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Bank Junction before it was closed to traffic other than buses and cyclists (licensed CC BY 2.0 by Ronnie Macdonald)City of London confirms plans to ban vehicles from Bank junction
The City of London Corporation has confirmed plans to ban lorries, cars and taxis from Bank Junction between 7am and 7pm. The 18-month trial, which could begin in April, is an attempt to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists at what is one of the capital’s most dangerous junctions.
The busy six-way junction was the site of the death of cyclist Ying Tao last year and The London Evening Standard reports that 34 cyclists and 31 pedestrians were injured in the 7am-7pm period between 2011 and last year.
The proposed ban, which is to be decided by the policy and resources committee on December 15, would see only buses and cyclists permitted. Transgressors would receive a £130 fine after having their number plate read by roadside cameras.
City experts predict that the move could cut casualties by 50-60 per cent.
A City Corporation spokesman said the ban would be closely monitored with formal public consultation taking place next year. “A final decision on whether the scheme is to remain is likely to be taken between 12 and 18 months after the experiment starts.”
Taxi drivers have reacted angrily to the news. Modelling carried out by the City of London Corporation found that although taxis were not directly involved in many collisions, they significantly increased congestion at the junction and therefore made it more dangerous.
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), told City AM:
"It's probably the craziest scheme anyone has suggested for some time. The reality is that taxis are driven by professional drivers, and they are easily accessible vehicles that drive at low speeds. Buses have more accidents than taxis... If it is based on the number of accidents, then buses should be excluded."
The United Cabbies Group has called for a demonstration at the junction on January 12.
More information on the traffic modelling will be published later this year, but it is thought that the impact on traffic speeds in the area would be “neutral” or “slightly positive”. This is due to the nature of the junction where the sheer number of roads means light phases are short and inefficient.
Earlier this year, City of London police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to bring criminal charges against the truck driver involved in the collision that resulted in Ying Tao’s death.
However, law firm Leigh Day have questioned their assertion that the evidence did not meet the necessary threshold and have asked that the decision be reviewed.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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26 comments
1. One of the reasons behind the City's safety agreement between with Cycling Campaign and the LTDA a while back is that taxis are disproportionately represented in collisions in the City with people cycling. And analysis of those collisions showed driver behaviour was a big issue. So claims they're the best drivers out there are very dubious. LCC were very happy to try and find common ground with the LTDA. But it seems they're not very interested. That's on them.
2. The City engineers have done extensive modelling of not just Bank, but what happens elsewhere. The answer is largely positive. Basically, pedestrian numbers at the junction are already causing chaos - by rerouting around the overcrowding you actually improve traffic issues. I don't know whether there will be "evaporation", I'd suspect there will be some also. But even if there isn't, this scheme stacks up on modelling.
3. The City has traditionally been a fairly conservative and cautious organisation. Its plan is to test this trial scheme for a year, then move forward with an option based on it working. One of the options they're looking at I suspect is removing everything - including buses. Crossrail coming through central London is seeing a lot of bus patterns move or able to move.
4. As ever folks, if you like this scheme and want to see more of it, give City some love for it. The more praise they get from people who cycle through the city, the better. There's a new City borough group for the London Cycling Campaign forming - check them out on Twitter etc. and get involved if you work in, ride through or (best of all, as they have the most clout) live in the city.
just to point out - truck drivers and white van drivers also have a certain reputation for various reasons - certainly, driving for 10+ hours a day seems to contribute more to intolerance than to improved technique...
and then there's Lewis Hamilton, who has also been known to drive like a complete tw*t - no explanation necessary for that one.
If they let busses through, then they should also allow taxis, but NOT private hire vehicles, Uberoids can find another route . . .
The reduction in vehicle numbers should still make the junction vastly safer. . . . However if taxi drivers abuse the system, then they too get banned 6 months into the trial to see what effect it has.
"taxis are driven by professional drivers" - so are getaway cars!
"Angry reaction from taxi drivers" seems a bit redundant - it would certainly be a lot more newsworthy if they ever had any other reaction!
Hmmm professional just means that they're paid to drive so doesn't mean anything in this context - except perhaps that as their livelyhood benefits from doing what's best for themselves and not those around them.
Black cab drivers are much better than.... Addison Lee drivers.
Isn't that a bit like working out which is worse - a texting driver or a drunk driver?
Taxi drivers... professionals... Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
I wonder if the modelling included the impact of the displaced vehicles on other routes. It's not necessarily the case that overall safety is improved by such a scheme.
Its compensated by a phenomena called Traffic Evaporation. Google it.
Thanks, some interesting reads uncovered there.
I'm still sceptical that lorries and taxis are going to evaporate.
The only reason taxis drive at low speeds is because they're stuck behind another one - given a chance, they floor it and their beaten old Nissan engines pump out clouds of filthy crap that I get to breathe.
When will this war on motorists end?*
*tee-hee
The reality is that taxis are driven by professional drivers, and they are easily accessible vehicles that drive at low speeds. Buses have more accidents than taxis... If it is based on the number of accidents, then buses should be excluded.
This kind of rubbish from the taxi lobby would be more credible if we hadn't been putting up with badly driven, speeding taxis who won't go south of the river for decades.
No-one listens to them any more and it's their own fault...
This junction is too crowded at the moment. Just keeping it to buses and cyclist makes sence, but the hours need to run later as at 7pm it's still busy with pedestrians and cyclists then.
The Taxi driver were always going to be angry about this, but letting Taxis in would mean not enough of a reduce in traffic.
The give us professional drivers a bad name.
I have actually met a professional taxi driver.
I booked a taxi for 1000, and the guy turned up five minutes early, never broke the speed limit, observed the rules of the road and was polite and helpful.
Never met another one though!
If taxi drivers are classed as professional drivers I dread to think what an amateur driver gets up to!!! Taxis in Nottingham do all of the above as well as park on the segregated cycle lane and park on double yellow lines!!
'The reality is that taxis are driven by professional drivers...'
Which cut up pretty much every other vehicle on the road.
Pull over wherever they feel like it, usually without indicating, then pull away again without indicating.
U-Turn frequently - without indicating.
Never Give Way.
Block Box Junctions.
Stop in the cycle zone at traffic lights.
I couldn't agree more. The idea of taxi drivers being described as "professional" is beyond a joke, in my experience. Most of us think "professional" is a good thing, but almost all of the ones I come across (admittedly not London Black cabs downw here in Sussex) are the most likely to cut you up or pass too close.
Anecdotes are not evidence.
I am by no means asking for more cars on the road or saying all taxi drivers are perfect, but just substitute the above for complaints you hear about cyclists:
Cyclists cut up pretty much every other vehicle on the road
Ride wherever they feel like it, usually without indicating, then change lane again without indicating
Change direction frequently - without looking
Never Give Way
Never stop at red lights
Ride up the inside of cars to get to the cycle zone
And there you have the same nonsense that gets thrown at us cyclists on a regular basis. Yes, its true for some, but its a small minority. I don't know numbers for how many taxi drivers behave badly (or how exactly one would measure that), and without any hard evidence, statements like the above are pure conjecture and don't help anyone in trying to reduce conflict on the roads.
Though the comment was responding to 'The reality is that taxis are driven by professional drivers...'
Which doesn't even reach the status of 'anecdote'. It's just a statement that doesn't tell us anything at all.
So I don't think scientific studies from peer-reviewed journals are really needed to rebut it.
I mean 'professional' isn't a well-defined word. It can just mean 'who do it for payment' or 'a long-standing traditional line-of-work that has a professional body that enforces standards and disciplines those who fall short of them'.
Black cab drivers don't really meet the second definition. There's not much enforcement of standards for anything that isn't about treatment of the paying punter in the cab.
Anecdotes are not evidence.
I am by no means asking for more cars on the road or saying all taxi drivers are perfect, but just substitute the above for complaints you hear about cyclists:
Cyclists cut up pretty much every other vehicle on the road
Ride wherever they feel like it, usually without indicating, then change lane again without indicating
Change direction frequently - without looking
Never Give Way
Never stop at red lights
Ride up the inside of cars to get to the cycle zone
Substitute all of the above for "a large percentage of people are selfish arseholes" and apply it to everything. Job done.
Good that this plan has already passed the "will the taxi drivers object?" test.
Always a good sign. We just need the Daily Mail and LBC to confirm it.
I actually agree with the LTDA here. Ban buses too!