Taxi rank - bumper to bumper

corktina

what is it?

Spook_ie

corktina wrote: »

noooo....i haven't ahd the last word yet....:D

And so far unlikely to get it on the topic of obstruction, now if yoo would please address the question to you raised in #101 and we'll try and tease out the folly of what you are saying, seeing as you and AFAIK no one will be able to point to a specific offence of obstructing the roadway when using a taxi rank.

Similarly you won't find anything about if two articulated trucks are in a loading bay that they are obstructing the road and they would be a similar length being permited at 18.75 meters

corktina

i specifically ignored post 101 as being too daft even for this thread.

Spook_ie

corktina wrote: »

i specifically ignored post 101 as being too daft even for this thread.

Yeah sure, more like that it completely undermines your arguments about what constitutes obstruction.

Again the Taxi rank is not for parking it's for working vehicles to go about their business.

corktina

again, I was talking about the general situation where 11 vehicles park so close that pedestrians are obstructed, that they are taxis is immaterial.

Your point about cars at the traffic lights is laughable....they will move when the lights move and anyway, shouldn't that pedestrian be crossing at the lights?

As for trucks, well the same applies, they should leave a suitable gap too

Owryan

corktina wrote: »

how many times have I said that I am talking in general and how many times have i said that many locations do not have designated crossing places?

In any case it's not "a few feet", in the case you are quoting it is up to the length of 11 cars....that's something like up to 150 feet there and 150 back...

How can you be talking about crossing the road in "general " while specifically using the taxi rank as an example ? They are 2 seperate issues .

A designated and clearly marked out taxi rank is different to a row of parked cars .

Solair

who_me wrote: »

At least those ranks are in a line! Try the rank by Cork bus station.. you walk up to the group of taxi drivers standing there, and if you manage to get their attention a row kicks off over who was there first. On one occasion one driver said to take his taxi, and the others started yelling and gesturing at me for getting into the wrong taxi - as if I had a clue who was there first..

Yeah, I had that at that same rank a few months ago too and just walked off. I couldn't really be bothered dealing with that kind of stuff it was just embarrassing.

Ended up hailing a taxi on Mac Curtain Street instead.

corktina

How? if it's blocking the way to pedestrians it's just the same, and the same as if it were a pile of sand or a row of dustbins, it's an obstruction to pedestrians.

Spook_ie

corktina wrote: »

again, I was talking about the general situation where 11 vehicles park so close that pedestrians are obstructed, that they are taxis is immaterial.

Your point about cars at the traffic lights is laughable....they will move when the lights move and anyway, shouldn't that pedestrian be crossing at the lights?

As for trucks, well the same applies, they should leave a suitable gap too

But the fact that they are TAXIs on a TAXI RANK is the whole point it, they are not cars parked while the owner is shopping, they are working vehicles in a site designated for them, you're the one that keeps on that they are obstructing whilst on the rank.

As to 101 if you were 33 meters from the lights then you would be entitled to cross the road ( under whatever law that Victor pointed out ) however your way to cross would be impeded by said queue of vehicles as they would be a length of some 55-60 meters, therefore your argument doesn't hold water as they couldn't be considered as obstructing traffic flow, unless they stopped adjacent to something like a dropped kerb for the use of wheelchairs etc.

If two articulated trucks were to be in a loading bbay they would ( unless rear access was need ) park as close as they could to prevent the trailers impeding traffic flow. If you were to be crossing between a truck and it's articulated trailer it would entail climbing over the draw bar, please visualize the scenario before drawing attention to it

corktina

just tell me in what way 11 taxis bumper to bumper would differ from 11 cars bumper to bumper or 11 vans bumper to bumper in a loading bay or two artics in a loading bay, bumper to bumper.......all would impede pedestrians needing to cross, all would be obstructing the highway.

you seem to think that Taxis are somehow above the law just because they are in a marked taxi rank.

Spook_ie

corktina wrote: »

How? if it's blocking the way to pedestrians it's just the same, and the same as if it were a pile of sand or a row of dustbins, it's an obstruction to pedestrians.

The difference being if you wish to deposit building materials in the roadway thereby closing it to traffic you need to obtain a license from DCC obtainable here
http://www.dublincity.ie/Documents/Application_Forms/Roads_and_Traffic/Temporary_Road_Closure_-_English_Version.pdf


The relevant byelaws for the putting out of bins used to preclude you from placing them in the road way, since Greyhound took over their T&Cs state that the bin must be on the footpath

Spook_ie

corktina wrote: »

just tell me in what way 11 taxis bumper to bumper would differ from 11 cars bumper to bumper or 11 vans bumper to bumper in a loading bay or two artics in a loading bay, bumper to bumper.......all would impede pedestrians needing to cross, all would be obstructing the highway.

you seem to think that Taxis are somehow above the law just because they are in a marked taxi rank.

Correct they are above that particular law BECAUSE they are in a taxi rank and the SI and bye laws controlling taxi ranks doesn't preclude them from parking nose to tail, whereas the parking regulations controlling parking spaces do. That's why they are designated differently both on pole signage and roadway markings....

Now do you get it!

corktina

Spook_ie wrote: »

Correct they are above that particular law BECAUSE they are in a taxi rank and the SI and bye laws controlling taxi ranks doesn't preclude them from parking nose to tail, whereas the parking regulations controlling parking spaces do. That's why they are designated differently both on pole signage and roadway markings....

Now do you get it!

nope and I don't think you do! You may not hinder the passage of pedestrians in this way irrespective of where you are or what you are driving. Byelaws are local laws and they do not supercede national laws.

Hilly Bill

corktina wrote: »

again, I was talking about the general situation where 11 vehicles park so close that pedestrians are obstructed, that they are taxis is immaterial.

Your point about cars at the traffic lights is laughable....they will move when the lights move and anyway, shouldn't that pedestrian be crossing at the lights?

As for trucks, well the same applies, they should leave a suitable gap too

BINGO!

Hilly Bill

corktina wrote: »

nope and I don't think you do! You may not hinder the passage of pedestrians in this way irrespective of where you are or what you are driving. Byelaws are local laws and they do not supercede national laws.

Get onto the council and ask them to remove railings at the side of the road as they hinder the passage of pedestrians.
Seriously Tina, are you on a wind up?

corktina

Hilly Bill wrote: »

BINGO!

twas sarcasm, you missed it, I must try harder!

Hilly Bill

corktina wrote: »

twas sarcasm, you missed it, I must try harder!

Explains a lot

corktina

well,honestly! as quick as I knock down your points you come up with new ones! Railings now is it!

My one and only point is that it is not legal to park (or otherwise) 11 vehicles nose to tail as it obstructs pedestrians.

rainbowdash

corktina wrote: »

well,honestly! as quick as I knock down your points you come up with new ones! Railings now is it!

My one and only point is that it is not legal to park (or otherwise) 11 vehicles nose to tail as it obstructs pedestrians.

Can you show us the law then?

corktina

nope, no intention, the law on obstructing the highway is well known.

Hilly Bill

corktina wrote: »

well,honestly! as quick as I knock down your points you come up with new ones! Railings now is it!

My one and only point is that it is not legal to park (or otherwise) 11 vehicles nose to tail as it obstructs pedestrians.

Going by your logic then the railings would be doing the same.

corktina

you are just being a silly hilly billy methinks

Hilly Bill

corktina wrote: »

nope, no intention, the law on obstructing the highway is well known.

Cant, you mean?

corktina

Hilly Bill wrote: »

Cant, you mean?

na na ne na na:p

Spook_ie

Doesn't matter how often you say it, it won't make it true, there is NO legislation preventing them being nose to tail in the taxi rank.

Tell you what, why not go there, ring the GS and ask them to move a taxi on so that they cam spred out more evenly so they don't obstruct people, bearing in mind that if you are polite the GS are required to furnish you with a printable answer and if not then you can call in the ombudsman.

And before you I call the fact that I don't need to do it in reverse because I have no problem with them being nose to tail as long as there are only 11 vehicles on that rank or they don't exceed the specified number of vehicles on any other rank where they do it.

Saying everyone knows the law on obstruction is insufficent argument to allow you to circularise this thread and it's time for you to put some meat on the table

rainbowdash

corktina wrote: »

nope, no intention, the law on obstructing the highway is well known.

Is it written in the rules of the road or the theory section of the driving test?

Perhaps somebody who has recently passed the driving test can enlighten us?

AlekSmart

Spook_ie wrote: »

Doesn't matter how often you say it, it won't make it true, there is NO legislation preventing them being nose to tail in the taxi rank.

Tell you what, why not go there, ring the GS and ask them to move a taxi on so that they cam spred out more evenly so they don't obstruct people, bearing in mind that if you are polite the GS are required to furnish you with a printable answer and if not then you can call in the ombudsman.

And before you I call the fact that I don't need to do it in reverse because I have no problem with them being nose to tail as long as there are only 11 vehicles on that rank or they don't exceed the specified number of vehicles on any other rank where they do it.

Saying everyone knows the law on obstruction is insufficent argument to allow you to circularise this thread and it's time for you to put some meat on the table

I'm reluctant to derail such a highly volatile thread,but Spook's mention of asking the Gardai to take any active involvement in matters Taxi is a non-runner.

The entire Taxi-Rank arguement becomes moot when one sees how Taxidrivers seize control of entire City Centre Streets viz...Dawson Street....Grafton Street...Suffolk St...Georges Street with the active connivance of the same AGS...

A few hobnailed booted pedestrians walking over a few Taxi Bonnets to get to the other side would do more to sort the issue out I'd suggest...?

As an aside,a colleague of mine had a substantial brush with the Gardai during a State Visit of some foreign Princess some years back.

The visit entailed a walkabout in Grafton Street and her highnesses Limousine's all parked nose-to-tail along Suffolk Street.

Cue my former colleague arriving in his bus and finding no gap between the limo's to allow his passengers out onto the kerb.......

Cue also,some highly agitated intending passengers on the kerb,wishing to access the bus....which is on the other side of the limo's...get the picktcher ???

Now it gets interesting...as the entire Hi-Security situation was being monitored by a brace of Traffic Corps Gardai.

Our intrepid Busdriver tooted his tooter and got the attention of one of the Members..."Whats yer problem" sez the Gard.

"These cars",sez Mr Busdriver could you get some of them to move up a bit and allow people on to the Bus.

Was this a tad OTT I wonder,because the Member went ballistic.

" I WANT YOUR NUMBER "...."I WANT TO SEE YOUR LICENCE...NOW !!!" etc etc .

Now luckily our Busdriver was a well behaved chap with significant experience in voluntary counselling and negotiation,so he immediately went into calm and considered mode,which it appears,lit the members fuse even more.

At one point he threatened to contact Dublin Bus and have the driver taken down etc etc...

Luckily,all of this was conducted in full view and hearing of the Passengers,several of whom intervened,and in no uncertain terms advised the Garda that they were prepared to fully support the Busdriver and provide as many witness statements as required.

Interestingly,it appears that this particular Garda's colleagues kept their distance as they could be seen laughing heartily as this fellow's face turned ever more purple with whatever was ailing him.

The issue resolved itself when the cavalcade started up and got ready to depart voluntarily,allowing enough gap for the peasantry to go about their business....

So,just as I advised Foggy way back in this thread,don't anybody go romancing about the Gardai intervening in any Taxi related stuff...."Not our responsibility" it would seem.

The actual walkabout and the Gardai's handling of the Traffic Control actually made the following days Liveline,with Joe's eyes being widened ever more with the accounts from his public !!!

Wish I could recall Her Highness'es name ...Grrrrrr :mad:

rainbowdash

From rulesoftheroad.ie:


General rules for parking
Where possible, park in the direction of traffic flow.
Park close to and parallel with the kerb or edge of the road except at any location where perpendicular or angled parking bays are marked out on the surface of the road.
Where a parking bay is marked out on a road you must park your vehicle fully within the parking space.
Apply the handbrake.
Switch off the engine.
Leave the vehicle in first gear or reverse, or in the case of an automatic, select P.
Before opening any doors, check for other road users nearby, in particular motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.
Open your doors only when you need to and keep them open only for as long as necessary.
Get out of your vehicle only when it is safe and you and your passengers are not blocking other road users.
Passengers should exit on the kerbside.
Lock your vehicle as you leave it.

foggy_lad

Losty Dublin wrote: »

http://www.rotr.ie/rules-for-pedestrians-cyclists-motorcyclists/pedestrians/pedestrians_crossing-the-road.html

Note that it says "Don’t cross near or at parked vehicles.".

But Taxis are not parked they are placed on a rank for the purpose of plying for hire.

Spook_ie wrote: »

OK specificly for Corktina...
I'm driving along the road, the lights at a junction turn red and the car in front slows and stops, I follow,slow and stop behind him leaving a gap of 30 cm or so, the next car following me slows and stops leaving a similar gap and so on for 11 cars, are we obstructing the highway?

I would get out of any vehicle driven by you if you left no gap or only a few inches between the vehicle in front at traffic lights.

Spook_ie wrote: »

Yeah sure, more like that it completely undermines your arguments about what constitutes obstruction.

Again the Taxi rank is not for parking it's for working vehicles to go about their business.

And part of their business is taking on passengers who will often need access to the rear of the vehicle with luggage, and leaving the rank, Why would they prevent themselves from doing this unless they were being instructed in some kind of obstruction designed to counteract statements from the office of the regulator empowering passengers to pick ANY taxi on a rank even the last one as they must take you as long as you are not steaming drunk or covered in filth...

Spook_ie wrote: »

But the fact that they are TAXIs on a TAXI RANK is the whole point it, they are not cars parked while the owner is shopping, they are working vehicles in a site designated for them, you're the one that keeps on that they are obstructing whilst on the rank.

As to 101 if you were 33 meters from the lights then you would be entitled to cross the road ( under whatever law that Victor pointed out ) however your way to cross would be impeded by said queue of vehicles as they would be a length of some 55-60 meters, therefore your argument doesn't hold water as they couldn't be considered as obstructing traffic flow, unless they stopped adjacent to something like a dropped kerb for the use of wheelchairs etc.

If two articulated trucks were to be in a loading bbay they would ( unless rear access was need ) park as close as they could to prevent the trailers impeding traffic flow. If you were to be crossing between a truck and it's articulated trailer it would entail climbing over the draw bar, please visualize the scenario before drawing attention to it

So it's articulated trucks stopping in loading bays now, how about sticking to the basics and how taxis not leaving space between their vehicle and the vehicle in front not just obstructing pedestrians it is also just thoughtless and plain ignorant of those drivers.

Spook_ie

AlekSmart wrote: »

I'm reluctant to derail such a highly volatile thread,


snipped

Wish I could recall Her Highness'es name ...Grrrrrr :mad:

Very entertaining and indeed humerous, now perhaps the context of taxis using a taxi rank might enter it, rather than a half dozen limosuines on a normal street