Manchester Private Hire Taxis in Bus Lanes

There is currently a debate going on in Manchester about whether Private Hire Taxi Vehicles (PHVs) should be allowed to use Bus Lanes in the same way Hackney Carriages (Black Cabs) are permitted to.  

The City Council is unwilling to allow Private Hire Taxis in the Bus Lanes because they're concerned about how they could distinguish them from motorists and other Council's Private Taxis and what impact it would have on Buses. This is part of the reply I recently recieved from the Council's Deputy Chief Executive:

However the Manchester Private Hire Association argue that the reasons Private Hire Taxis should be allowed to use the Bus Lanes is because

A) PHVs can clearly be distinguished from a normal car
B) 64 Councils nationally allow PHVs in Bus Lanes (major cities are Liverpool/Glasgow)
C) Equality act 2010 is being broken against their customers who choose to use this form of transport over another
D) Unfair competition laws broken (EU articles 49,56,58) - allowing Black Cabs doing the same job to use Bus Lanes
E) Green Issues - Stuck in traffic adds pollution to the city
F) Stuck in traffic means PHVs customers will pay more as meter clocks up waiting time.
G) Stuck in traffic PHVs customers can miss Hospital/Doctors/Dentists appointments adding extra pressure to NHS waiting lists and appointments.

They also dispute the Councils concerns about not being able to distinguish PHVs:

What do you think? Should Private Hire Taxi Vehicles be allowed to use Bus Lanes?

Lib Dem Minister gives Manchester £32,460,000

Discussing Sustainable Transport with Norman Baker MP
at Liberal Democrat Conference

Yesterday Lib Dem Minister Norman Baker MP announced Government  funding worth £32,460,000 for Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to fund the Let’s Get to Work scheme from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF). It is fantastic that the LSTF government initiative is continuing to allocate funds for projects that will stimulate economic growth whilst reducing carbon emissions throughout the country. A single Greater Manchester-wide bid was lodged and we have now received the funds, the second highest allocation in the country, which will be spent on making travel in Manchester greener and easier.

Sustainable Commuting

Let’s Get to Work has some great initiatives that can now get underway thanks to the money that the Lib Dem Transport Minister, Norman Baker MP, has allocated to Manchester. The scheme aims to take 26 million km of car journeys off the road and turn them into 10 million extra public transport journeys and 2 million extra cycling trips which could mean a potential reduction in carbon emissions of around 1,000 tonnes a year, which can only be a good thing. One of the core themes for Let’s Get to Work is ‘active travel’ that will involve different cycling initiatives including the Greater Manchester Commuter Cycle Project and projects to give people cycle training making Manchester greener and healthier.

The Economy

Now that the scheme can go ahead we can look forward to the prospect of a more mobile workforce therefore increasing the labour pool for employers and making it easier for employees to get to work. TfGM say the package has the potential to create the equivalent of 900 jobs, save businesses 1500 absentee days and save 1 million person hours of travel time each year. All this combined will help boost the competitiveness of Greater Manchester’s economy to the tune of £28 million according to Let’s Get to Work’s proposals.

Overall the Government funded scheme should have a very positive impact on our area making us healthier, helping the environment, boosting the economy and saving us time and money. A big “Thank you” to Lib Dem Transport Minister Norman Baker!

4am opening at Dixy Chicken refused

In May, Dixy Chicken (450 Wilbraham Road) applied for Planning Permission to extend their opening hours to 11.00 am to 02.00 Monday to Tuesday, 11.00 am to 03.00 am Wednesday to Thursday, 11.00 am to 4.00am Friday to Saturday and 11.00 am to 03.00 am Sunday. A number of residents contacted me to complain about the impact this would have on them and on the centre of Chorlton. I raised my concerns and sent the following representation to the Planning Committee:

I wish to object to the above planning application.  The proposed opening hours are significantly later than comparable businesses in the area and I am deeply concerned about the impact these late opening hours could have on the local area. It is my view that these opening hours could potentially present a significant disamenity to local residents and threaten the licensing objectives.  Proposed opening hours until 4am have the potential to encourage and exacerbate crime and disorder; threaten Public Safety ; encourage anti social behaviour and public nuisance. Chorlton has recently experienced numerous raids on late night premises and these trading hours would make this premises susceptible to such a problem. The proposed opening hours could potentially encourage crowds tocongregate, late night fights and affrays and general vandalism which can also potentially pose a threat to public health. 

The proposed hours could potentially also create a public nuisance in a residential area as there will be excessive noise, light, unpleasant smells, litter and public urination in the early hours. There has recently been an issue of businesses leaving commercial waste in the alley behind Wilbraham Road and on Keppel Road and this application could exacerbate this problem.  I also believe that the proposed hours will encourage people to travel from further afield than they would otherwise for late night refreshments. As a result it may exacerbate existing parking problems and encourage inconsiderate and dangerous parking. There is already a serious problem of taxis and cars parking on double yellow lines along Wilbraham Road and I believe this application could make this situation worse.  

I am also concerned about the precedent such late Opening hours could present. I would like to request that when the Planning Committee consider this application they are made aware of the opening and trading hours of similar businesses in Chorlton District Centre.

I am pleased that we managed to convince the Planning Department to recommend this application was refused in their official report and that the Planning Committee refused the application this afternoon.

Vince Cable: Action on Executive Pay

Last week, Lib Dem Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable announced sweeping changes to the way in which top-level executives have their pay and bonuses decided. This change, described by the government as the ‘most comprehensive reforms of the governance framework for directors’ remuneration in a decade’, will:

• Give company shareholders binding votes on both executive-pay policy and exit payments (the amount of money an executive receives if they resign or leave their contract early)
• Boost transparency – allowing the link between pay and performance to be clearly drawn
• Ensure that the reforms have a lasting impact by keeping the shareholders in the driving seat and maintaining their recent boardroom activism

Vince said:

“At a time when the global economy remains fragile, it is neither sustainable nor justifiable to see directors’ pay rising at 10 per cent a year, while the performance of listed companies lags behind and many employees are having their pay cut or frozen.

“In January we kicked off a national debate aimed at encouraging shareholders to become more actively engaged as company owners in better aligning directors’ pay with performance. I have been greatly encouraged by the ‘shareholder spring’ and I want to see that momentum sustained. That is why I am bringing forward legislation to strengthen the powers of shareholders through a binding vote on pay.”

As Liberal Democrats, we believe that the success should run through UK business from top to bottom. We want to see the values of fairness and responsibility in the setting of top-level pay, and we want to see proportionality – no more rewards for failure, no huge executive increases at the expense of low-paid workers below – at the heart of British business.

You can find more information on the upcoming Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill here.

Chorlton Planning Applications for the week ending 15 June

Below are recently submitted Planning Applications in the Chorlton area. You can find out more information about any of the proposals on the City Council's Planning Portal at http://tinyurl.com/yv6lex or by contacting the South Area Planning Group Manager - Roger Hall; Tel: (0161) 234 4536; email: r.hall@manchester.gov.uk . You can also make a Planning representation (in support or opposition) to Mr Hall or the designated planning officer for each application. Please feel free to contact me on (07947383740; cllr.v.chamberlain@manchester.gov.uk) if you wish to discuss any application and please also send me a copy of any representation you make.


099432/LE/2012/S1 4 Barway Road Chorlton Manchester M21 9JZ
Certificate of Lawful Development for existing single storey side and rear extension

099532/FH/2012/S1 7 South Drive Chorlton Manchester M21 8DX
Erection of ground floor Kitchen extension with balcony. Replacement of windows and internal alterations demolition of existing outbuildings,



099544/FO/2012/S1 35-37 St. Werburghs Road Chorlton Manchester M21 0TL
New pitched roof to incorporate additional bedroom (and en-suite bathroom) accommodation and to act as a visual link to connect both semi-detached houses.

Fix Parliament - Time for Reform

After more than a hundred years of debates, cross-party talks, Green Papers, White Papers, Command Papers and a Royal Commission an historic Bill to reform the House of Lords has finally been introduced into Parliament by the Liberal Democrats.

These reforms do not challenge the work or talent of the dedicated individuals in the House of Lords, but challenge a tainted system. That is not a controversial belief, it was a promise made by all three political parties at the last election.

As Nick Clegg said: “There's a very simple principle at stake, which most people will agree with and Liberal Democrats have campaigned long and hard for; that the people who make the laws of the land should be elected by the people who have to obey the laws of the land.”

For more information go to the Fix Parliament Facebook Page.

20mph limits help people to reach their destination quicker

People wrongly assume that 20mph limits delay journey times. Yet, average city speeds are generally well below 20mph owing to congestion and queues. And traffic flows more freely at 20mph than 30mph: drivers make better use of road space by packing closer and junctions work more efficiently and at a higher capacity as its easier to merge. Because drivers feel safer, some leave their cars at home, further reducing congestion. 20mph limits mean quicker journeys.

Optimal speeds for maximum urban traffic flow have been mathematically modelled and 20mph is more efficient than 30mph.

· Drivers cut their spacing as braking distances contract. Shorter gaps mean more vehicles can use the available road space, reducing standing traffic.
· Filtering at junctions becomes easier too. It is far easier for motorists to pull into traffic travelling at 20mph than at 30mph. So junctions work more efficiently and queues reduce.
· Motor traffic volumes decrease since slower speeds encourage active, sustainable and shared travel. Walking and cycling levels rose by up to 12% after Bristol’s 20mph limit
· Buses operate more efficiently. The reduced length of queues means that bus journey times decrease, and become more reliable. Buses become a more attractive alternative to the car.

For more information visit http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk/BriefingSheets/20mph_Improves_Traffic_Flow.pdf