Taxi drivers to block traffic in London.

Dave Plowman wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
When a cab has a fare, everyone else gets in their way. When they're
looking for a fare they get in everyone else's way.

When a black cab is picking up a fare it seems the rules of the road no
longer apply. They do u-turns anywhere , stop anywhere including
halfway across junctions, in the middle of the road with traffic behind,
you name it. It might only be a minority or them who are crap drivers
but its a significant minority.

There are certainly a few that give them a very bad reputation.
One the other day stopped to drop off a fare between a traffic light
bollard and the pavement - completely blocking that side of the road. A
few yards before or after wouldn't have been a problem. And of course the
punter took ages to pay. They should have their licence suspended for a
week for each of those totally selfish actions.

What should they do?

Take the punter to a different spot that isn't in your way?

Let him off the fare if he takes a little too long in paying for your liking?

Zimmy wrote:

"Mrcheerful" wrote in message
news:OtpNn.28301$Az1.13535@hurricane...
Zimmy wrote:
"Adrian" wrote in message
...
Doug gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:

Happening this afternoon and mentioned on BBC London TV.

So how, in terms of effect, does this differ from Critical Mass?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/10211958.stm

Apart from them having announced the route they'll follow, and having
liased with the police, you mean?

I noticed that one of their demands is "Allow black cab drivers to
stop to use toilets"
WTF? Does someone prevent them from going to the toilet?

Z

it can cost many pounds to pay to park while you use a public loo,
which are few and far in London

Ah, so what it should say is "Allow black cab drivers special immunity
from parking restrictions"

They do already have limited parking immunity in the form of cab-ranks and
privileged parking at cab-shelters (those green huts which serve up grup for
cabbies).

But its the same problem for all other drivers who need the toilet.

That isn't obvious. Not many car drivers spend a whole working day driving in
Central London, seldom venturing out even as far as "inner" London.

Dave Plowman wrote:
In article qfrNn.29288$Az1.11061@hurricane,
Mrcheerful wrote:
Dave Plowman wrote:
In article ,
Adrian wrote:
Dave Plowman gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:
What do bus drivers do? Seems to me they have more of a problem than
taxis.
Less, I'd have thought - they have set routes and set stopping
points/ times.
But they can hardly drive to the nearest loo if caught short - unlike
a cab.

they usually go back to the depot on a regular basis, black cabs don't
usually have a depot

A black cab doesn't follow a route or a timetable. And the drivers are all
- or mostly - self employed so what they do in terms of breaks is up to
them.

They are all self-employed.

There is no employment-and-wages model that would work.

On 4 June, 09:53, NM wrote:
On 4 June, 08:13, Doug wrote:

The place was decided many years ago, probably by a 'consensus' of
anarchists.

Can such a thing happen?

Yes.

If initially they were anarchists the moment
there was consensus they would cease to be anarchists and become the
founding commitee of critical mass.

Nope. Why is it nobody seems to understand the multi-faceted concept
of anarchy around here?

Duh! Anarchists can communicate with each other and reach agreements.
Why not? Also have you ever heard of a 'call-out' from an individual,
where others may individually decide to attend?

I made a call-out once but only the police turned up and they looked
at me rather suspiciously.

--
Critical Mass London
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk
Drivers ram cyclists because they can.

"JNugent" wrote in message
...
Dave Plowman wrote:

A black cab doesn't follow a route or a timetable. And the drivers are
all
- or mostly - self employed so what they do in terms of breaks is up to
them.

They are all self-employed.

There is no employment-and-wages model that would work.

What's wrong with "x" hours per day at "n" pounds per hour? It's not as if
they're going far from base and can't get home.

"Doug" wrote in message
...
On 4 June, 09:53, NM wrote:
On 4 June, 08:13, Doug wrote:

The place was decided many years ago, probably by a 'consensus' of
anarchists.

Can such a thing happen?

Yes.

If initially they were anarchists the moment
there was consensus they would cease to be anarchists and become the
founding commitee of critical mass.

Nope. Why is it nobody seems to understand the multi-faceted concept
of anarchy around here?

We understand it Doug, it's you that has the problem.

Duh! Anarchists can communicate with each other and reach agreements.

Indeed, so what is there to stop a group of anarchists coming together for a
common purpose and continuing to work together over a period of years?

Why not? Also have you ever heard of a 'call-out' from an individual,
where others may individually decide to attend?

I made a call-out once but only the police turned up and they looked
at me rather suspiciously.

I'm not surprised, they'd probably checked up on you before arriving.

In article ,
JNugent wrote:
it can cost many pounds to pay to park while you use a public loo, which
are few and far in London

What do bus drivers do? Seems to me they have more of a problem than taxis.

Why?

They have authorised standing-places at each end of the route, and
garages designed to cater for their needs.

They only go to the garage at the end of the day - so how is that
different from a cab?
And some routes take a very long time to cover. A cab driver can stop any
time he wants - unlike a bus driver. A licensed black cab driver could
also be expected to know the location of loos etc.

--
*If all is not lost, where the hell is it?

Dave Plowman London SW 12

In article ,
JNugent wrote:
There are certainly a few that give them a very bad reputation. One
the other day stopped to drop off a fare between a traffic light
bollard and the pavement - completely blocking that side of the road.
A few yards before or after wouldn't have been a problem. And of
course the punter took ages to pay. They should have their licence
suspended for a week for each of those totally selfish actions.

What should they do?

Take the punter to a different spot that isn't in your way?

Stop either a few yards earlier or later. It's called having consideration
for other road users. Something you wouldn't know about.

Let him off the fare if he takes a little too long in paying for your
liking?

Were you born a prat or did you have to work on it?

--
*Proofread carefully to see if you any words out or mispeld something *

Dave Plowman London SW 12

In article ,
JNugent wrote:
they usually go back to the depot on a regular basis, black cabs
don't usually have a depot

A black cab doesn't follow a route or a timetable. And the drivers are
all - or mostly - self employed so what they do in terms of breaks is
up to them.

They are all self-employed.

There is no employment-and-wages model that would work.

Then obviously they can take a break when and where it suits them. Is that
too difficult for you to understand?

--
*Gun Control: Use both hands.

Dave Plowman London SW 12

"Dave Plowman" wrote in message
...
In article ,
JNugent wrote:
it can cost many pounds to pay to park while you use a public loo,
which
are few and far in London

What do bus drivers do? Seems to me they have more of a problem than
taxis.

Why?

They have authorised standing-places at each end of the route, and
garages designed to cater for their needs.

They only go to the garage at the end of the day - so how is that
different from a cab?

Errr, no. Bus drivers get a meal break and some route termination points
have facilities.

And some routes take a very long time to cover. A cab driver can stop any
time he wants - unlike a bus driver. A licensed black cab driver could
also be expected to know the location of loos etc.

Indeed.