A petition in the following terms has been received.  At the time of agenda publication the petition contained 65 signatures of Watford residents.

Statement:

“Watford Taxi Drivers and WHCDA petition against the relocation of taxi ranks from the High Street to Wellstones and Palace Theatre”

A petition had been received which, at the time of publication of the agenda, had 65 signatures of Watford residents.  Mr Ali attended the meeting to present the petition. The Mayor welcomed Mr Ali to the meeting. 

Mr Ali gave apologies from Mr Shafiq Ahmed, the lead petitioner.  Mr Ali explained he was part of the Watford Hackney Carriage Drivers Association.   With regards to the proposed Wellstones rank there were some concerns as it was a service road and not a main road.  It was out of public view and currently used for vans.  At peak times it could take 15-20 minutes to get onto Market Street then more time to get to the lights on Market Street which only let 2-3 cars through.  There was also anti-social behaviour in Wellstones. 

Mr Ali explained that Mr Ahmed had had various meetings with the Transport and Infrastructure Section Head and had proposed other ranks and other places which could be looked into but nothing was agreed.  The only rank presently was outside Iceland and could accommodate 6-8 cars.  At night there was a police patrol but other companies came through such as minicabs and Uber drivers. 

When taxi drivers were dropping off passengers in the High Street there was no safe spot, and they were often moved on by traffic wardens.  There had been a working rank outside intu but this was taken away along with the police putting a bollard up outside Oceana which meant the area outside Gade Car Park was restricted.  There were 304 taxis in Watford, but only 25 car ranking places in the whole of Watford.  Mr Ali made reference to St Albans and Borehamwood where taxi ranks were visible on the High Street. 

An assault on a taxi driver had recently happened outside the Palace Theatre but the police were unable to identify the offender from the CCTV.  Taxi drivers had spoken to their customers regarding the proposed changes and all of them disagreed, with their main concern being public safety. 

It had taken a long time to establish the rank outside the Entertainer and this was now being taken away.  Taxi drivers wanted a visible and suitable alternative rank.  Uber were touting for business but they did not follow the by-laws and had no road knowledge. Mr Ali also felt that traffic wardens were treating Uber drivers differently to Hackney Carriage drivers and allowing them more drop off time.  There was also a safety issue when taxis reached the town centre that there was nowhere which had dropped or raised bays for disabled people.  Drivers wanted a permanent rank for the next 10 years.

The Mayor thanked Mr Ali and commented that if alternative places for taxi ranks had been suggested then this should have been followed up and reasons given if they were not suitable.  The Mayor said a formal written reply to the petition would be produced and asked the officers to investigate the concerns raised.  The Mayor continued that with regards to Wellstones the whole area would be cleared up and CCTV cameras would be installed.

Councillor Sharpe continued that the move of the taxi rank to Wellstones was part of the wider context of making the High Street a more attractive environment as well as making it  safer and more pedestrian friendly.  The improvements would attract more visitors and hopefully provide more custom for the taxis and buses.  The Wellstones location was close to the High Street and there would be signage to direct people and an indicator to show when there was a taxi available. 

Councillor Sharpe explained that, in addition to the above improvements, the part time taxi feeder rank in Church Street would be converted to a full time rank and the loading bays in Kings Street would become evening ranks.  Therefore there would be a net increase in the number of taxi ranks in the High Street.  In addition, the intu centre would be introducing a taxi call system.  However, there was always a dilemma in managing conflicting uses of an area and the council wanted to find a way to ensure people had close access to a taxi but not having cars drive through the High Street.

The Mayor commented that much of the traffic driving on the High Street presently was illegal and when the redevelopment was completed there would not be the same amount of traffic. This would alleviate the concerns raised regarding getting out of Wellstones and onto Market Street.  The Mayor stated there would be a review of the rank after three months and again after six months. 

The Managing Director suggested a communication to all drivers regarding the three and six month review and to agree with the drivers when the review took place what would be looked for in order to deem it a success.

The Mayor thanked Mr Ali for attending and raising his concerns.