Agenda item

Forward Plan Ref: 2018/095

Contact: Craig Rossington, Senior Transport Planning Tel: 07880 945891

Report by Director for Planning & Place Communities (CMDE4).

The report considers the key issues raised in the recent consultation on the county council’s intention to undertake an experiment allowing taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) into the Westgate bus link in Oxford city centre.

The Cabinet Member for Environment is RECOMMENDED not to authorise an experimental TRO for allowing taxis and PHVs into the Westgate bus link.

The Cabinet Member for Environment considered CMDE4 key issues raised in a recent consultation on the county council’s intention to undertake an experiment allowing taxis and private hire vehicles into the Westgate bus link in the Oxford city centre.

The officer report had recommended not to authorise an experimental TRO.

Petra Lucacik spoke in support of the recommendation.  As a resident of Tennyson Lodge she had been pleased to see improvements to traffic congestion after the Westgate centre had opened but for this to come back now in the face of the approved planning permission could put that at risk and was worrying for residents. Jurisdiction for governing public highway issues was separate to the planning system and a decision to allow an experiment now would let residents down badly. If this experiment was approved she would like to see a direct focus on pollution issues.

Responding to the Cabinet Member Mr Rossington confirmed that the planning and highway processes were separate but that did not prevent changes being made by the County Council as highway authority having followed necessary procedures.

The Cabinet Member accepted that the request for taxis to use the link needed to be heard as part of the proper and due process.

Richard Munro spoke in support of the recommendation as a Director of the Tennyson Lodge Residents Company. Accepting the separate characteristics of the highway and planning process he pointed out that any variation to the current situation which might result from a TRO could have a bearing on matters entered into and agreed upon with third parties such as noise attenuation from buses which could be found to be inadequate if taxis were now allowed. There were also serious concerns regarding air quality, validation of equipment to be used by the City council and the need to provide at least one years worth of data.

Mr Rossington then responded to questions from the Cabinet Member:

Paragraph 3 of the report confirmed that the reasons for recommending not going ahead had not solely been due to noise and air quality.

There were approximately 1800 buses in a 12-hour period equating to 150 per hour with a 2 way flow.

It was estimated that 350 taxis would use the link over a similar 12-hour period.

He was not aware of any air quality monitoring report and would pursue the matter of validation of equipment. However, he confirmed that monitoring would be required before and after if an experiment went ahead.

Niaz Mohammed for Royal Cars spoke in favour of an experimental order to allow taxis. His company provided transport for colleges; business parks and was the largest service provider for the County Council’s special needs support.  They had undertaken serious investment in eco-friendly hybrid cars with 70 – 80% of their fleet hybrid vehicles. The company had worked hard with the local community to improve its image and had been recognised nationally for its endeavours winning a number of green awards.  Currently service users were having to pay extra in fares with drivers frequently accused by passengers of taking longer routes when buses were seen using the link.  He felt taxis and PHVs were being treated unfairly and should be allowed to use the link or if not it should be closed off completely.

He then responded to questions from the Cabinet Member:

The company were looking at securing a fleet of full electric vehicles but at the moment that type of vehicle did not give them the mileage they needed. The best available option therefore was the hybrid which allowed predominantly electric use within the city while reverting to fuel outside.

Vehicles used electric power when travelling under 30 mph and over 30 reverted to fuel.

Mr Rossington confirmed that prior to Westgate hackney carriages/taxis and PHVs had been able to use Northfolk Street and Castle Street.

Bashir Ahmed for COLTA supported the introduction of an experimental order.  There were 107 hackney carriages in operation and since the changes following the opening of the Westgate taxis were now often gridlocked. That had affected their trade badly.  It seemed to him that by allowing buses to use the link they were being given preferential treatment. 46,000 people commuted into the City for work resulting in huge traffic problems and allowing taxis to use the link would help offset that. Referring to increased journey times outlined in paragraph 9 of the report it was clear that the system was not working.  He questioned concerns which had been raised regarding emission levels when the Westgate car park had been sited under flats etc.  He tabled photographs setting out a scheme introduced in Reading which he felt was worth consideration and offered a way forward for Oxford.

He then responded to questions from the Cabinet Member.

COLTA had objected throughout the entire process.

With regard to the Reading scheme he confirmed that a report on this had been commissioned in 2016 when the tabled photographs had been taken.

With regard to concerns expressed regarding enforcement and identification of vehicles he pointed out while PHVs were very similar to other cars hackney carriages were easily distinguishable.

The Cabinet Member raised the issue of how taxis could be excluded when it seemed that the 1984 Traffic Regulation Act linked taxis and buses. She was further interested in this issue as the Reading signs in the photographs tabled by Mr Ahmed had used that legislation to distinguish between and exclude different types of vehicles.

City Councillor Saj Malik spoke in support of an experimental order. As a taxi driver for a number of years he felt qualified to point out that by the very nature of its siting Tennyson Place was a noisy area and that residents had chosen to live there. Delivery lorries to the many retail outlets in the area were not hybrid vehicles. He accepted that officers had a difficult job but there was lot of support for taxis to use the link road including the Oxford Civic Society. Clearly 24-hour access would be best but as a compromise for drivers and residents he suggested access be allowed for wheelchair access vehicles for certain periods during a 24-hour period. He was confident that such a scheme if introduced would be observed and enforceable.

He then responded to questions from the Cabinet Member:

Oxford was a unique city which at times was susceptible to gridlock traffic. Everyone wanted the Westgate to be successful through a lawful and common-sense approach and he felt his suggestion represented a way forward.

He confirmed that the Old Greyfriars taxi rank was not suitable for all passengers and therefore not functional. Likewise the pick-up point in the new car park was not fit for purpose as the roof space was not high enough. He suggested that 2 cab ranks in front of the Swan and Castle would go some way to meeting demand which was likely to increase with further development.

Responding to a question from the Cabinet Member Mr Rossington confirmed that vehicles would be allowed to drop off on a red route but if access were limited to only those vehicles with wheelchair access that would allow in those vehicles with the worst emissions while preventing the majority of PHVs with more emission friendly vehicles.

Councillor Sanders stated that in his experience buses were noisier than taxis particularly when stopping and moving off so that coupled with the pollution from the underground car park seemed to undermine the aims of achieving a pollution free zone.  He was sympathetic to residents and had some concerns at the suggested compromise of time limited access for taxis as that would allow vehicles in at possibly the most congested times of the day.  He had no sympathy with the arguments of cost, which he felt were trivial in comparison with the money invested in the scheme set out at Item 5 on this agenda. Bearing in mind that people wanted to get in and out of Oxford the current situation seemed to him to be both an inconvenience to passengers and a reduction in amenity.  Taxi companies had consistently objected to this ban and he felt it was unfair to restrict their movement.  He felt the time was right to conduct an experiment to prove one way or another whether a change was acceptable or not.

The Cabinet Member for Environment recognised that exclusion of taxis and PHVs had not been intended just for pollution reasons but also congestion and safety and these issues had to be given equal gravitas.  Use by taxis was small when compared to bus numbers and it was clear that there had been improvements to air quality because of technical improvements to buses and PHVs and it was to be hoped that those improvements would continue with further improvements to technology.  She remained very concerned regarding enforcement and the issues of picking up and stopping along this road.  She agreed regarding loss of amenity and if vehicles were allowed in then that would need to apply to both types. She accepted the points raised about the inadequacy of the Greyfriars taxi rank and concerns regarding the underground car park and acknowledged a comment by Councillor Howson regarding the new Uber style pick me up service stating that as that vehicle qualified as a bus it seemed inevitable that it would be use the Link Road regardless of what decision was reached today.

On balance she felt that a 6-month experiment should be undertaken allowing taxis and PHVs to use the Westgate bus link as a through route only and time limited to particular periods of the day. She wished to see minimal signing and called on the City Council to undertake vigorous monitoring. She also sought assurances from the taxi company representatives that they would ensure that their drivers would not stop along the route by adding a term to drivers’ contracts to prohibit stopping along the Westgate link and if that was found to be happening then the experiment would end. That assurance was forthcoming from taxi representatives. She asked that the experiment be set up as soon as possible but accepted that it was unlikely that that could be in place before the end of the year.

Therefore having regard to the information set out in the report before her and the representations made to her at the meeting the Cabinet Member for Environment decided as follows:

to authorise an experimental TRO to allow taxis and PHVs into the Westgate bus link with details of the hours during which the experiment would apply to be agreed in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment.

Signed……………………………………………

Cabinet Member for Environment

Date of signing………………………………….