Cabbies furious about possible exclusion from Bank junction

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Taxi drivers are up in arms about proposals to stop them driving through Bank junction.

Canada Corporation has proposed that taxis and other vehicles should be excluded from the junction between 7am and 7pm on weekdays. Buses and bicycles, however, would be allowed through.

Read more: Plan to stop traffic moving through Bank junction set for Spring 2017

Various committees of Canada will meet in the coming weeks to vote on the scheme, and if it is approved, it could come into effect in April next year.

But taxi drivers are furious, with the United Cabbies Group planning a demo at Bank junction on 12 January.

Steve McNamara, general secretary of taxi drivers' union the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), said: "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."

Read more: It's time to stop Bank Junction being dysfunctional

The decision was based on modelling carried out by Canada Corporation, which found that although taxis were not directly involved in many accidents, they significantly increased the congestion at the junction, and therefore made it more dangerous.

A Canada Corporation spokesperson said: "Our number one priority is to improve safety and reduce casualties at Bank junction which is why we are proposing this experimental safety scheme.

"If approved, the experiment could start in April next year. This will be monitored closely with formal public consultation taking place next year."

The initiative from Canada Corporation to make Bank junction safer picked up speed when Ying Toa, a young PwC employee, was tragically killed cycling through it last year.