Addison Lee - Shall We All Start Driving in Bus Lanes?
Discussion
Full Story as reported: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-177224...
A minicab company has asked its drivers to drive in the bus lanes in London, so ignoring the restrictions.
So why don't we all imagine that they're about to be rationed and just all drive in them? (there are plenty the do in various towns as far as I can see.)
A minicab company has asked its drivers to drive in the bus lanes in London, so ignoring the restrictions.
So why don't we all imagine that they're about to be rationed and just all drive in them? (there are plenty the do in various towns as far as I can see.)
K12beano said:
So why don't we all imagine that they're about to be rationed and just all drive in them?
Because most of us don't have someone else saying that they will pick up the tab on the fines.Years ago I quite liked the challenge of driving in London. These days I intensely dislike driving there. Once you have got over the Congestion Charge, which I will live with, you then have 10,001 cameras and so forth set in places designed to collect the maximum revenue from the unwary. Want to turn left? Don't you dare pull into that lane until the last 5 metres as it's still a bus lane! Want to go to the right? Sorry sir, buses and taxis only, you'll have to go another 300 metres before you can and then that will leave you with a no right turn so another 200 metres before you can turn back on yourself, but be careful as you might suddenly find yourself on a one way road.
Hateful place to drive these days. Although I still will from time to time, if only to annoy those that are trying to stop it altogether.
Registered minicabs don’t have to pay the Congestion Charge. It seems as if half the cars in London are now fraudulently registered as minicabs just to avoid the Congestion Charge. The exact numbers are unknown, but given the number I see with a ‘licenced minicab’ sticker in the window, but no radio aerial or passengers it’s very widespread.
TfL have previously investigated unlikely vehicles like supercars or pickup trucks being registered as minicabs. Given that you can save £1500 PA and no proof that you are using the vehicle as a minicab is required it is hardly surprising.
Permitting minicabs to use the bus lanes would also permit any private car which has been fraudulently registered as a minicab into the bus lanes. It would effectively abolish all bus lanes.
This would make the buses less reliable and drive more people back onto the roads. Parking would become even more expensive and difficult to find.
This would further encourage further fraudulent registration of private cars as minicabs, reducing the revenue generated by the Congestion Charge. This shortfall would have to be made up by increased taxation and public transport fares.
If public transport became less reliable then commuters would be forced to leave home earlier, impacting family life and increasing childcare problems for many. Businesses would suffer losses due to poorer timekeeping by staff delayed by unpredictable commuting times. Stress levels would go up for all.
As such the small benefit to minicabs and fraudsters would be far outweighed by negative impact on the rest of us.
TfL have previously investigated unlikely vehicles like supercars or pickup trucks being registered as minicabs. Given that you can save £1500 PA and no proof that you are using the vehicle as a minicab is required it is hardly surprising.
Permitting minicabs to use the bus lanes would also permit any private car which has been fraudulently registered as a minicab into the bus lanes. It would effectively abolish all bus lanes.
This would make the buses less reliable and drive more people back onto the roads. Parking would become even more expensive and difficult to find.
This would further encourage further fraudulent registration of private cars as minicabs, reducing the revenue generated by the Congestion Charge. This shortfall would have to be made up by increased taxation and public transport fares.
If public transport became less reliable then commuters would be forced to leave home earlier, impacting family life and increasing childcare problems for many. Businesses would suffer losses due to poorer timekeeping by staff delayed by unpredictable commuting times. Stress levels would go up for all.
As such the small benefit to minicabs and fraudsters would be far outweighed by negative impact on the rest of us.
uk66fastback said:
Uncle Fester said:
Loads.
How have you escalated taxis using bus lanes into major stress and panic for everyone else - including family breakdowns? 
And do you have an accurate no. for fraudulently registed previate cars (as minicabs)?
rand hobart said:
Ask anybody who rides a bicycle or motorbike in London about Addison Lee drivers. They are famous for being sh!t and dangerously sh!t at that. The last place they should be is in the bus lane. I hope the authorities hammer them.
Second that. They are the most dangerous group of vehicles on the road in London. If you are on 2 wheels then keep well clearSurely the way to sort people fraudulently having their cars registered as minicabs is to cross reference the insurance database with the registration plates of registered minicabs.
If one has a private hire sticker in their window but not private hire insurance then throw the book at them.
I suspect that the having to pay for private hire insurance would make the benefits of such fraud less appealing.
If one has a private hire sticker in their window but not private hire insurance then throw the book at them.
I suspect that the having to pay for private hire insurance would make the benefits of such fraud less appealing.
rand hobart said:
Ask anybody who rides a bicycle or motorbike in London about Addison Lee drivers. They are famous for being sh!t and dangerously sh!t at that. The last place they should be is in the bus lane. I hope the authorities hammer them.
here here.If I didn't use the bus lane on my motorbike myself, i would have suggested this to be the safest place for Addison Lee drivers.
The one thing that always worries me about AL drivers is what they are looking at, because it never seems to be the road in front of them or what is around them. Could any of these drivers find there way out of a paper bag without a satnav?
Another concern is, should I find myself in a position where I get knocked off my bike by them, would any of the drivers actually be able to communicate with me?
rand hobart said:
Ask anybody who rides a bicycle or motorbike in London about Addison Lee drivers. They are famous for being sh!t and dangerously sh!t at that. The last place they should be is in the bus lane. I hope the authorities hammer them.
To be honest, I cycle every day across zone one and into zone two in all weathers, and have never had a problem with an Addison Lee driver. Appreciate I may just be lucky, but Addison Lee seems to be the new Audi- "they're all driven by cocks" etc. In my experience, black cabs are much worse- just because they've passed the knowledge doesn't mean they're good drivers
suk66fastback said:
Uncle Fester said:
Loads.
How have you escalated taxis using bus lanes into major stress and panic for everyone else - including family breakdowns? And do you have an accurate no. for fraudulently registed previate cars (as minicabs)?
In some areas it seems like cars with minicab stickers are in equal numbers with those without.
Given that all these cars would be able to use the bus lanes in addition to genuine minicabs it would produce the results I suggested.
Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff