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Could London taxi drivers scupper Cycle Superhighway plans?Taxi and Cyclist copyright Simon MacMichael.jpg

Could London taxi drivers scupper Cycle Superhighway plans?

Licensed Taxi Drivers Association launches a judicial review on the E-W cycle route despite head saying in May delays could leave "blood on his hands"...
by Laura Laker
Wed, Aug 19, 2015 11:37
16

The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) has launched a judicial review on London's East-West Cycle Superhighway despite its head saying earlier in the year he didn't want blood on his hands from a delay to the plans.

According to BBC journalist, Tom Edwards, the LTDA, which represents the interests of London's black cab drivers, claims the route needed planning permission. However, experts who support the plans say road alterations of this nature don't require planning permission. 

After the Association appeared to drop the issue in May, the timing appears strange, given the most contentious portion of the new Cycle Superhighway, which will run from Tower Hill to the Westway, is already being built on the Victoria Embankment, with some sections close to completion.

- London taxi drivers back Cycle Superhighways as plans for judicial review dropped

- Taxi drivers' association to seek judicial review of Cycle Superhighways?

The Association dropped earlier threats of a judicial review in May because its head, Steve McNamara, said he didn't want "blood on his hands" from a delay.

He said: “At the end of the day, does London need protected cycling? Yes it does.

“What we don’t want to do is issue a judicial review and all we achieve is delaying that by a year, and some cyclist gets killed in Parliament Square.

“I don’t want that. I don’t want blood on my hands.”

London Mayoral hopeful Christian Wolmar points out a significant part of the route has already been built.

This section, on the Victoria Embankment, which leads to Parliament Square, which is almost complete, was the most contentious part for both the LTDA and Canary Wharf Group, who both threatened the route's completion with legal challenges, while claiming it would bring motor traffic to a standstill.

There are scant other details at present, but road.cc has contacted the LTDA's head, Steve McNamara, who is at the LTDA's AGM today. We hope to have more details soon.

LTDA
London
Cycle Superhighway
Laura Laker

Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.

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16 comments

Avatar
Al__S | 9 years ago
0 likes

but road.cc has contacted the LTDA's head, Steve McNamara, who is at the LTDA's AGM today.

I wonder if the timing was a coincidence?

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Yennings | 9 years ago
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Roll on Uber, I say. Not that their drivers are necessarily any safer. But at least they don't organise themselves into tiresome unions determined to derail anything perceived as being counter to their members' outdated interests.

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dp24 | 9 years ago
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I'm puzzled as to how they think this is going to succeed. The decision to approve the scheme was in January, leaving them well outside the three month time limit to bring a JR.

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Dnnnnnn replied to dp24 | 9 years ago
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dp24 wrote:

I'm puzzled as to how they think this is going to succeed. The decision to approve the scheme was in January, leaving them well outside the three month time limit to bring a JR.

I'm curious as to the planning grounds too. I'd have thought it must be a technicality.

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don simon fbpe | 9 years ago
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Yeah, I mean I'm happy not using taxis.
What are they trying to prove?

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gazzaputt | 9 years ago
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Black cabbies think the world owes them a living.

They are an archaic mob whos days are numbered in the modern world. They just cannot abide change.

Sure we'll see them soon doing their usual go slow protest or alike causing more traffic delays over this.

You pay your money and makes the choice. Uber is mine.

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Housecathst replied to gazzaputt | 9 years ago
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gazzaputt wrote:

Black cabbies think the world owes them a living.

They are an archaic mob whos days are numbered in the modern world. They just cannot abide change.

Sure we'll see them soon doing their usual go slow protest or alike causing more traffic delays over this.

You pay your money and makes the choice. Uber is mine.

Plus 1, for this. The sooner there replaced by Google cars the better. At least they won't give you their unasked for views on immigration every time I have to get in the back of one of them.

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ConcordeCX replied to Housecathst | 9 years ago
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Housecathst wrote:

Plus 1, for this. The sooner there replaced by Google cars the better. At least they won't give you their unasked for views on immigration every time I have to get in the back of one of them.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xGi6j2VrL0o

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bikebot | 9 years ago
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So having had time to think about it, Steve McNamara is now quite happy to have blood on his hands.

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atgni replied to bikebot | 9 years ago
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bikebot wrote:

So having had time to think about it, Steve McNamara is now quite happy to have blood on his hands.

You could replace 'quite happy' with 'determined'.

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georgee | 9 years ago
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With a bit of luck this thing can drag on a fair bit and run up millions in legal bills for the LTDA.

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AJ101 | 9 years ago
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Is this a tit for tat action more related to Uber being allowed to operate in London rather than against cyclists?

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bikebot replied to AJ101 | 9 years ago
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AJ101 wrote:

Is this a tit for tat action more related to Uber being allowed to operate in London rather than against cyclists?

Probably, or some other dispute with TfL. Literally a few days after the LTDA dropped their original threat, the mayor's office was making comments about capping the number of private hire vehicles to protect black cabs.

They always throw their toys out the pram when they haven't got their way over something.

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EddyBerckx | 9 years ago
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So they want to delay this in order to stop delays !??!? Wtf are they on??? Embankment is a nightmare at the minute (just as any london road is when works are done - 99.99999999999999999999% normally totally unrelated to cycling) but as half is already complete how can this possibly help them?!?

It's one goddamn road out of thousands...and the Olympics cut it in half 3 years ago with no lasting effect...well, apart from convincing people we don't actually need a dual carriageway in the middle of a city for private motor cars to thrive of course 3

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webster | 9 years ago
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Perhaps the LTDA should spend its members money on something more worthwhile, like lobbying parliament to reduce the number of minicabs on London's streets.

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dodgy | 9 years ago
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Unless the LTDA have been in the habit of appealing against other infrastructure changes by judicial review (new buildings, extensions etc), then you have to conclude that this is an attack against cyclists and cycling.

Poisoning the well, I reckon.

Since many cyclists in London choose not to have a car, they will at times prefer to use a taxi. Uber will capitalise on this.

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