Topic ID 391
I wonder if it might be an idea if a group of people got together and started wandering up and down the taxi rank in Railway Street. I mean, the taxi drivers seem to have decided to turn the pedestrianised area in to their own taxi rank when there are plenty of spaces in Fore Street and Mill Bridge.
Reply ID 2951
Wait until Saturday night and then get a group of you to stand across the bit where they drive onto the pedestrianised area. Should be fun.
Reply ID 2952
Can i suggest that you phone the taxi licensing office for EHDC and complain about them. As action has to be taken if a complaint is lodged.
Reply ID 2953
GillP, this is exactly what I did and they told me there was nothing they could do. They are not responsible for enforcing traffic regulations apparently. I suggested there might be a clause in the licence about driving and parking responsibly but apparently there isn't.
Reply ID 2955
I assume a body titled the 'taxi licensing office' has a regular communication to either the individual drivers or some sort of governing organisations/s. In which case they should be able to at least issue recommendations to the drivers. To wash their hands of the matter is poor.
Reply ID 2959
http://www.eastherts.gov.uk/environ/taxi1.htm This has information about what the taxi licensing dept does. All councils have this dept, I know a fair bit about what they do as my Dad is a licensing officer in the north west. I was suprised though to find out that EHDC only have 1 officer wereas the council that my dad works for have 6.
Reply ID 2960
Apparently there was a meeting between EHDC and the taxi drivers on Friday and they were warned that if they park in Bircherley Green they risk prosecution by the police. Clearly the drivers response is of the two-fingered variety. Maybe things will change once then council wardens hit the streets in January.
Reply ID 2962
Green Street, now part of Bircherley Green or that part in front of the gates is a loading area only. So taxi drivers will find fixed penalty notices being issued if they continue to stack up there. Presumably so will all those people who park there Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Sundays. Hertford will soon become rich pickings for the lucky company to have won the right to oversee parking. But I ask myself who would want to be a traffic warden in January.
Reply ID 2968
Who would want to be a traffic warden in January? If they were paid on the number of (correctly) issued tickets, there would be plenty of takers.
Reply ID 3021
I telephoned one of the taxi companies to complain about their taxis in Bicherley Green and their response was "well where do you want us to park then?". When I explained that there were other taxi ranks in Hertford and that they were parked illegally, they hung up on me.
Reply ID 3022
You need to complain to the Taxi Licencing Office at EHDC - Complaining to the Taxi company will only result in the kind of response you got.
Reply ID 3023
I like your approach. Which company was it?
Reply ID 3029
EHDC taxi licensing office will do nothing about taxis using spaces other than their designated rank. They told me this is a police matter and nothing to do with them. Isn't it heartwarming to note this helpful 'can-do' attitude from the public servants whose wages we pay. If you want some fun and games, try approaching the taxi drivers yourself but if you don't fancy a festive exchange of verbal abuse with tattooed half-wits, just ring Herts constabulary on their non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222 and they usually come and clear the offending vehicles within half an hour or so.
Reply ID 3030
I notice that one of the conditions of the Hackney Carriage licence is: "When plying for hire and not actually hired, go to a Hackney Carriage Stand. If the stand is full, the driver must not join the end of the queue and part in contravention of any 'no waiting' restrictions." If drivers are contravening this condition then surely EHDC have a right to withdraw their licence. http://www.eastherts.gov.uk/environ/taxid6.htm
Reply ID 3319
I go into the town about roughly twice a day, and the cab driver are a nightmare! I swear they are going to knock someone down soon. I saw an old boy get shouted at to move by a taxi that wanted to park up on the curb. The worst abuse is Saturday night outside Baroosh. They have just decided to block an ENTIRE lane of traffic, and still the police do nothing about it. No wonder police respect is dropping so much. Car wise, the town is just a joke. I just hope the traffic wardens don't *****foot around and clamp every ignorant driver, day and night.
Reply ID 3332
Two weeks ago. Waiting in my car at the roundabout outside the Haig pub, unable to turn right as the roundabout in front of me as I would have blocked the roundabout. Spotted the cab driver in the car behind me shouting at me and making gestures. Obviously he wanted me to block the junction just so he could turn left.
Reply ID 3445
And our council do what?
Reply ID 3447
Anybody else think taxis in Hertford are very expensive?
Reply ID 3448
Horrendously expensive....no wonder there are so many of them...might pop down the office and get my self a licence....
Reply ID 3469
I got stung for a fiver from HE station to just past HN a while ago. When i said i thought it a bit toppy the driver got all stroppy. one line i remember him using was,"It's at least 3 miles so £5 is cheap". !!
Reply ID 3475
Since when has it been 3 miles from HE to HN ?? The town must have grown considerably since I last looked!!! I can remember having trouble getting a bus pass when I was at scool as it was only just 3 miles from Bengeo to Presdales so the Staions must have moved!
Reply ID 3476
Carlos, did the taxi not have a meter?
Reply ID 3477
I hear that the wardens have come out early and already slapped zillions of vehicles with tickets so hopefully they will be taking heed - at least in the daytime when the wardens are about. [^][^]
Reply ID 3479
yes, was aware of that one, simply making a statement to the taxis [;)][:D] mind you I think it is probably in the evening when they're at their most dangerous because of the few drinks people have had, if the taxis are in a pedestrian area or parked badly they're bound to cause accidents
Reply ID 3480
Yes Steve it did...that's how i knew to get out as i only has a fiver on me. I was a bit Tiddly so wasn't going to argue but a cab from Broxbourne only cost £13 last time i did it.
Reply ID 3482
I was going to get a cab back from Panshanger tonight. Sounds like I'll have to sell a kidney first.
Reply ID 3483
Panshanger? - I don't go the other side of the river mate!
Reply ID 3487
quote:I tried to get a cab back from WGC at 4am (don't ask) There are only 2 24 hour taxi firms in WGC and both of them appear to be one man and his mobile. One was at Luton Airport, and the other was not answering his phone.[:(!] Looking at the EHDC website Hertford and Ware ain't much better.
Originally posted by Spotty Dog
Panshanger? - I don't go the other side of the river mate!
Reply ID 3490
Suppose it's only 6 miles. I could walk it in a couple of hours.
Reply ID 3491
quote:If it wasn't 4 in the morning I would have done the same
Originally posted by Ewoowar
Suppose it's only 6 miles. I could walk it in a couple of hours.
Reply ID 3492
quote:That's the spirit! You get fresh air, keep your Kidney, and the cabbies will have to start slashing prices to try and win business back - everyone's a winner! Wrap up warm though - it's supposed to be cold tonight [;)]
Originally posted by Ewoowar
Suppose it's only 6 miles. I could walk it in a couple of hours.
Reply ID 3495
Okay - so who wants to hazard a guess at how much for the 5.7 miles back from Panshanger golf club to Hertford.
Reply ID 3508
We went to Hatfield House just before Christmas which was £30 return so I'll hazard a guess at £14.
Reply ID 3509
quote:Yowza! Are you a cabbie? £13.60.
Originally posted by JohnSmith
We went to Hatfield House just before Christmas which was £30 return so I'll hazard a guess at £14.
Reply ID 3510
As Alan Partridge would say "Back of the net!" £14 with a tip [;)]
Reply ID 3516
In my yoof I walked from Hertford to Hoddesdon a couple of times. Always made sure I had a kebab to keep me going.
Reply ID 3517
cost me 12 quid yesterday from ware to bengeo - rip off!!! would have walked, but i walked there and couldn't face it!
Reply ID 3519
Assuming cab fares are set by the council (and metered in the car) does the council take a cut?
Reply ID 3521
quote:THe council doenst take a cut from the fares. They do approve each taxi companies tariff. If you feel that you have been over charged get the taxis number (on the plate on the back) and ring the licencing officer as he will be able to check the distance and how much you paid.
Originally posted by carlos fandango
Assuming cab fares are set by the council (and metered in the car) does the council take a cut?
Reply ID 3523
I thought the fares were set by the council and therefore every company would be the same.
Reply ID 3538
quote:I will check with my dad, he is a licensing officer up north
Originally posted by Ewoowar
I thought the fares were set by the council and therefore every company would be the same.
Reply ID 3542
That's what I was told by cabbies and cab offices in the past when I rang up to ask for a quote. What they should have said was, "on exiting from the vehicle please ensure you leave 1 arm, 1 leg, the shirt off your back and, if possible, your faith in human nature".
Reply ID 3650
When walking home from Tescos with heavy shopping, I walk past the rank in Railway Street. I have to walk through the gaggle of drivers that congregate on the pavement. Any thoughts I may have had about getting a short ride home with the shopping quickly disappear when they start heckling me about why I'm not getting a taxi!! If I was of a more fragile disposition, I could find that intimidating...
Reply ID 3684
Went out with the missus last night. Decided it was too cold to walk home and got a taxi from Mill Bridge. 1.3 miles according to Multimap. That'll be five of your English pounds, sir. £3.85/mile seems a good crack. Considering taking it up myself.
Reply ID 3687
A work colleague of mine a couple of years ago (who earned a reasonable wage in I.T.) supplemented his income by cabbing in Hertford. We used to joke that it was the other way round.
Reply ID 3704
By the time you have tipped, it gets towards £15 for a cab between Hertford and Ware now. Its become silly.
Reply ID 3727
Score today: Taxis 4, Wardens 0. Taxis(4) parked where they shouldn't be. Warden(1) issues nil tickets.
Reply ID 3732
Interesting. Do they get special dispensation? Or are they too intimidating for the poor old wardens?
Reply ID 3734
Interesting tale told to me last week. Wardens instructed taxi drivers that when plying for hire they should be sitting inside their cars and not standing around drinking tea. Some kind of ice cream war going on here I think.
Reply ID 3879
I was in town saturday lunch time, and the cabbies seemed very well behaved! .
Reply ID 5643
A question to those in the know, all they allowed to sit on there taxi rank with there engines running? Just considering how many taxi ranks there must be and how many taxi's sit there poluting the air!! Just a thought.
Reply ID 5678
i agree.. they do all sit there, poluting the air and stand around drinking tea - but.. u know where to go to get a taxi, Hertford doesnt have a taxi rank -does it??
Reply ID 5680
Hertford does, I believe, have areas allocated for taxis..............are these taxis 'ranks'?
Reply ID 5681
Yes, I believe those areas in Fore Street (outside the Natwest), Railway Street (outside Halfords), Mill Bridge (outside the Woolpack), etc marked up on the road with the word "TAXIS" are designated waiting areas for taxis in Hertford [;)]
Reply ID 5684
I am confused. Is the one in Railway Street (outside Halfords) not one in the same as Birchley Green, isn't it just the overspill that makes it appear to be Birchley Green?
Reply ID 5686
There is no Bircherly Green taxi rank. The Bircherly Green "taxi rank" is taxi drivers parking illegally.
Reply ID 6121
Had a complaint from a taxi driver yesterday that they are now collecting penalty tickets for parking/waiting/stacking in Railway Street by Birthdays and in Bircherley Green. They now have to cruise around town looking for parking and waiting for a spare space at the rank. Just thought I'd let you know.
Reply ID 6126
So, you're saying that the taxi drivers are complaining about being punished for illegal parking? Do they think they're above the law or have some special dispensation? They also frequently obstruct the dropping off point outside Hertford North station. They're a law unto themselves.
Reply ID 6142
Crusing means more petrol, more fumes and I suppose the fare's will reflect that to pay for their fuel. It's quite a worry that so many people want to escape the town and we need that many taxi's unless they are used to take the unruly one's away on a Friday and Saturday night, then they so have a little bit of my sympathy [:)]
Reply ID 6160
Taxi Ranks do not have to be in the most accessible places. They are functional, like a bus station. If people need a taxi they would be willing to walk a short distance to find one. My suggestion is to open make some more obscure areas taxi ranks for evenings/late night customers. For example, what about the access road by the multi storey or part of the bus station.
Reply ID 6163
But isn't the Bus Station Birchley Green, that was the reply when I assumed it was the overspill near Birthdays/Thorntons ?
Reply ID 6166
The Bus Station is at the Eastern end of the Birchley Green shopping centre. Taxis are parking illegally in the pedestrianised part between Birthdays, Pearces the Bakers and Toni & Guys.
Reply ID 6167
Thanks for that - that's where I originally thought but was informed it was not there but at the Bus Station - my Sanity has returned (well a little bit of it)