PRIVATE taxi drivers in Reading say they are making progress in a bid to use a bus lane which they believe would speed up their journeys.
While taxi and private hire cars have been able to use the inbound bus lane for King’s Road for over a decade, only black cab drivers can use the outbound lane towards Cemetery Junction and the A329m.
A group of private hire drivers launched the Reading Private Hire Association (RPHA) to lobby the council for access, and at a meeting of its council’s traffic management sub-committee the group’s proposal was discussed.
One of the drivers, Kamran Saddiq, said: “To be honest, we feel hard done by when we go to other boroughs, and we are not able to use their bus lanes due to their jurisdictions which we are not allowed to use because we are not from their boroughs.
“I don’t see why it’s fair that we are actually employed, we work for Reading Borough Council, we pay our licence and badge application fees here, that we are being deprived from the services we have been working tirelessly day and night to provide.”
Buses and taxis have been able to use the inbound bus lane for over a decade. In 2019, use of the lane was restricted to bus drivers, and only those cab and private hire drivers who are licensed with Reading Borough Council.
The change was introduced to speed up journey times by limiting which taxis could access the bus lane.
Mr Saddiq said: “It’s been three years and the volume of traffic has decreased by a major amount.
“There’s not been one single accident recorded from the private hire drivers in that bus lane.
Asif Rashid, chairman of the Reading Taxi Association, said the council needs to look at enforcement measures to ensure that rule-breaking taxi drivers from outside the area are punished.
Mr Saddiq also proposed changing the speed limit in Kings Road near Reading College to 20mph to improve safety.
John Ennis (Labour, Southcote), lead councillor for transport, thanked Mr Saddiq and the RPHA for their “good work” and said they have been “extremely responsible” in working with the council since the group was founded in December last year.
Cllr Ennis then introduced a proposal for an informal consultation into allowing Reading private hire drivers to use the outbound bus lane, rather than a statutory consultation which was recommended by the council’s highways officers.
He said he would have liked for the results of the consultation to come back in November, but was advised that the consultation would have to be reported in January to ensure it is properly undertaken.
Cllr Rob White (Green, Park), the leader of the opposition, voiced support for private hire drivers to use the outbound bus lane, and echoed Mr Saddiq’s concerns about road safety, citing Crash Map UK data showing approximately 25 slight crashes, eight serious crashes, and, on May 17, 2018, a fatal crash in Kings Road.
He suggested setting set up a councillor working group to investigate Kings Road safety, but that was voted down by committee members.
Opposition councillors James Moore (Liberal Democrats, Tilehurst) and Stephen Goss (Conservative, Emmer Green) both agreed that there should be ‘consistency’.
Cllr Ennis’ amended motion to launch a statutory consultation was agreed unanimously, which saw Mr Saddiq thank councillors.
