sort things out.
Cllr Brodigan said:
This is a ridiculous situation as both parking services and highways are in the same directorate so there is no reason why a suitable arrangement cannot be made. Taxis did park on the lower Market Place during stage one of the market works before Christmas, this worked perfectly well. At the moment we have a situation where taxis are driving around the city while waiting for a spare place on the taxi stand, contributing to further congestion in the city’s narrow streets.
There are only four places on the stand at the moment and the taxi drivers have been patient and accommodating during the works — moving to the Sainsbury’s car park on market days. People frequently complain to the council that they can never get a taxi and here we have a situation that restricts the number of taxis available in the city. Appalling.
The roadworks have impacted on their taxis drivers business and now they are being threatened with parking tickets. It is outrageous.
Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire Council.
'No changes to the original arrangement'
We asked the council to respond to the concerns raised.
Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s Conservative executive member for highways and transport, said:
We have been working hard to support our taxi trade during the essential works in Ripon Market Place. Before the work started, we liaised with drivers to agree the best place to relocate the taxi rank.
There have been no changes to the original arrangement. The position of the rank was chosen to ensure that the vehicles are safely away from the works and that the road remains open.
We have been using four parking bays in the car park next to the Market Place every day except on market days. On these days, the taxis are relocated to the car park at the rear of the Sainsbury’s store.
We appreciate the inconvenience that the works are having on the taxi trade. However, the scheme will deliver vital improvements for the road around the Market Place which will benefit all road users for years to come. In the meantime, we would like to thank the public for their patience.
Market Place East and Duck Hill are expected to reopen at the weekend as the resurfacing is ahead of schedule.
This will enable the taxi rank to return to its usual location on the east side of Market Square and the temporary bus stop on Fishergate will be removed.
The works will then transfer to Market Place South where the excavations are already completed and then Market Place West from Monday February 10.
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