Taxi driver's frustration at lack of parking enforcement

Taxi drivers in Seaford are at the end of their tether as cars continue to stop in marked bays - but nothing can be done to stop it from happening.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Apr 2016, 10:00 BST

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Seaford taxi ranks SUS-160504-222853008Seaford taxi ranks SUS-160504-222853008
Seaford taxi ranks SUS-160504-222853008

Samantha Baker, a Seaford resident and licensed Lewes district taxi driver, said: “Why do East Sussex County Council employed traffic wardens refused to issue tickets to cars illegally parked on the taxi rank?

“When I approached the traffic wardens to ask why they were not ticketing these vehicles I was told, ‘it’s not part of my job’, ‘I’ve been told not to by my bosses’ and ‘it’s not up to me, call the police’.

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“It is imperative that I am able to use the facility put in place for me to do my job. I drive an accessible vehicle and to me, it is not just a job, it is a community service I am providing. Differently-abled persons require my vehicle, as do large families and those with pushchairs. If I cannot access my place of work, I cannot serve the community.

“My vehicle cost more to buy and more to run than a regular taxi but because of the lack of accessible vehicles operating in our local area, I decided it was worthwhile to have one. However, if I cannot access my place of work, it becomes redundant.

“Sundays, evenings and bank holidays are by far the worst for this offence at Morrisons, and it’s a daily occurrence at Broad Street and Seaford railway station.”

A spokesman for East Sussex County Council said: “In order for us to carry out enforcement of any parking restrictions, there must be a valid Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) in place. Unfortunately there are none in place for the taxi ranks mentioned. They have been included in our current parking review, a formal consultation for which ended on February 26. We are in the process of analysing the responses before the recommended changes, along with any objections received, are presented to the planning committee for consideration in May.

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“Should the changes be approved, we expect to be able to begin enforcement towards the end of summer.”

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Related topics:SeafordEast Sussex County CouncilTROMorrisonsFacebook