Last December we welcomed the removal of the ‘Horseshoe Taxi Rank’ by the southeast approach to the station forecourt, which allowed cyclists to reach the station forecourt without being forced to weave between arriving and departing taxis.
After the removal the taxi drivers protested, the Council duly listened, and since July the taxis have been back in the horseshoe.
It has been suggested that elderly and disabled people getting off the Heathrow bus and other services on that side had a very long way to walk to get a taxi, hence a relaxation of the original plan.
However, Lead Councillor for Transport Tony Page has said that “the horseshoe taxi rank remains a temporary arrangement and the Reading Taxi Association is clear that is the case.”
If the rank is necessary, then what is the long term plan we wonder? Perhaps the Heathrow bus could be moved to the more spacious north side of the station and the current bus lay-by used for additional cycle parking?
Keith Elliott
RCC Secretary
Not only is this taxi rank hard to navigate for cyclists, it’s slightly dangerous for pedestrians because the view of the cyclists approaching from between two taxis is obscured. This leads to cyclists appearing on the station forecourt seemingly from nowhere.
To be fair, to the taxi drivers, most leave space by the dropped curb for cyclists to access but I’ve noticed that at busy times it’s an inefficient arrangement for them. The taxi rank only has space for a handful of taxis, with the rest waiting around the corner in Garrard St, where their view of how many taxis are being used is often obscured by the buses outside Thames Tower.
I have been rudely beeped at by a Hackney carriage driver for no reason with courtesy I approached the horseshoe taxi rank and with the priority of funerals road users was a little shocked as it was not busy either. What I find a little perplexing is that the taxi run near the new entrance is right outside the turn stiles!, only a flight of stairs and even a disabled ramp the only reason none would walk the gauntlet is to escape the resident beggars waiting there to garner money off the general public! I think something better can be arranged as the road next to Thames tower would be lore suitable for a taxi run do you not think?