Sections 20-39
1 NOVEMBER 2005
20. You have presented a report on pedicabs
or cycle rickshaws to Westminster City Council's Transport Committee?
(Mr Low) I have,
yes.
21. You have been involved personally with
the discussions with the London Pedicab Operators Association
and Licensed Taxi Drivers Association?
(Mr Low) Yes, with
Mr Graham Rivett and Bob Oddy, yes.
22. Now, just setting the policy matrix to
how we arrive here, am I right in saying there is no formal policy
in your council area on pedicabs?
(Mr Low) That is
correct. The Council's Transport and Infrastructure Overview and
Scrutiny Committee considered the issue back when it met on 15
October 2003. I think it is fair to say the Committee had serious
concerns about the numbers of pedicabs that were operating in
the City of Westminster. There was particular concern at the time
about the lack of appropriate legislation to tackle the issue
and the Committee, in particular, were very concerned about public
liability insurance issues which is not the subject of this Bill.
We are really dealing with registration in this Bill. Licensing
would be another matter that could be pursued elsewhere. I think
the real issue is about the ability of the City Council as highway
and traffic authority to maintain a safe, efficient road network
and probably also built upon the recent Traffic Management Act
2004 with the network management duty that we have. Later on in
the bundle of papers that is before you, you will see some photographs
that will illustrate some of the issues. For us, I suppose in
summary, it is really about making sure that we have a proper
system in place so we can ensure the safe passage and movement
of pedestrians and other vehicles.
23. With the emphasis on that concept of safe
passage, is there in broad terms (we will even dissent to detail)
a process of national targets developed by Government and Mayor
of London targets as to accidents?
(Mr Low) Yes, there
is.
24. It is in which direction?
(Mr Low) Seeking
a reduction in the numbers of people killed or seriously injured
in road accidents, a 40 per cent reduction in particular. A 50
per cent reduction in the number of children killed or seriously
injured.
25. Let us go to problems caused by pedicabs
and summarise them and then we will go to the photographs to give
illustration, please. So just summarise the concerns.
(Mr Low) I think
the first concern is really in terms of safety, security and insurance
which I touched upon earlier. We have been very concerned as a
city council. We have a million people that visit the City of
Westminster every day, either they live, work or visit and we
are very concerned about their personal security and safety. We
were very keen to see legislation to tackle the private hire vehicles,
see the rickshaws as an extension of pedicabs legislation as an
extension of that concept, so when someone does get into a pedicab,
they do so knowing that it is a known vehicle and can be readily
identifiable. That is a very important point. The other issues
in outline are the need to use our scarce kerbside space very
effectively. The City Council has a comprehensive review of all
of the parking controls on every street in the City of Westminster.
It does it through a cycle. It looks very carefully at the competing,
conflicting demands and needs and it is very important that when
we have allocated that road space that it is available for use
by those prescribed vehicles. The difficulty we have at the moment
is that we have pedicabs that will park and obstruct access to
some of that kerbside space causing a nuisance and danger in particular.
There are some photographs later in the bundle that illustrate
some of those points.
26. Let us go to the bundle and make the points
that you have with the photographs, please, and tab one is the
first set of photographs and we have there Planet Hollywood. Just
explain what it is that the Committee has by way of offending
behaviour.
(Mr Low) Perhaps,
illustrating the point about the use of kerbside space, in that
particular shot to the left you can see a licensed taxi which
is actually stopped in a taxi rank, a set of kerbside space has
been set aside specifically for that purpose. Then, we have got
double yellow lines which prevent waiting at any time. That is
to ensure that that junction can perform effectively and avoid
obstruction of pedestrians. In the picture you can see a pedicab
coloured red and that is obviously parked in a position that would
cause a nuisance to pedestrians, and could mask a sight line for
a pedestrian who was waiting to cross the road. And it is generally
causing an obstruction because it is in the path of vehicles that
would be turning left into the side street before you. Another
example on page 2 would be where it is quite common practice for
pedicabs, when they are waiting for customers, to pull up on to
the footway area and that causes a nuisance. You can see in that
particular shot that one vehicle to the left is obstructing a
pedestrian dropped kerb across the side-street, and taking up
valuable kerbside space. At some of the theatres they are causing
a real problem and nuisance because they are not only flouting
the double yellow line at any time waiting restrictions, but they
get in the way of emergency exits from theatres.
27. Number 3?
(Mr Low) I think
that is a further illustration of a similar point really, that
there are quite large numbers of them that can congregate and
cause quite a significant barrier to pedestrians. Number 4, you
see two pedicabs. The one to the right actually has passengers
in it and, strictly speaking, that is not necessarily an offence.
28. Is that four or three that you have?
(Mr Low) That is
number 4.
29. That is the corner of Oakhampton Street
and Frith Street?
(Mr Low) Yes.
30. CHAIRMAN: Ours are out of order.
(Mr Low) The shot
that I am looking at has a black taxi registration P542 SYF.
31. Ours are completely out of order.
(Mr Low) As I describe
them I will show them to you. The pedicab to the right has two
passengers in it. Any vehicle of any class is allowed to stop
alongside a set of double yellow lines to allow passengers to
board or alight. So the activity to the right could in fact be
quite a legitimate activity. The activity to the left, however,
involves the pedicab waiting in contravention of at any time waiting
restrictions.
32. MR CLARKSON: In what direction is
the traffic allowed to travel?
(Mr Low) In that
section of the street it is two ways but further along the street
there is a section of one-way working. It is not uncommon to see
vehicles disobeying one-way streets and putting themselves and
other road users at risk, and particularly in some of the congested
streets in the West End and Soho, when pedestrians would not be
looking in the opposing flow, so that can cause a problem for
them as well. Another example is outside Café Nero.
33. Please hold it up so that Mr Smallwood
can see as well, please.
(Mr Low) This is
an example where a pedicab has been abandoned in the middle of
the carriageway. The riders sometimes congregate to get a coffee
for refreshment and leave it out in the street. If it is not on
the footway it is left in the carriageway, as in this case. The
next shot is number 6, which is Old Compton Street with its junction
with Frith Street.
34. CHAIRMAN: That is our number 5.
(Mr Low) The next
shot is on the Strand. The "Get on board for Trade Justice"
is the slogan.
35. MR CLARKSON: Which is shown in the
introduction sheet as Northumberland Avenue but it is not, it
is the Strand just behind the South African Embassy.
(Mr Low) I actually
saw that vehicle turning left from Trafalgar Square into the Strand
and then riding up. No passengers were on board, just two individuals
that were connected to Bugbugs. It is quite a good shot actually
because it shows an attempt by one of the operators to identify
the vehicle and you can see at the foot of the vehicle the words
"Bug 65". I have to say that Graham Rivett from the
London Pedicab Operators Association has been extremely helpful
and cooperative and he wants to try to get the trade into working
in a better manner. They send people out at night to see some
of the behaviour when pedicab drivers are flouting the regulations
and they use the registration system that they have to try to
take some informal action. The big problem for us is that it is
a voluntary organisation and some of the pedicab operators refuse
to join it. Really we want to be in a position where we can effectively
take control ourselves, be in a position to issue a penalty charge
notice if they are contravening the parking restrictions, or using
some of the new powers that will have come into operation on 21
November of this year, which will allow us to enforce some of
the moving traffic offences. So, for example, if a pedicab driver
were to go in the opposite direction along a one-way street or
to contravene a no-entry sign, putting himself and others at risk,
in the future we would be able to issue a penalty charge notice
against that vehicle. But in order to do that we need to have
a proper registration system, which is what the Bill is about.
36. Coming out of the Woman in White
at the Palace Theatre, what would I see if I did? That is number
8 in the Committee's bundle.
(Mr Low) You would
see lots of pedicabs waiting for customers and generally getting
in the way. And a similar shot at number 9.
37. There is a rather dark shot at number 10,
with a pedicab on a pedestrian crossing or a yellow box?
(Mr Low) Yes, it
is actually beyond the pedestrian crossing at that point; it is
actually encroaching on the yellow box marking.
38. Next we go to an A4 photograph at number
11.
(Mr Low) That is
giving an illustration where, in congregating waiting for passengers,
it has obstructed the bus lane and forces the bus out into the
general traffic lane.
39. The Dominion Theatre at 12.
(Mr Low) Yes. The
point here is that you can see some of the large crowds that come
out from the theatres and they are faced with a barrier of pedicabs,
which causes a lot of nuisance. If there were to be an incident
there it could actually delay some of the emergency services from
getting ready access to the theatre.
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