Taxi parked on corner.

JumpShivers · 29-05-2016 8:59pm #1

Is it legal for a taxi to park on a corner as shown here on the Google Maps link?
I was in Howth the other day with my OH and there was a taxi sitting on the double-yellow line on the corner. My OH drove up behind the taxi thinking that he was stopped or waiting for traffic. After a few seconds, he gave a small flash and beep to wake him up.

He still didn’t move. My OH overtook him on the right hand side and opened the window asking the driver why he’s stopped in a dangerous position. The taxi driver flew off the handle.

He said, “We’re allowed to park here from the police”, and roared profanities at my OH. Are taxis allowed to park on a corner on a double-yellow? Doesn’t seem right to me, an obstruction is an obstruction.

We got his plate number.

https://goo.gl/27VIY7

n97 mini · 29-05-2016 9:04pm

If he was in the car with the engine running he was stopped, not parked. This is something taxis need to do as part of their job, to collect or drop off customers.

You can stop wherever you want but you can't park wherever you want.

Lynchy747 · 29-05-2016 9:05pm

JumpShivers wrote: »

Is it legal for a taxi to park on a corner as shown here on the Google Maps link?
I was in Howth the other day with my OH and there was a taxi sitting on the double-yellow line on the corner. My OH drove up behind the taxi thinking that he was stopped or waiting for traffic. After a few seconds, he gave a small flash and beep to wake him up.

He still didn’t move. My OH overtook him on the right hand side and opened the window asking the driver why he’s stopped in a dangerous position. The taxi driver flew off the handle.

He said, “We’re allowed to park here from the police”, and roared profanities at my OH. Are taxis allowed to park on a corner on a double-yellow? Doesn’t seem right to me, an obstruction is an obstruction.

We got his plate number.

https://goo.gl/27VIY7

No one is allowed to park on double yellow lines. He could argue that he was stopped, and not parked. This is open to interpretation.

Was his roof sign lit or did he seem to be stopped waiting for a fare? If so he could have been illegally plying for hire i.e. it is illegal for a taxi driver to ply for hire in a place other than an authorised taxi rank.

It might be wise to go to the National Transport Authority with a complaint as opposed to the Gardaí.

Either way it is a silly place to stop and your OH would have been correct to assume that the driver may have been stopped in traffic or otherwise.

EDIT: Just noticed a bar or pub the other side of the junction. He probably was waiting to tout someone as they emerged. This is illegal. As I stated.

Deagol · 29-05-2016 9:07pm

n97 mini wrote: »

If he was in the car with the engine running he was stopped, not parked.

You can stop wherever you want but you can't park wherever you want.

Honestly, the nonsense some people come out with...

So, by that logic people can stop in the overtaking lane of a motorway to take a call because they aren't parked just stopped??

It is illegal to stop on double yellow lines unless forced to by traffic (ie, lights, traffic queuing etc) or if loading or unloading or picking up or dropping people. Taxi drivers have no greater rights on the road than anyone else and guards could not give them permission anyway as it is outside their powers.

So, unless he was collecting or dropping a fare, he should not have been there.

n97 mini · 29-05-2016 9:08pm

Taxi stops in bad location shocker.

Lynchy747 wrote: »

EDIT: Just noticed a bar or pub the other side of the junction. He probably was waiting to tout someone as they emerged. This is illegal. As I stated.

He may have been pre booked.

Lynchy747 · 29-05-2016 9:09pm

n97 mini wrote: »

Taxi stops in bad location shocker.

He may have been pre booked.

True!

n97 mini · 29-05-2016 9:11pm

Deagol wrote: »

Honestly, the nonsense some people come out with...

And then we get this:

Deagol wrote: »

So, by that logic people can stop in the overtaking lane of a motorway to take a call because they aren't parked just stopped??
.

Clearly the rules for motorways are specific. There's a sign on every on ramp.

Deagol · 29-05-2016 9:13pm

n97 mini wrote: »

And then we get this:

Clearly the rules for motorways are specific. There's a sign on every on ramp.

Substitute Naas Dual carriageway for motorway..... :rolleyes:

Sleeper12 · 29-05-2016 9:23pm

He can stop on double yellow lines. He has up to 15 minutes but is supposed to be actively loading or unloading / picking up or dropping off. Obviously if it is deemed dangerous by the Gardai then other road traffic acts come into play.
This was on joe Duffy only 2 weeks ago. The actual story was about a pizza delivery guy getting clamped as he was delivering a pizza upstairs in an apartment building. But there is a mention of this on the show. The pod cast is there for anyone to listen if they wish.

ted1 · 29-05-2016 9:25pm

n97 mini wrote: »

If he was in the car with the engine running he was stopped, not parked. This is something taxis need to do as part of their job, to collect or drop off customers.

You can stop wherever you want but you can't park wherever you want.

He could be done for dangerous driving .

JumpShivers · 29-05-2016 9:26pm

It's not the first time we've seen this happening here.

We've seen quite a few taxi drivers parked there at the same time.

beauf · 29-05-2016 9:32pm

The Garda aren't interested. You see taxi's parked dangerously all over the place. They just ignore them.

tricky D · 29-05-2016 9:36pm

It's regular in that spot as a sort of unofficial taxi rank and has been for years. The likelihood of anything being done about it is very low due to, well, Howth laws. There used to be a parking warden patrolling Howth a few years ago but the uproar from local businesses and hassled Gardaí put an end to that. Not saying it's right but little or nothing will be done about it.

Sleeper12 · 29-05-2016 9:39pm

beauf wrote:

The Garda aren't interested. You see taxi's parked dangerously all over the place. They just ignore them.

If the Gardai don't/won't deem it dangerous then he's not breaking the law.

TheChizler · 29-05-2016 9:56pm

Sleeper12 wrote: »

beauf wrote:

The Garda aren't interested. You see taxi's parked dangerously all over the place. They just ignore them.

If the Gardai don't/won't deem it dangerous then he's not breaking the law.

Since when has the Garda 's opinion on the law had any influence on the actual law?

Cocoon · 29-05-2016 9:57pm

JumpShivers wrote: »

It's not the first time we've seen this happening here.

We've seen quite a few taxi drivers parked there at the same time.

Then why did you pull up behind him?

murphaph · 29-05-2016 10:02pm

Assuming there weren't also clearway signs then stopping on the double yellows would be legal. Not necessarily sensible but taxi drivers do the stupidest things for a fare as most of us know and yeah, they do think they own the road and they're like that the world over.

Charles Babbage · 29-05-2016 10:05pm

It is remarkable that the class of driver who are allowed drive other people around are allowed routinely act in a delinquent manner.

JumpShivers · 29-05-2016 10:11pm

Cocoon wrote: »

Then why did you pull up behind him?

We've seen taxis stopping and parking various other dangerous positions in Howth. It didn't dawn on us at the time that this taxi was also parked here.

By overtaking him on the right, I had to drive on the hatched area. Obviously illegal.

VincePP · 29-05-2016 10:12pm

Whatever about the rights or wrongs of the taxi, the op certainly has no right to question the taxi and deserved the response.

If the op had an issue he can report it. But to "berate" the driver just causes more problems and could be construed as threatening behaviour and that would be taken more seriously than a minor parking issue.

VincePP · 29-05-2016 10:13pm

JumpShivers wrote: »

By overtaking him on the right, I had to drive on the hatched area. Obviously illegal.

Eh? Seems you have very poor knowledge of driving.

Guy:Incognito · 29-05-2016 10:18pm

n97 mini wrote: »

If he was in the car with the engine running he was stopped, not parked. This is something taxis need to do as part of their job, to collect or drop off customers.

You can stop wherever you want but you can't park wherever you want.

Since youre not allowed cross solid white lines ( and youre not allowed park opposite them even though a lot dont seem to know that) what happens then? You just sit there behind him indefinitely till he decides to move on?

n97 mini · 29-05-2016 10:31pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Since youre not allowed cross solid white lines ( and youre not allowed park opposite them even though a lot dont seem to know that) what happens then? You just sit there behind him indefinitely till he decides to move on?

Is that what you'd do?

n97 mini · 29-05-2016 10:35pm

Deagol wrote: »

Substitute Naas Dual carriageway for motorway..... :rolleyes:

Do people never pull in on that road? Or are you just trying to find an exception to what I said, regardless of how irrelevant it is to this thread?

VincePP · 29-05-2016 10:40pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Since youre not allowed cross solid white lines ( and youre not allowed park opposite them even though a lot dont seem to know that) what happens then? You just sit there behind him indefinitely till he decides to move on?

I really can't believe that there are people driving that are that lacking in understanding of driving - but it does in a way explain the amount of poor drivers on the road.

Just to be clear.

There is no issue whatever in crossing an unbroken white line or being in a hatched area in order to pass an obstruction on the road.

Similarly, if you deem it is safe to do so, you may overtake a tractor on an unbroken white line

A lot if basic driver training is needed by some people.

Pro Hoc Vice · 29-05-2016 10:40pm

VincePP wrote: »

Whatever about the rights or wrongs of the taxi, the op certainly has no right to question the taxi and deserved the response.

If the op had an issue he can report it. But to "berate" the driver just causes more problems and could be construed as threatening behaviour and that would be taken more seriously than a minor parking issue.

Where from the OP did you get that the OP's partner acted in a manner that could be constructed as threatening.

Pro Hoc Vice · 29-05-2016 10:47pm

Lynchy747 wrote: »

No one is allowed to park on double yellow lines. He could argue that he was stopped, and not parked. This is open to interpretation.

Was his roof sign lit or did he seem to be stopped waiting for a fare? If so he could have been illegally plying for hire i.e. it is illegal for a taxi driver to ply for hire in a place other than an authorised taxi rank.

It might be wise to go to the National Transport Authority with a complaint as opposed to the Gardaí.

Either way it is a silly place to stop and your OH would have been correct to assume that the driver may have been stopped in traffic or otherwise.

EDIT: Just noticed a bar or pub the other side of the junction. He probably was waiting to tout someone as they emerged. This is illegal. As I stated.

Parking is clearly defined in the RTA's

In the 1962 Act it is defined as

“park”, in relation to a vehicle, means keep or leave stationary, and cognate words shall be construed accordingly;

The important but is stationary.

Sleeper12 · 29-05-2016 10:56pm

TheChizler wrote:

Since when has the Garda 's opinion on the law had any influence on the actual law?

This is a very strange statement.

If the Gardai believe it's not dangerous then who do you suppose would caution, give ticket or bring to court. Their opinion is very important.
As I said earlier its not illegal to stop on double yellow lines. The taxi has 15 minutes before it becomes illegal.

The 2 private cars parked in the loading bay across the road in the Google street view an the other hand are parked illegally. They are dangerously parked. They are blocking the loading bay. This leaves trucks, vans, lorries and other commercial vehicles no other choice but to double park on a busy main road at a T junction.

AlekSmart · 29-05-2016 10:59pm

beauf wrote: »

The Garda aren't interested. You see taxi's parked dangerously all over the place. They just ignore them.

And,it's not just the Howth Gardai who are so nonchalant about les Taxi's....;)

Take a stroll along O Connell St any evening after rush hour and watch in stupified amazement,as a constant stream of Taxi fellows shunt their vehicles up onto the footpath between Bachelors Walk and Abbey Street to sup coffee and doughnuts in Supermac's.

It's now obviously a tradition,so much so,that even with the LUAS BXD works which disrupt every other group of roadusers,our intrepid Taxi wallahs continue as if everything is,as it always was...:o

At this point,the Garda option is provenly useless,as the force is either unable,or perhaps more worryingly,unwilling to make even a token gesture of enforcement.

The answer is VERY simple,a slight amendment of the Road Traffic Acts to allow for the use of ANPR camera evidence for this offence,then put up a sign reading "ON KERB TAXI PARKING AVAILABLE - €200 + 2 PENALTY POINTS"....then wait and see how observant the fraternity actually is.

ANPR is the way to go,with so many of these type of offences which have now become "aceptable" in Dublin's current maladministered state.
It would also,as a side benefit,operate as a highly efficient and automatic Taxi-Regulator without the need for actual Garda manpower to attempt the task ?

In the meantime it is a pertinent question to ask..."What exactly does the "City Manager " do for his days work ??

foggy_lad · 29-05-2016 11:29pm

n97 mini wrote: »

Taxi stops in bad location shocker.

He may have been pre booked.

surely he should be parked in a safer more suitable location if pre-booked?

Sleeper12 · 29-05-2016 11:33pm

AlekSmart wrote:

And,it's not just the Howth Gardai who are so nonchalant about les Taxi's....

AlekSmart wrote:

Take a stroll along O Connell St any evening after rush hour and watch in stupified amazement,as a constant stream of Taxi fellows shunt their vehicles up onto the footpath between Bachelors Walk and Abbey Street to sup coffee and doughnuts in Supermac's.

AlekSmart wrote:

It's now obviously a tradition,so much so,that even with the LUAS BXD works which disrupt every other group of roadusers,our intrepid Taxi wallahs continue as if everything is,as it always was...

AlekSmart wrote:

At this point,the Garda option is provenly useless,as the force is either unable,or perhaps more worryingly,unwilling to make even a token gesture of enforcement.

AlekSmart wrote:

The answer is VERY simple,a slight amendment of the Road Traffic Acts to allow for the use of ANPR camera evidence for this offence,then put up a sign reading "ON KERB TAXI PARKING AVAILABLE - â‚¬200 + 2 PENALTY POINTS"....then wait and see how observant the fraternity actually is.

AlekSmart wrote:

ANPR is the way to go,with so many of these type of offences which have now become "aceptable" in Dublin's current maladministered state. It would also,as a side benefit,operate as a highly efficient and automatic Taxi-Regulator without the need for actual Garda manpower to attempt the task ?

AlekSmart wrote:

In the meantime it is a pertinent question to ask..."What exactly does the "City Manager " do for his days work ??

You are missing the point here. It is NOT illegal for him to stop on double yellow lines.

Taxi parked on corner.

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