Safety concerns prompt city centre taxi rank trial

New experimental taxi ranks are to be introduced in a busy part of Leicester city centre after police raised concerns about road safety.

Leicester City Council said it wanted to tackle problems caused around Jubilee Square where private hire cars and black cabs gather in large numbers in the evenings and at weekends.

The council said the area was often busy with pedestrians and it wanted to try to separate them from vehicles.

As well as new taxi bays, a camera-enforced red route clearway is to be introduced to try to stop vehicles pulling up on nearby streets.

The authority said the trial scheme will come into force on 4 February and will run until July 2027.

• A new 24-hour taxi rank – for Hackney carriages only – will be introduced on St Nicholas Place, immediately adjacent to Jubilee Square.

• The existing taxi rank on Highcross Street will be converted into a 24-hour pick-up and drop-off bay, with a maximum waiting time of 10 minutes.

• Loading bays on Highcross Street and St Nicholas Place will see a change of use overnight, between 18:00 and 07:00 GMT to provide safe pick-up and drop-off bays.

• An existing layby on Vaughan Way, next to Mosh nightclub, will become an additional pick-up and drop-off bay overnight. The new pick-up and drop-off bays will be available for use by the general public and private hire drivers.

• A red route clearway will be introduced on part of St Nicholas Place, between St Nicholas Circle and Highcross Street, to prevent vehicles stopping at any time except in the authorised bays.

Ruby Andrews, who owns Audrey bar in Jubilee Square, said: "We are nextdoor to a taxi company and their drivers are very considerate but it does get so busy.

"It can feel a bit dangerous with so many cars and people mixing.

"I hope they enforce these new measures because that is the way they will make a difference."

Martin Fletcher, the council's director of highways, said: "This is a very busy part of the city centre at night and it's important that we review the existing arrangements for taxis and private pick-ups and drop-offs to help address road safety concerns raised by police.

"The trial scheme has been designed to recognise the demands on Hackney carriage and private hire drivers on busy nights and to help people get home safely after a night out."

There will be a six-month period at the start of the trial where people can raise objections to the new measure before a decision is made on whether to make them permanent.

A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: "We welcome this trial in order to manage traffic and parking provision in the areas of St Nicholas Place and Highcross Street during busy nighttime periods."

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