The bill which seeks to create ranks/bays for pedicabs is presently sitting once again in the house of Lords awaiting a 3rd reading before it can move to the commons and trigger a 10 day window where we the RMT specialist transport union can petition our parliament and ask for our objections to be heard before a parliamentary committee consisting of MP's.
Please click on the link http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/londonlocalauthoritiesandtransportforlondonno.2hl.html if you wish to see for yourself the progress of the bill through our parliament. If you are interested have a read of "hansard" especially the opposed bill committee in the Lords where a Martin Low of Westminster City Council openly calls the bays they/he wishes to allocate to pedicabs "ranks".
The Lords have adjourned until the 5th of October 2010 and therefore this bill will not be have a 3rd reading until the early part of October 2010.
Within the Taxi trade much is made of who talks with who and what progress is being made by competing unions/organisations. Well the RMT specialist transport union along with its London taxi branch contacted the promoters of the bill and expressed concern at the lack of dialogue and engagement from TFL and Westminster City Council, we are pleased that the promoters of the bill "Sharpe Pritchard" parliamentary agents have finally made contact with us and requested communications start regarding our objections to "clause 19".
Pedicabs are dangerous objects that have no role to play within our public/private transport network. TFL and Westminster City Council where asked after the No.1 bill was rejected by a previous parliament to create a licensing regime for pedicabs, this they have not done. In fact they have created the worse option possible which is a "voluntary registration" scheme which gives privileges to pedicabs riders whilst they are able to cover/remove any registration plate has and when they see fit.
A "Voluntary registration" scheme cannot work because of its "Voluntary" nature. The London taxi trade though was consulted on this bill before it was placed before parliament and guess what not one trade org responded to the consultation. We have an email confirming this from the transport commissioner Peter Hendy/TFL if anyone is thinking of writing the opposite. This ladies and gentlemen is why the RMT London taxi branch was formed, this is the reason why others "don't like" the RMT because we embarrass and even shame them into actually doing the job they should have be doing for years.
Lax/lazy representation will kill this trade off and we at the RMT London taxi branch are all volunteers, we receive out of pocket ex's for the efforts/work we do to save our jobs/industry. We actually drive taxi-cabs for a living and do not rely on stand down pay, we have all the problems you have be it a day/night or weekend shift.
If you want to work to ban pedicabs you do not allow a bill to walk through parliament that will create ranks/bays and lead members of the public into believing that these dangerous unsafe objects are in fact licensed and safe.
We urge the LTDA, the union UNITE and the LCDC to join the RMT and petition against clause 19 of this bill. Time to stand up for taxi-cab drivers.
Join the RMT online at http://www.rmt.org.uk/ or pop into George Vyse's office at the Great Suffolk Street Taxi centre and request an application form.
PS we have more members attending branch meetings than other trade orgs can muster for their AGM's.
