BLACK CAB TRIAL: Taxi access set to be restored in Cheapside

In a positive development for taxi drivers, it has been announced that taxis will soon regain access to Cheapside in the City of London.

The news was disclosed by Paul Brennan, Chairman of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA), who expressed his optimism about this much-awaited change in the TAXI Newspaper.

According to Brennan, the reintroduction of taxis in Cheapside will initially be introduced as an experiment, allowing authorities to closely monitor any potential impact. In conjunction with this experiment, there will also be a consultation process to gather feedback and opinions from various stakeholders. City of London officers are currently working on preparing an experimental traffic order, with an estimated implementation in November.

The proposed changes to Cheapside come as a continuation of the inclusion of taxis in the Chancery Lane scheme earlier this year. Brennan revealed that he has been advocating for taxis' access throughout the City since taking over as Chairman of the LTDA, and this recent development signifies a step forward in their favour.

Brennan said: “In more positive news, taxis access looks set to be restored to Cheapside in the next few months. This will be introduced initially as an experiment so they can monitor any impact. There will also be a consultation that runs alongside this experiment. City of London officers are currently preparing the experimental traffic order. They estimate that it should be in place and go live at some point in November, with taxis then able to travel east/west along Cheapside between Poultry and New Change.

“These planned changes on Cheapside follow on from our inclusion in the Chancery Lane scheme earlier this year. I’ve been arguing for taxis access throughout the City since becoming Chairman of the LTDA, and with this latest move in our favour, it seems that things could be looking up.

“I always explain to officers and other decision makers across London that they should give us access to all roads and any traffic management schemes they introduce by default. Then if taxis are found to be causing any problems they could rethink it, but we all know it would be unlikely that there would be issues. Hopefully, this is a good first step in showing that we are not the problem and demonstrating that we should be given access all over the City.”