Taxi drivers frustrated as rank space BLOCKED by fleet of pedicabs outside busy West End theatre
London taxi drivers are finding more vital taxi rank spaces BLOCKED by pedicabs in the capital’s busy West End.
One taxi driver shared an image of at least FOUR pedicabs lined up on a highly used taxi rank outside the Novello Theatre situated on Catherine Street.
The driver, Gavin Hay, said: “ Can’t gets the Novello Theatre rank again. Every night!”
Pedicabs blocking a taxi rank can cause disruption by preventing taxis from using the ranks. In London, for example, Transport for London (TfL) do sometimes deploy a range of covert and high visibility tactics to deter, disrupt, and enforce against illegal and non-compliant drivers, vehicles and operators.
It also forces passengers into the active road space to access taxi services who have no curb space to safely set down.
Westminster City Council have actively been looking to crack down on pedicabs. They recently launched their first pedicab enforcement operation of 2023 with a renewed focus on educating pedicab riders as well as preventing noise nuisance.
This was followed by eight successful court prosecutions regarding offences from the end of last year. The prosecutions wracked up nearly £5,000 in fines and costs for those found guilty.
