GHOST TOWN LONDON: Taxi Rep questions why the need for more closed roads in an already empty capital
Taxi industry representatives in the capital plan to work with businesses and other road surface associations in a bid to get the economy moving again and maintain important road access.
In a frank conversation with TaxiPoint, Grant Davis, Chairman of the London Cab Drivers Club (LCDC), talked of his concerns as more roads close in areas of London now seen as “ghost towns”.
Grant Davis said: “As the taxi trade in London tries to pick itself off the floor after COVID-19, the Mayor of London has taken it upon himself (with the help of local authorities) to implement a whole wave of road closures under the ‘Streetspace’ banner.
“Basically, what they have done in a nutshell is to implement the cyclists and green agenda into the capital a decade in advance.
“With the country’s economy in meltdown, for the Mayor to shut road access to taxis, vans and general transport at this time is no more than economic suicide. I have been in discussions with the Road Haulage Association on forming an alliance along with London businesses who can see the economic tsunami heading our way if we do not get back to work and allow businesses access to important roads.
“I have been in the square mile where it really is a ghost town, but they still insist on shutting down the roads... why?”
Davis continued: “As a licensed hackney driver in London, I really felt that the purpose built taxi we drive would have come into its own for passenger/driver safety, but alas with the onslaught of Private Hire (PH) numbers and the huge amount of PH app workers, I still saw many passengers just getting into cars with no masks on, the drivers having no masks on and found myself really at a loss as to why the public seemed to put price before their own safety?
“For the trade in London to have any chance of a recovery we need the whole of London's roads to be open again, but what people need to realise is that if the roads stay shut, it will not only be the taxi trade that suffers, but the whole London economy will wither and die before our very eyes.”