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After 60 Years –Still Driving

New Technology!

Winter 2013/14

WELL CHRISTMAS IS NEARLY HERE and we hope you all have a great time.For those of you who do not belong to the Credit Union and have not beensaving, it may be a struggle finding the money for gifts or holidays, Credit Unionmembers do not have this worry.It is also getting close to the time when those tax demands drop through your letter boxes again forpayment in January, again not a problem for our members. The peace of mind that those who dobelong, is great, not having to worry how this is going to be paid; they know full well that all it takesis a phone call to this office to arrange a loan or request a share withdrawal to pay those tax bills.

The concern for many of you who do not belong to the Credit Union has again causedheadaches for some of you; if you need a loan and get it from elsewhere, you will often have payexorbitant rates, that is if you can get a loan.

If you join now you will be eligible, if needed, to take a loan to cover this expense for thenext demand in July 2014, just save as much or as little as you like, remember you have tobe a member and you must have saved regularly for a minimum of at least three monthsbefore qualifying for a loan, savings can be withdrawn anytime.

Once again we cannot emphasise enough how useful being a member is, you mayapply for a loan for whatever reason you may have, no questions asked. Apart from theincome tax issue you may want to take a holiday or buy items for home, or you canjust save for a rainy day.

Ask any of your friends who are members just how easy it was to raise moneyfor whatever reason they may have had.

Join now, it is so much easier to have money deducted from your accountwork than having to come in to pay, alternatively if you wish, you may pay byStanding Order direct from your Bank/Building Society, you decide howmuch you wish to save each month.

A TYPICAL LOAN FROM RADIO TAXICABS (LONDON)CREDIT UNION LTD IS AS FOLLOWS:£1,000 over 12 months will cost you £88.85 a month, total loanrepayment is £1,066.20, interest payable is only £66.20, beat that ifyou can. In addition to this all loans and savings are insured andfully protected in the event of an untimely death, this normallycosts a great deal more with other lenders.

For an application form or other information, or youjust want to discuss anything relating to the Credit Unionjust give us a call and we would be happy discussing thiswith you.

Call Maria Collu on 020 7561 5185 Monday toFriday 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pmEmail: maria.collu@radiotaxis.co.uk

From everyone at Radio Taxis Credit Union we wishyou all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

CreditUnionRadio Taxicabs ( London) Credit Union Ltd No. 90C

Mountview House, Lennox Road, London N4 3TX

Tel: 020 7561 5148 Fax: 020 7561 5166

Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority FRN. 2132322

Season’s Greetings to all...Why not join the Credit Union now!

4 Roger Sligo’s ‘Ed Lines’Your roving reporter… still roving and still reporting!

6 Will the Green Shoots go Brown?Gordon Brown takes a look at the economy

7 Welcome to the Modern WorldPeter Gibson on the new Radio Taxis Smartphone App

8 A Historical ReviewGeoffrey Riesel gets nostalgic

11 Things Invented Since 1953Alan Franks and those life-changing inventions

12 The Lord Mayor’s Show, November 2013Roger Sligo braved the bad weather to bring us this

15 The Hand That Rocks the CradleDan Ellis gets some good vibrations – eventually

16 RTG’s Code of ConductSteve Cooper asks “are you complying?”

17 Loading RegulationsJohn Vigus explains what we need to know

18 RTG Launches London Taxi Watch How cabbies can be London’s eyes against crime

20 Curiosity CornerRoger Sligo and a Bridge Too Far

21 What is Crossrail 2?Peter Gibson explains if it’s on the right track

22 Where Did Health & Safety Come From?Ronald MacDonald Watson explains its origins

24 The Sands Film StudiosRoger Sligo projects us an image or two

27 Think Before you TweetGeoffrey Riesel on the pros and cons of tweeting

28 1953 Timeline – TransportationRoger Sligo transports us back to the 1950’s

30 The Cheapside HoardRoger Sligo finds London’s long lost jewels, sort of

32 Black Cab Drivers Could be GettingIllegal State Aid

32 Taxi’ing Times – Episode 2Terry, RTG’s street-wise cabbie’s passenger’s puzzle

33 One DirectionRoy Hughes sings the praises of One Transport

34 The Caption CompetitionBag yourself a £25 Marks & Spencer Gift Voucher

34 The Mountview Puzzler PageCrossword and Sodoku for those “quiet” moments

THE MOUNTVIEW NEWS EDITORIAL TEAM IS:Roger Sligo – Editor & photos / Penny Cuckston – AdministrationDoug Canning, DC-Graphics – Design, layout, artwork, print & distributionGeoffrey Riesel & Peter Gibson – Board productionDesign, Layout & Print: ©2013 / DC-Graphics / High Barnet / Herts / EN5 5TP

T: 0208 440 1155 / W: www.dc-graphics.co.ukContent: © 2013 / Radio Taxis Group Ltd / Lennox Road / London / N4 3TXThe information and images contained in this Newsletter are subject to copyright.Unauthorised use, disclosure or copying without prior written permission from RTG Ltd is strictly prohibited.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

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FOUND!On page 30

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE SMOKING BANin public places several years ago, many smokershave had to endure life changing experiences likehaving smoking breaks at work, which meansstanding outside the office sometimes in the coldand rain. It is also common place to see taxi-driversstanding beside their cabs on ranks while having asmoke.

As a non-smoker (I kicked the habit thirty odd years ago)I do sympathise with smokers, although I’m pleased to now beworking in a smoke free environment and not forced to breath inother peoples stale smoke, which makes not only my lungscleaner but also my clothes.

Sometimes you might have had four or five passengersmoking all at once which really did start your eyes watering,and getting down your throat as you tried to contain a coughingbout.Like everything else in life there are always people trying to makea buck by finding a way to exploit other people’s misery byinventing something to replace the forbidden fruit. Enter theelectronic cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes are very controversial products thesedays. They are gaining the approval of smokers as a safersmoking alternative and as a means to stop smoking. However,these products have not only gained fans, but have also collectedcritics and prohibitionists. They are banned not only by hospitalsand schools, but also by transportation agencies. The latestaddition to the prohibition is by a transportation body,Transport for London (TfL). The prohibition involves forbiddingits staff from using electronic cigarette kits while they are atwork. The reason behind the ban, according to the managementis because the devices seem very realistic.

Right now, only employees are banned from “Vaping,” (fromthe word vapour) but officials at TfL said that customers mightsoon be disallowed to “Vape” while they are aboard thetransportation vehicles. As far as I can ascertain at the momenttaxi drivers and PHV drivers can use the e-cigarettes and so cantheir passengers.

Much of the rail network however has a ban on passengersand staff using them. A spokesperson for City Airport alsoclaimed “We don’t allow smoking or them to be smokedanywhere in the building.” A flight assistant added. “Peoplemight think they were the real thing, this would make policingthe smoking ban very much harder.”

One council has a ban on e-cigarettes in taxis by both driversand passengers across St Helens, after the council’s licensingcommittee ruled the products should fall under its no smokingpolicy.

PC gone mad or just another council with too much power? As long as drivers are not faced with a two grand fine, which iswhat you would have to pay should you allow a smoker to lightup in your taxi, then I am happy for e-smokers to carry on, but Ido feel that a universal ruling is put in place to save argumentsand should a driver refuse to take a fare who is adamant onsmoking an e-cigarette, could they be in danger of a fine orhaving their licence revoked?

I have only ever had one passenger insist on smoking an e-cigarette and she is a retired former high court judge, who usedto be a regular smoking Radio Taxis account passenger – andwho would want to argue with her? And she’s not a bad judge…

BOWLED OVERDriving along the Lambeth Road on a sunny afternoon duringAugust, my MDT “bleeped” me a job. Normally you have to waituntil after you accept the job before the name of the passenger isrevealed, only this time the passengers name was there as theaccount holder along with the pick-up address and destination.I must admit there was no delay in accepting the hire as thepassenger was a famous English cricket legend.

As I approached the pick-up point I managed to park on thecorner of Harleyford Road and on the left-hand side of the Oval,just as the police began cordoning off that section of the

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Smoke without fire

RRooggeerr SSlliiggoo’’ss

NNEEWWSS

Sir Ian Botham – England cricketing legend

roadway. Crowds began dispersing from the gates of the groundsand there was no way I could have put a name-board in thewindow, as I was sure it would have attracted hundreds of cricketfans and autograph hunters, anyway I was the only taxi there andhe is the only cricketer I would instantly recognise!

After the usual Advise Arrival and a short wait, my passengereventually made his way towards me through the crowds,followed by a group of supporters shouting out that he was theirhero and the legend was of course – Sir Ian Botham. Theproblem I now faced was trying to drive out of this closed offstreet, with so many people walking in the road. It was a bit liketrying to drive through Petticoat Lane on a Sunday!

People were tapping the windows, waving and takingpictures. I can tell you I couldn’t wait to get free and back intothe traffic filled Kennington Road.

I later discovered that while Sir Ian was there on this sameday (21st August 2013), which was the first match day of the testbetween England and Australia, that he had been approachedshortly before the toss and asked to hand England caps to SimonKerrigan and Chris Woakes. It is good to know that the legendSir Ian Botham is a client of Radio Taxis and that he was as nicea person that you could wish to drive in your taxi. At the end ofthe journey I couldn’t resist getting his autograph and picture ofthis great English cricketing legend.

PULL THE OTHER ONEChristmas is upon us once again! Have you ever noticed that theolder you get the quicker Christmas comes around? I rememberas a young schoolboy Christmas was a long time coming. Thelast day of term before Christmas was something special; as yousang a few Carols and were let off school early, it signalled the

start of a couple of weeks of fun. Unlike America which hasThanksgiving and that is not seen as a religious festival, withevery race and creed coming together as one. I personally thinkChristmas should be enjoyed by the entire World in the sameway, no matter what your race or religion. Santa Claus himself isjust like one of the Disney characters, which every child shouldbe able to enjoy. I once asked a Jewish friend who has young kidsif he was getting a Christmas tree that year?

He looked at me surprised and said “No I’m Jewish” – I said,I don’t recall a Spruce, Pine or Fir tree as having anything to dowith religion. In fact the tree was taken from the Pagancelebrations, as they were afraid that winters darkness would beupon them forever. They believed that by bringing a tree full oflights into their homes in celebration of the sun, it would makethe sun return to the sky once again.

A careful analysis of the Scriptures clearly indicates thatDecember 25th is an unlikely date for Christ’s birth. We knowthat shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks at the timeof Jesus’ birth. Shepherds were not in the fields during Decemberand it was more likely to have been during late Summer or earlyAutumn.

Another Christmas celebration which actually has nothing todo with religion and which is enjoyed by everyone during theChristmas dinner is pulling the crackers or bonbons. This wasthe invention of Londoner Thomas Smith, who had a shop nearFinsbury Square, where he sold his bon-bon sweets, which werewrapped in a twist of paper (the origins of the traditional sweet-wrapper).

As sales of bon-bons slumped, Smith began to come up withnew promotional ideas. His first tactic was to insert “lovemessages” into the wrappers of the sweets. Smith added the

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“crackle” element when he heard the crackle of a log he had justput on a fire. The size of the paper wrapper had to be increasedto incorporate the banger mechanism, and the sweet itself waseventually dropped, to be replaced by a trinket; or a fan, orjewellery and even other substantial items.

The new product was initially marketed as the Cosaque (i.e.,Cossack), but the “cracker” soon became the commonly usedname, as rival varieties came on the market. The other elementsof the modern cracker —the gifts, paper hats and varieddesigns— were all introduced by Tom Smith’s son, Walter Smith,to differentiate his product from the rival cracker manufacturerswhich had suddenly sprung up.

As the demand for crackers increased, Tom Smith merged

with Caley Crackers in 1953 taking over their headquarters andfactory in Norwich, East Anglia.

I strongly believe that children of every faith and creedshould be able to enjoy this festive season, as it is Santa whobrings all the toys to the girls and boys. Just like Mickey Mouse,every child should enjoy looking out for Santa’s reindeers and hissleigh; not forgetting of course to leave a mince pie for him anda carrot for Rudolph.

Wishing you all a multicultural and very Merry Christmas,a Happy Chanukah, a Happy Diwali, a Happy PanchaGanapati, a Happy Eid and a very Happy New Year!

Roger Sligo

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I KEEP BEING ASKED if the economy is nowmoving into a growth period. Certainly therecent economic data has been positive.The economy (GDP) has grown by 1.6% sofar of which 0.8% was in the last quarter –the fastest growth rate for over 3 years.

The prediction for 2014 is 2.8% although this issomewhat slower than the usual post recession growthrates of 3% – 4%.

When you look at the data in a bit more detail themain growth area is construction at 2.5%, with services –key to the London economy – growing at a moresedately 0.7% but now above its pre crisis level.Certainly from what I hear anecdotally there is moreactivity in London – drivers are saying it’s busier onthe street than in the last few years, other areas of theTransport network are busier than they have ever beenand I’m reliably informed that the number ofconference calls – a sign of City deals and business –has also started to grow strongly.

All the signs are therefore positive with the Bank ofEngland now under our new Canadian friend MarkCarney saying that the recovery is under way.Inflation is now starting to fall – now at 2.2% from the

previous 2.7% – with the hope that unemployment willfall to the ‘magic’ 7% figure towards the end of 2014which will trigger more serious discussions on whetherinterest rates should rise.

Personally I still think any recovery is fragile – atRadio Taxis we have some companies expanding butothers still trying to tighten their purse strings byreducing cab usage or asking us to reduce prices(usually our administration fees and your gratuities).Some of the news remains mixed with retail salesfalling in October and the Eurozone still an issue thatcould blow up at any time.

Even the house price boom is sending mixedmessages: house prices are rising due to theGovernment funded ‘help to buy’ scheme and thebillionaires buying up London but with no real housebuilding programme to back it up, it sounds more of a‘bubble’ than anything sustainable which will helpyoung couples starting out in life.

So in conclusion until we see wages starting to rise –which is a sign of good real growth – the recovery islikely to be as the IOD have said ‘short and sweet’rather than ‘long and strong’.

Will theGreen Shootsgo Brown?

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MOUNTVIEW HOUSE was anervous place to be on Monday30th September as it was the daythat the Radio Taxis App waslaunched.

It had been several months in building and testingand fixing bugs and was as ready as we thoughtpossible but it is still a nail biting time when you“throw” it on the cloud, or App Store, and the GreatBritish public start to use it and you discover how itperforms with volume use.

The LBC radio advertisingcampaign was also started onthe same Monday and a half adozen suitably attired“volunteers” (see picture left)attacked a different Londontube station every day of thatweek and handed out some30,000 – 50,000 Oyster cardholders complete withinstructions of how it waspossible to win £1000 each daythat week for downloading andregistering the App.

The very first trip completed from an Appdownload went from N1 to Heathrow at 05.40 thatMonday morning –absolutely true. So by midmorning on that Monday wewere a little calmer and theApp was being downloadedsteadily and a trickle of Appbookings started coming in.

The draw for the first£1000 winner took place onTuesday morning andCharlotte Raymond, whowas the first winner, couldhardly believe that she hadwon. The cheque waspresented and Charlotte wason Twitter and Facebookwithin the hour. The fairlyrecent development of socialmedia necessitates instantcommunication of what weare doing, how you can be

part of it and what’s in it for thosewho participate followed by the proofof the rewards. Tweets of all the drawwinners were posted each day and Radio TaxisFacebook page was updated.

So by midnight on Friday 4th October, the end ofthe first five days, we had distributed some 30 – 50,000Oyster Card holders advertising the Radio Taxis App.We had almost a couple of thousand downloads of theApp and a steady daily increase in download and Apptrip bookings through the week. The App wasperforming well but with people using the APP (andthey can see there are cabs on their APP map) it reallydoes need you our drivers to cover this APP work.There’s no charge to the customer or to you as a driver.

So just in case you thought that the technologyrevolution was passing you by – you are receiving workon your MDT (mobile data terminal) from a homegrown iPhone and Android Application that enables abooking to be made with a simple touch of an icon ona screen. It has a very snazzy facility to enable a driverand a passenger to talk on a mobile telephone withouteach one knowing the others telephone number. Allthis and it’s continually being marketed on Radio Taxiswebsite, on Facebook and Twitter… welcome to themodern world!

Peter Gibson – RTG’s Group Strategic Director.

Welcome to themodern world

Charlotte Raymond – The first £1000 winner receives a cheque from Geoffrey Riesel

LET ME START BY WISHING YOU and allyour families a very Merry Christmas.

TECHNOLOGYAs 2013, our sixtieth year, draws to a close, it occurs to me that after allthis time as a company we’re still innovating and still driving newtechnology so that we can work with our drivers to service ourcustomers more easily.

In 1953 as Radio Taxicabs (Southern) Ltdwe used PYE radios with large valve radiosets which “lived” in the boot, we thenmoved on to Philips, graduating C.1970, totransistorized radios called “Cossor

Commandos” (different meanings in those days!?) The Cossor wasfitted onto the bulkhead in the drivers’ compartment just below thedashboard. If you had a manual gearbox cab the gearstick had to bebent to accommodate it. But in any case it was seen as a step forwards.

The Cossor with the “bent gearstick” wasthe first radio I ever had fitted – my call signwas Mike 45 and that was August 1973.

In the 1980’s Radio Taxicabs (London) Ltd fitted another iconicPhilips radio, this one was called the “Europa” it was mountedalongside the driver’s seat on the partition between the luggagecompartment.

1990 Saw our first data despatch systeminstalled, it was the Motorola or MDIsystem. After moving to Mountview Houseearly in January 1990, we were not due togo live on MDI until mid-February. Thenafter only a few days the brand new

Motorola voice system crashed and we were forced to go live with data(although half of the drivers had not yet been trained or fitted on thenew system yet.)

After absolute chaos for a few hours in thefirst day, with for example 30 cabs turningup for the same job causing a major trafficjam in Soho, by day two, drivers and staffwere “experts” on the system and by daythree, drivers were already figuring out

ways to ‘beat’ the system.In 1998 we introduced Pathfinder, despite everyone’s best efforts,

go live was problematic here too. Within a couple of weeks there werequeues of drivers at Station Rd (many of them wanting to ring myneck) because of bugs and issues with the new system, which of coursein the end all got sorted out. Indeed Pathfinder has despatched to datesomewhere around 20 million journeys!

Today we are also using online and mobile booking devices, thelatest being the Radio Taxis cash APP working on the very latestSmartphones. What a journey it has been thus far.

WE LAUNCHED THE APP IN SEPTEMBER You will have heard our radio commercial on LBC 97.3FM extollingthe virtues of Radio Taxis cash APP. We handed out about 50,000Oyster Card holders with the legend Radio Taxis – download the APP!We ran a prize draw in the first week giving away a grand a day forpeople who had downloaded the APP! Some of you, in the spirit oftrying to generate work for all, kindly put the APP stickers (the oneswith the chip in them) in your cabs. And then again some of you eithercouldn’t be bothered or didn’t want to do that... Hmmmm?

The upshot is that our time effort and money got a lot ofdownloads (numbering in the thousands) and we’ve had a steady flowof people booking through the APP but I have to say, with somedisappointment, the coverage has frankly not been good, in fact wehave only covered and completed a small percentage of the APP triprequests (which also numbered in their thousands).

I suspect it is partly because in November and December it’s reallybusy and many of you aren’t covering APP jobs right now. Not as manyHAILO jobs being covered either which is why they’ve offered aminimum charge and which I understand LTPHD is investigating as itmay well be that drivers risk prosecution for overcharging by applying

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A Historical ReviewBy RTG Chairman & CEO Geoffrey Riesel.

the arbitrary minimum. We will confirm with TPH before we considerany additional charges for that issue.

OK, before we start to splurge more money in trying to winbusiness for our drivers (in this case its cash business with no bookingcharge nor 10% charged to you,) we’ll soon be in January and it will inall likelihood be quiet, so we will then need you to promote the APP,with street-hailed passengers, friends and family. The work will be verywelcome and we will keep a close eye on run-ins etc so as to ensure itsworth your while.

Because the APP itself is absolutely brilliant, it just works so well,better than almost all the others and indeed the unique phone systemwhich automatically connects customer and drivers means that thereare less “blow outs;” drivers and passenger find each other easily. Butwe really do need you to cover the work for it to gain any genuinemomentum. By using the phone number 020 0333 1265 our uniquephone system, (put it in your phone it’s the same for every journey)you can speak directly to the customer (once you’ve accepted the job)and you can confirm where they are, ensure they’re still there andconfirm you’re ETA.

PAY AS YOU GO (PAYG) SUBSYou will by now, have received a letter explaining that in Januarywe are changing our subscription methodology to suit the timesin which we all live. Over the last 5 – 6 years all of the circuits,Radio Taxis, along with Com Cab and Dial a Cab haveundergone an erosion in fleet size because of:

a) An ageing population of driver in the overall Londontaxi fleet (three times as many cab drivers over seventyyears old as there are under thirty years old);

b) Partly because of the 2008 downturn which badlyaffected the corporate markets, and also as researchshows, that older drivers are, less likely to work at night(thus numbers of mini cabs, both legal and illegal, haveexploded in size;

c) Older drivers want to keep their older cabs longer(freehold and less outgoings) and

d) older drivers don’t need to be on radio as they nolonger have mortgages nor are they out to take theirwhole income (quite a few are drawing a pension) asmany are semi-retired. You join a radio circuit and youdrive a newer cab because you are hungry to take yourlivelihood.

So having trialled PAYG on Xeta with some success, we havedecided to now try a pilot scheme on Radio Taxis. Essentially afiver a week plus 10% of most jobs you do off the radio exceptfor London Underground which will be at a discounted rate. Oryou could elect to pay the fixed rate which is £55 + VAT perweek. That means if you are on PAYG and do less than £550 perweek in radio work you will be better off.

There may be a few who were on a reduced sub, by reason oflongevity, on the circuit and of course their age and they havehad the benefit of a sub which was designed to accommodatedrivers who are older, working less and winding down. For thosewho were genuinely winding down this will be a benefit to you,but for those who have been paying little in subs and still doing alot of radio work, it’s good that you do lots of work nevertheless

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the fixed sub of £55 still represents good value indeed still betterthan other circuits.

NEW AND RETURNING CLIENTS SUCCESSDuring this winter period in the run up to Xmas, the work hasimproved, indeed all of the VIP’s at Merrill’s decided that thedecision to go to Addison Lee was not for them and they havereturned to Radio Taxis, its only about 15% – 20% of what theaccount was but it’s a start. The truth is that people recognisethat the London taxi is still, “The best way to get aroundLondon” and indeed we are now using that as a “strap line.”

Our transport management company One Transport, whichsells every form of ground transport nationally as well as inLondon, providing taxis, cars, chauffeurs, couriers, buses hasbeen successful in winning back new “old business” and you mayhave noticed that AMV is back with us and using a lot cabs aswell. You will notice more and more accounts saying OneTransport on the terminal because clients use every form oftransport and taxis are a vital part of that usage.

TRI-BOROUGH TRIUMPHI am also absolutely delighted to inform you that we have won(following a hard fought tender process) a potentially verysizeable account (One Transport mixed supply account again)which will start in April all being well.

What is the Tri-Borough? Well it is Westminster,Hammersmith and Fulham; also Kensington and Chelsea, allworking together and One Transport will be at the centremanaging their Ground Transport needs.

This will for a start, mean that the specials needs work thatwe already do in Westminster in Radio Taxis/Xeta couldpotentially treble with the same sort of work being undertakenin taxis for Hammersmith & Fulham and for Kensington &Chelsea too, this should become a multi-million pound account.

And of course there is huge potential for lots of other workto go into taxis as well for all of these Boroughs who will save alot of tax payers’ money by using a single Ground Transportmanager. None of the detail is yet absolutely worked out, but weare working with the management team and we will know moreas the April deadline approaches.

I expect that when we know more we will explain it as andwhen the information becomes available and in any case in ourSpring issue of Mountview News

TARIFF REVIEW 2013/14TfL are currently running a consultation on the subject ofLondon Taxi tariffs for the coming year. Most likely there will bean increase of somewhere in the order of 1% and with apotential increase of 40p per journey if Diesel prices rise beyonda certain point. One of the issues being discussed is themandating of credit card machines in all of London’s taxis, albeitthis might not be the year that it becomes obligatory. There arealso discussions about a possible fixed fare for all journeys toand from Central London to Heathrow (a bit like in New Yorkfrom Manhattan to JFK). Again this is not likely to happen thisyear, in my estimation.

Continued over the page…

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TLPA ANNUALCONFERENCE

I attended the Annual conferencein Boston in October this yearand once again, spoke at aSeminar of the TLPA.

After more than 20 yearsmembership of the Internationalorganisation the TLPA, (Taxicab,Limousine & ParatransitAssociation) I have had thehonour once again, (my third or

fourth time in this office) to have been appointed asInternational Vice President.

What is an International Vice President? Well every year threeUS vice Presidents are appointed and three International VP’s.The US VP’s typically go on to the Presidency of the Associationfor one year, working alongside the CEO of the TLPA,

Al LaGasse. Al is the boss of thefull timers at the TLPA, based inWashington DC and they Lobbyon Capitol Hill on behalf of theTaxi, Limousine and ParatransitIndustry.

The conference has anagenda of General Sessions, ofseminars and breakout sessionson a whole raft of subjects.Of course some of the issues arehome-grown US political issues,many of which however, oftencross the Atlantic quite quicklyand are a precursor to arriving in

the UK as issues with startling rapidity. And sometimes ithappens in reverse. As it is primarily a US association theInternational VP’s cannot become President as we cannot lobbythe US congress.

ROGUE APPSThen there are the commercial issues which have affected the industryworld-wide. The biggest issue across the world in the taxi industry is theuse of “Rogue Apps.” Rogue APP is the term given to those APPS whichhave appeared and do not conform to all the rules and regulations whichthe taxi industry follows and which are intended to protect the publicthrough licensing.

Some of these Rogue APPS are UBER, LYFT and Sidecar. UBER claimsto be in London, has gained an operator’s licence but is thought to beoperating outside the terms of that licence. No one is sure if their vehiclesand drivers have the neccesary insurance or licences to protect the public.They have had some effect in Paris, but so far not much success in London.

Also at the annual conference is one of the biggest trade shows andthere are stands from anyone who is anyone in the taxi industry.VeriFone have a stand, LTI used to have a stand, the latest new thing inthe taxi industry is a company selling a soft drink dispenser for thepassenger compartment of the taxi. Lots of taxi despatch systems housesalso have stands trying to “flog” their systems as being the best that “willmake your taxi company work better.” There were more software housesselling APP software than you can shake a stick at this year and thePresident of the International Regulators Association (Matt Daus) wasthere also (the PCO or TPH belong to this group) and this is animportant opportunity to discuss domestic issues.

But it is the interchange of ideas between “taxi people” that hasproved to be of immeasurable value over the years. Of course thepersonal relationships that have been formed only goes to demonstratethat the taxi industry really is a worldwide family.

✪ Mr Timothy Harlow

✪ Mr Alan Rubin

✪ Mr Stephen Kew

✪ Mr Alan Droy

They receive a Chief Winter Jacket likethe one modelled here by our M.D.Mr Shaun Cunningham.

The Winners of ourSpecial Promotion are:

THIS YEAR RADIO TAXIS CELEBRATESits 60th Anniversary, so I thoughtit might be interesting to look atsome of the things that have beeninvented, many of which havetotally transformed our lives,since 1953.

Radio Taxis has also seen many changes in the last60 years, moving from High Point, North Hill, Highgate(where I often visited as a youngster) to 157 StroudGreen Road Finsbury Park in early 1970 (in the late 70’sI got my bill) and then again we moved to MountviewHouse in 1990.

It was in 1990 that the change was also made fromVoice Despatch to Zonal Data.

In 1997/8 we made the change using GPS to a fullclosest cab despatch system, Pathfinder.

There have of course been many more changesduring this period arguably some for the better andsome might also say not so much!

But interestingly while we have made changes, therest of the world has been busy too, so I thought Iwould look up and then list some of the surprisingchanges and inventions, many of which we all take forgranted in our everyday lives.

Here are some of the inventions during the60 years of Radio Taxis:

1953 – Radio Taxis was formed1953 – DNA1953 – The Black Box Flight Recorder1953 – The Hovercraft1955 – The Automatic Kettle1955 – The Breathalyser1955 – The Remote 1955 – Microwave Oven1957 – The Pill1958 – The Pacemaker1965 – The Collapsible Baby Buggy1967 – First Hand Held Calculator1967 – The ATM Cash Machine1968 – The Computer Mouse1969 – Artificial Heart1969 – Bar Code Scanner1970 – The Floppy Disk1973 – Mobile Phone1974 – The Ethernet (Local Computer Network)1975 – Laser Printer

1978 – VHS Video Recorder1980 – Sony Walkman1984 – Apple Macintosh Computer1984 – The CD ROM1987 – 3D Video Game1989 – The World Wide Web1991 – The Digital Answering Machine 1993 – The Dyson Vacuum Cleaner1993 – The Pentium Processor 1998 – MP3 Player1998 – Viagra2001 – iPod2002 – PlayStation 22005 – Xbox2007 – iPhone2009 – Twitter 2010 – iPad2011 – Kindle Fire2013 – PlayStation 4

Amazingly it is the pace of change which takes ourbreath away these days, how did we manage?

I would like to take this opportunity of wishingyou all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy andProsperous New Year.

Alan J FranksGroup Operations Director

Alan Franks on the thingsthat have been inventedsince 1953

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THIS YEARS’ LORD MAYORS’ SHOW was amemorable occasion and not just because theheavens opened up as soon as our float beganto move off.

It rained hard continually over the course of our three-milewalk (only the drivers were lucky enough to keep dry). It was

also memorable because we werecelebrating only the second ever femaleLord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf.This really is a rare event for a lady Aldermanto take on the role of Lord Mayor, the firstone ever was Dame Mary Donaldson, (herhusband was the famous Judge LordDonaldson Master of the Rolls) and her termwas twenty nine years ago 1983/84.

The very first Mayor of London, HenryFitz-Ailwin de Londonestone was sworn

in during 1189. This was before the title was changed fromLondon Mayor to Lord Mayor in 1354 (sorry Ken you werenever really the first Mayor of London.) Henry Fitz-Ailwinremained as Mayor of London for 24 years.

Even with the heavy downpour the streets were stillpacked with over a million cheering people watchingLondon’s biggest street attraction. This must surely be RadioTaxis Groups biggest exposure to the many visitors who weredelighted to see our wonderful procession including fourvintage London taxis, which as we all know are renownedthroughout the world.

This year we were lucky enough to be seen and mentionedin commentary as part of the live world-wide BBC Televisioncoverage. The commentator described our vintage taxis asthey were passing the Mansion House.

In our “float” was a 1952 Nuffield taxi, a Beardmore, a1933 Austin Low Loader and a 1956 Austin FX3. To parade 60years of taxis we also had a Mercedes Vito and an LTC TX4.

If you were watching on TV you must have felt a littleproud knowing that Radio Taxis are the only taxi company

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The Lord Mayor’s Show – 9th November 2013

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taking part in the Lord Mayors’ show each year.Penny Cuckston (Finance Manager) did a really good job as

always making sure we were issued with waterproof clothingand handing around lunch-boxes to keep the “troops”nourished. Sandra Kennard from Station Road was there, also

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Maria Venkatess and Anita Belnevis from Mountview Houseand they are also regulars to this event. Anita knows how to “workthe crowd” into a frenzy of cheering for us as we passed alongevery step of the way.

This year as we support the Papworth 5000 we were veryproud to have invited the Papworth Hospital Charity toaccompany us; this included doctors, nurses and patients anddespite the fact that there were plenty of empty places in the taxis,they still chose to walk and get wet along with the rest of us. Wet,cold and a bit bedraggled we were still in good spirits as wemarched our way along waving to the crowds; after all we are all

ambassadors of the London taxi trade with Radio Taxis at theforefront driving the trade forwards.

This year our waterproof macs were advertising the new RadioTaxis App Download. What a great day for Radio Taxis publicrelations which I’m sure everyone will remember for a long time.Roger Sligo

PS: Geoffrey Riesel who is responsible for Radio Taxis supportingthe Papworth Hospital Charity received a nice letter from them.Also a kind letter from the Show’s organiser PageantmasterDominic Reid and both are reproduced below.

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LIKE THE 1992 FILM we have hadlot’s of twists and turns with theZeus and it has not been a smoothride. In the past more of you thanwe would have liked, have had toreturn to station road on severaloccasions with equipment issues,ranging from not powering up, lossof connection to the meter/VeriFoneor the screen was not responding.

After many a long hour spent trying differentsolutions which seemed to work only for a time andthen to fail further down the line, it has been afrustrating time.

SOLUTIONFinally we have come up with a solution which is, so far,proving to resolve these issues. It’s a fairly simplesolution which involves four anti-vibration mountswhich are rubber shock absorbers fitted between theexisting bracket and the dashboard. These are designedto dampen the vibration caused by the cab goingdirectly through to the Zeus and damaging the pinsbetween the cradle and the Zeus terminal.

These anti-vibrations mounts are being used inconjunction with a metal brace which locks the Zeus tothe cradle also reducing the movement between the two.

GOOD VIBRATIONSOnce it was identified that vibration has been causingthe majority of our problems we had to find a way toreduce it. We found several different types of anti-vibration mounts suitable for use in vehicles and tookthem, along with the metal brace to a company inHarlow that specialises in vibrations testing. Thisinvolved setting up several test Zeus’s with the differentkind of mounts on a large vibration plate.

The vibration plate is designed to mimic severaldifferent kinds of driving conditions such as: driving innormal conditions, repeatedly hitting large pot holes ordriving over a very rough road, you can even set it tomimic a ploughed field. This was to identify the bestanti-vibration mount for us to use and after testing wascompleted, one particular mount was head andshoulders above the others, keeping the Zeus steady and

the vibration to a minimum.With our new setup tested on the vibration plate we

now had to test this in the field. To start with, we calledin a small number of drivers who were having problemsto try this new set up. We were really pleased that afterthree weeks none of these drivers had any kind ofproblems at all with their equipment.

We then expanded the trial to another fifty driversand again these didn’t have any issues either.

We have now fitted approximately three hundredwith the new mounts and bracket and although we haveseen a very few drivers return (as you would expect forrun of the mill wear and tear) the fall off in numbersreturning, having had the new mounts etc, has had adramatic effect in reducing the number of driversreturning to station road with Zeus related problems.

If you have the older bracket that was used for theprevious terminal it does require another four smallholes to be drilled into the dashboard to allow for thenew bracket to be fitted.

But please do come to Station Road, as we will befitting this new type of bracket to all TX type cabs thatcome in for a repair and this takes around 45 minutes. Itwill not only save you time in the future but it willensure that all your equipment works properly &quickly including your VeriFone kit. The Vito has beenfar less of a problem as frankly the Mercedes generatesfar less vibration.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy NewYear from all the staff at Station Road.

Dan Ellis

The Hand That Rocksthe CradleTechnical Report by Dan Ellis.

Testing the Zeus on the vibration plate

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Steve Cooper spells out theRadio Taxis Group (RTG)Code of Conduct for bothRadio Taxis and Xeta Drivers YOU WILL BE IN BREACH OF THIS CODE IF YOU;1. Fail to complete a job once allocated, or fail to notify the call centre (while a trip is in progress) of any changes to the

allocated trip details.

2. Take a job or passenger that has not been allocated to you.

3. Loiter or place yourself in a favourable position or use prior knowledge or other means to gain an unfair advantage.

4. Solicit direct payment for or convert an RTG client or account to one for your personal gain.

5. Conduct yourself in a manner that is likely to bring the company into disrepute.

6. Fail to reset the meter so as to arrive at the pick-up point with no more than the authorised run-in amount displayedon the meter at the booked time. Or fail to stop the meter on completion of a job.

7. Comment on or discuss fares or pricing, or price a job, with an RTG client without permission from the call centresupervisor.

8. Clear an account job in excess of the meter fare.

9. Persistently reject job offers or, reject an account job while booked on to a stand designated to that account.

10. Fail to use the “delay advise” facility (if likely delayed more than 15 minutes from receiving details, or arrive late fora booking) or fail to update your arrival time if you are further delayed en route to the pick up.

11. Exchange allocated jobs, without permission from the call centre.

12. Use a badge number, other than your own or allow any other person to use your badge number on any RTG datanetwork.

13. Refuse a Taxicharge street hail or, refuse to accept payment by credit/debit card for a legitimate street hail.

14. Process a fare for card payment (especially an RTG journey) through any facility other than an RTG paymentsystem

15. Promote a fare payment system or a taxi booking service other than the company (RTG), by use of mobiletechnology or brand advertising.

16. Tamper with, install or permit the installation of any (unauthorised) communications equipment or ancillarycomponents, or misuse, or allow any unauthorised personnel use of any RTG installed equipment,

17. Damage any equipment or property, strip out radio/data equipment belonging to the company. In suchcircumstances RTG will take steps to recover any cost and consequential losses incurred.

18. Threaten or use physical violence, or verbal abuse toward anyone, while acting as a representative of RTG.

19. Argue with reasonable requests from call centre staff, RTG representatives, marshals or supervisors.

20. Give an incorrect arrival time when bidding for a job.

21. Fail to have the taxi meter set in the correct mode while servicing a street hire or a data allocated ride.

22. Remove or fail to display obligatory relevant RTG logos.

23. Book onto a stand, if you are not physically present.

24. Make yourself unavailable for a walk up hiring while booked on to a designated authorised taxi rank.

25. Excessively use the driver query line, particularly when a data message is available.

26. Are likely to cause damage to the company through any means or medium by indiscrete words or deeds.

27. Fail to keep confidential any conversations overheard in the cab.

28. Use a hand held mobile device in contravention of the Road Traffic Act.

29. Fail to accept or complete a trip or discriminate against anyone on the grounds of race, or in the case of disability(e.g. wheelchair) unless you hold and have informed RTG of a current TfL exemption.

30. Fail to take action to avoid a parking ticket, penalty charge notice, during the course of an allocated account job.

31. Fail to furnish job details on demand to police, wardens, authorised Heathrow officials, or radio circuit marshals atdesignated locations.

32. Fail to remain with the vehicle when using a “radio taxi “pick-up point at any of London’s airports, such action willrender the driver/owner of the vehicle liable for any parking fines incurred.

Loading RegulationsBy Radio Taxis PCN Consultant John Vigus

THERE ARE OCCASIONS when driverswill be asked to pick up packages fordelivery. These are the kerb markings youneed to be aware of when collecting anddelivering parcels, packages or goodswhen a passenger is not present.

Parcels or packages when accompanied by a passengercan be described as ‘luggage’ and so long as there is noneed to keep returning to the vehicle to unload anumber of packages, the exemption for pickingup/dropping off a passenger applies and the loadingprohibition does not.

Goods vehicles loading bays are reserved exclusivelyfor goods vehicles only but where the word ‘goodsvehicles’ is omitted from the sign, other vehicles maystop to load/unload subject to the exemption below.

It is advisable to avoid loading bays when pickingup/dropping off passengers as the exemptions for thisactivity vary from one Local Authority to another.

SINGLE AND DOUBLE KERB MARKSLoading Prohibitions

The term ‘loading’ includes loading,unloading, delivering and collecting.

All vehicles are subject to the loading prohibitionswhen applicable. There are certain exemptions forcertain vehicles (scaffold vehicles, road repairs,telephone, electricity, gas supply repairs, refusecollections, fire, police, ambulance etc) but theseexeptions do NOT apply to taxis.

EXEMPTIONS WHERE THERE ARE NO KERB MARKSExemptions for loading generally apply to goodsvehicles and motorcycle couriers however it can alsoapply to a non-goods vehicle (cars, taxis, mpv’s, trailersetc) provided the goods being loaded are heavy orbulky and can not reasonably be carried without usingthat vehicle or, if the goods are beingdelivered/collected in the course of a business or trade.

THE PROHIBITIONSDouble kerb marks prohibit loading at all times andare placed along the kerb. They can only beaccompanied by a double yellow line together withthe sign below (638).

There are certain situations when the double and singleyellow lines along the carriageway may be ommittedsuch as within a ‘restricted’ or ‘pedestrian’ zone.

Single kerb marks prohibit loading during certainperiods during the day or night and are accompaniedby either a single OR double yellow line togetherwith the signs below (638.1) and, in the case of asingle yellow line ONLY, the yellow waitingrestriction time plate below (639). Where the waitingrestriction is subject to the restrictions imposed byvirtue of the road being within a controlled parkingzone (663), the yellow waiting restriction time platedoes not have to be present.

The arrows may be added oromitted.

Where there are no kerb marks, the yellow time platedoes not place any prohibition on loading althoughat certain times of the day, the length of time that avehicle may remain in the same place whilst loadingwill be restricted according to the time of day andthe size of the vehicle. Usually before 11am and after6.30pm a vehicle may remain in the same placewhilst loading for as long as is necessary. Betweenthese times loading is usually restricted to 20 minutesfor smaller vehicles and 40 minutes for HGVs (7.5tand above) after which the vehicle must be moved.

These times may vary from one enforcementauthority to another.

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Thursday 28th November was the date set for the launch of Radio Taxis’scheme London Taxi Watch in conjunction with the independent charityCrimestoppers and supported by the Commissioner of MetropolitanPolice. Also in attendance was Stephen Greenhalgh, representing BorisJohnson and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC)

Speaking outside of City Hall with Tower Bridge as a backdrop;Mark Hallas OBE, Chief executive of the independent charityCrimestoppers, opened the launch by saying how excited he was to bejoined by Radio Taxis CEO Geoffrey Riesel, Metropolitan PoliceCommissionaire Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and Stephen GreenhalghDeputy Mayor for Policing and Crime.

After Mark made his introduction he went on to say “Crimestoppersis the independent charity which for the last 25 years has provided a wayfor people to report crime anonymously.

We all know that people should report crime directly to the police;but we also know that sometimes it is just not practical for whateverreason, from peer pressure or fear or for reasons of safety or simply fromnot wanting the hassle!

The important thing is to get that information across to the police,

quickly, safely and securely, so they can investigate and take appropriateaction. That is what we at Crimestoppers help to make happen”.

He went on to say “Taxi drivers in London have a vital role to play inkeeping London safe and they can now do it anonymously by ringing0800 555 111 or on the website crimestoppers-uk.org and even your IPaddress is not retained.”

Mark Hallas continued “Taxi drivers are part of the very fabric ofLondon life, they are true Londoners who are out and about at all hours inall areas and in all weathers. They know when something is not right andnow they can report it completely anonymously to make sure the police caninvestigate. Every little helps and I’m sure that taxi drivers can help to makeour streets safer in future.”

Geoffrey Riesel was next to speak, and said “I’m very proud that wehave started London Taxi Watch which is launched today. I am proud thatCrimestoppers, the Metropolitan Police and Stephen Greenhalgh from theMOPAC are here to ensure everybody gets behind the need for safety andsecurity in London.”

Geoffrey went on to say “this is a win-win for the whole taxi trade, ifLondon is safe, Londoners feel more secure and London taxi drivers are a

28 November 2013 – Radio TaxisLaunches London Taxi Watch

Geoffrey Riesel appeals on BBC London Newssupported by Met Police CommissionerSir Bernard Hogan–Howe and working togetherwith Mark Hallas CEO of Crimestoppers UKto the whole of the London Taxi Trade toparticipate in London Taxi Watch, he statesthat Security and Crime in London iseveryone’s responsibility.

L – R; Mark Hallas, Geoffrey Riesel, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and Stephen Greenhalgh

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part of that and I appeal to the whole London taxi industry to get behindthis push.” Mr Riesel concluded by saying “it only takes a moment if yousee something odd or something out of place then call Crimestoppers – itonly takes a second to call 0800 555 111”

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said “I’m pleased to be at the launch” andsaid: “From a simple conversation I had with Geoffrey about a year ago Iam really proud of what Geoffrey started and Crimestoppers has helped todevelop.”

“It is a simple idea with about 2,500 taxi drivers involved here, spreadright across London 24 hours a day with police always needing those eyesand ears to let them know what’s been seen so they can take some action.Taxi drivers are the heart of London, they have a difficult job and they don’talways have the easiest of customers and I want you to know that we reallyare here to support drivers when that happens.”

The Commissioner concluded “it’s great to see so many of yourcolleagues are prepared to help by letting us know anonymously, which ishow Crimestoppers works.”

Lastly it was the turn of Stephen Greenhalgh of MOPAC to add“This is an historic day as the police are the public and the public are thepolice. Today Radio Taxis drivers are here to provide that contribution. It istruly essential part of making sure that this remains the safest capital city onearth.”

“It is fantastic to represent Boris Johnson and the Mayor’s Office forPolicing and Crime (MOPAC); and remember these words that the policeand MOPAC are right behind you.”

After the speeches Geoffrey Riesel, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and oneof Radio Taxis drivers, Z49 John Mouskides were interviewed by BBCLondon TV News reporter Ayesha Buksh and it was shown on thelunch-time news and then again briefly in the evening.

There were also radio interviews by Geoffrey Riesel and aCrimestoppers spokesperson on BBC Five live also BBC Radio London,on LBC as well, albeit because the LTDA said they didn’t get informationabout it until the actual morning of the launch, their responses couldhave a been a little more positive. However following a cordial discussionbetween Geoffrey Riesel and Steve McNamara of the LTDA, MrMcNamara promised to support this project in the future.

RADIO TAXIS CEO WITH DRIVERS ANDSIR BERNARD HOGAN-HOWE

BBC TV INTERVIEWS

A: Radio Taxis driver Z49 John Mouskides

B: Filming a close up on the livery of one of the cabs

C: Geoffrey Riesel interviewed by BBC London’sreporter Ayshea Buksh

D: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe

Sometimes taxi drivers don’t want to phone in with something they seebecause they don’t wish to get involved; with Crimestoppers because it isanonymous there is no need to become involved! Call Crimestoppers on:0800 555 111 your call will be treated entirely anonymous.

Geoffrey Riesel said concluded by saying, “Of course if you see a crimebeing committed or a serious Road Traffic Accident then dial 999 as youwould always do” But he went on “sometimes you see something strangethat isn’t quite right and don’t feel like you want to get involved but you stillthink something should be done about it. This is perfect you don’t even haveto leave your name! Everybody wins, if London is safe!”

Roger Sligo says “Well done to all those involved and in the wordsof the late Shaw Taylor, of ATV’s Police Five back in the 1960’s“Keep ‘em peeled!”

L – R Geoffrey Riesel, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Chris West Q197 and Steve Key W153both drivers with the Crimestoppers Taxi Watch liveries

Driver Chris West gets a handshake from Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe

A B

C D

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Roger Sligo on themysteries of hidden London

CuriosityCornerCuriosityCorner

A Bridge too FarHOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN ASKED by a visitor from theUnited States of America to take them to London Bridge – whenwhat they really want to see is Tower Bridge? This mistake canhappen quite often, many American’s do think Tower Bridge is really“London Bridge.”

This mistake is not too much of a problem for an American tourist who mightend up making a short diversion after visiting the wrong bridge, but what if he weresent over to England to buy London Bridge? Believe it or not this mistake actuallyhappened during the early negotiations in the 1960’s when it was first announcedthat London Bridge was up for sale!

Of course long before any serious negotiations were underway the mistake wasrealised, and for the handsome sum of £1m, (less than the cost of many surroundingapartments today) London Bridge was sold.

Since 1971, John Rennie’s “London Bridge” (main picture left) has stood at LakeHavasu City, Western Arizona, which is about 150 miles away from Las Vegas – orshould I say most of the old London Bridge is there! The next time you are travellingthrough the private road behind Southwark Cathedral, which leads you fromMontague Square through to Duke Street Hill and Tooley Street – have a good lookat the arch which leads you under London Bridge – you are looking at the originalRennie’s London Bridge which is 5,862 miles away from the rest of it!

The First British FlyerNormally, Curiosity Corner keeps well away from blue plaques, as there are so many ofthem reflecting famous residents without much curiosity value; that is unless theyhappen to be right out of the way, cut off from public view, overgrown with weeds andcommemorating the first British Flyer!

One of the most inaccessible, hard to find and long forgotten blue plaques hasgot to be this one which is attached to the railway arches on Walthamstow Marshes.The plaque commemorates two arches rented as the former workshop of AlliottVerdon Roe – A. V. Roe (Avro); who became the first Englishman to fly over Britishsoil with a British-designed machine powered by a British engine in an aircraftknown as the Triplane, all achieved from these marshes on the banks of the RiverLea, just yards away from the busy Lea Bridge Road.

Although the Triplane was pretty basic, resembling a bicycle housed beneaththree wings and powered by a 9 horse powered JAP engine, it did however bounce itsway along these marshes on 13th June 1909. After making some adjustments it waswheeled out once again on the 23rd July 1909 and was recorded as having flown 900feet, with Mr A. V. Roe being recognised by the Aero Club as being the firstEnglishman to design, build and fly an all-British aeroplane. Sadly this blue plaquewhich commemorates this historic first flight has been left hidden and neglected byLea Valley Park.

The remains of London Bridge

Alliott Verdon Roe’s hard to reach blue plaque

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A first consultation wasundertaken earlier this yearis under way about theneed, cost and route ofCrossrail 2.

Crossrail 2 would create a new high-frequency, high-capacity rail line runningbetween south west and north east London.The results of the consultation will beconsidered in developing the schemefurther and as part of the decision makingprocess for updating the currentsafeguarded route. Therefore it’s importantto seek the views of those who could benefitfrom, or be affected by, the proposals.

Therefore Transport for London (TfL)and Network Rail (NR) are seeking theviews of people in London and south eastEngland on Crossrail 2. The currentproposed Crossrail 2 replaces an earlierscheme known as the Chelsea-HackneyLine. Crossrail 2 would help to relievecongestion on both the national and TfLrail networks, and support economicdevelopment in and around London.

The current planned route takes intoaccount the future transport challengesfacing London and south east England. Itwill also include the opportunity to serveEuston as a terminus for High Speed 2.

The initial work has identified twopossible routes: a Metro option offering ahigh-frequency, underground service acrosscentral London and a Regional optionconnecting central London with areas to thenorth east and south west. Both options

share a similar route through the centre ofLondon.

In addition to helping London’stransport network keep pace with growth,Crossrail 2 would offer benefits to localresidents and businesses by offering moredirect, fast, frequent services that are notavailable at present. Passengers would havenew travel choices to avoid crowdedtransport interchanges.

The report for this consultation is meantto become available at the end of this yearand be presented to the Mayor of London.According to the TfL website these arecurrently proposed to be the next steps:

• 2014: Protect a preferred route fromdevelopment by using a legal processknown as safeguarding. The currentroute safeguarded is known as theChelsea-Hackney line

• 2014 – 15: Planning work on thepreferred (Metro/Regional) option

• Late 2015: Undertake a publicconsultation on the preferred option

• 2016 – 19: Detailed design, furtherconsultation and application forplanning powers

• 2020 – 2030: Construct and test Crossrail 2

• Early 2030s: Crossrail 2 opens to the public

What is Crossrail 2?By Peter Gibson, Group Strategic Director

The map on the left marks out the proposed routeof Crossrail 2. But as we are a few years away fromCrossrail 1 – why do we need another decade ofdisruption? What are the benefits?

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We all at times mutter the phrases;“Health & Safety – we managed OKwithout it.” “Its bureaucracy gone madisn’t it?”

Well in the good old, bad old days of 19th Century, Health& Safety in the work place was hardly formalised at all untilthe formation of HM Factory Inspectorate under theFactories Act of 1833. This was followed a few years later byInspectorates of both Mines and Quarries.

You then effectively get a lull, during which we have twoworld wars, until 1956 when agricultural workers get someprotection from new regulations.

In 1959, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate is established.In 1961 we get an update with a new Factories Act. It thenappears that everybody works away quietly if not entirely safelyuntil, in 1974, a huge explosion at the Flixborough Chemicalplant, which tragically results in 28 fatalities and a subsequentBoard of Inquiry.

This leads to the enactment of the Health & Safety at WorkAct 1974. This legislation was meant to be less prescriptive andmore about setting standards, providing guidance and codes ofpractice. It also set up a new body, the Health & SafetyCommission (HSC). Its task was to propose new regulationsand to provide information and research.

In 1975 there was the Moorgate Station Underground traincrash which claimed 43 lives and then in 1975 an operating armwas created called the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) toenforce Health & Safety Law, in addition to those placesregulated by Local Authorities. The mission was to preventdeath and injury and ill health in Great Britain’s workplaces.

Subsequently, most of the Inspectorates were transferred tothe HSE and the Factory Inspectorate was re-organised intoarea and local offices, supported by scientific and technical staff.

HSC advisory Committees were also set up in 1975 to drawupon the knowledge base of industry and specialistorganisations to encourage wide participation in theimprovement of Health & Safety in the workplace.

In 1977, a Statutory Instrument (often the means ofintroducing regulations) brought into being rights for theappointment by recognised Trades Unions of a SafetyRepresentative from amongst employees and safety Committeesstarted springing up.

The 80’s saw a whole host of new regulations:

1980• Control of Lead at work Regulations (1980)• Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations

(NADOR) , replaced in 1985 by RIDDOR the Reporting of Injuries,Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations

1981• Health & Safety (First Aid) Regulations

1983• Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations • HSE starts to enforce genetic manipulation (GM) regulations

1984• HSE starts to enforce Gas Safety, taking over from the Department of

Energy

1985• Ionisation Radiations Regulations

1986• Enforcement of Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road Safety• Enforcement of Pesticide Safety

1987• Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations

1988• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH)

1989• Noise at Work Regulations• Electricity at Work Regulations

Where Did Health & SafeChanges in Health & Safety in tBy Robert MacDonald Watson,Group Company Secretary

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ty Come From?the last 60 years

Sadly, the 80’s also saw a number of serious incidents where Health &Safety was clearly an issue. Namely:

• Putney Domestic gas explosion(1985) – 8 dead• Bradford City Football Stadium fire (1985) – 56 dead and 251

injured• Kings Cross Underground Fire (1987) – 31 died and many injured• Clapham Train Crash (1988) – 35 died• Piper Alpha Oil Rig Fire and Explosion – 167 died. After the Cullen

enquiry, the HSE was appointed as the single regulatory body toenforce occupational H&S in the offshore oil and gas industry

• Hillsborough Stadium disaster – 96 killed and 170 injured – thesubsequent Taylor Inquiry resulted in many Health & Safetymeasures being introduced in sporting stadia

Moving into the early 90s, the HSE starts or takes over the enforcementof Rail Safety (from Department of Transport), Nuclear Safety researchand offshore safety.

In 1992 the descriptively named “Six Pack” appears, this consists ofa number of regulations that we recognise today as they came intoeffect a number of years later:

• Workplace (Health Safety & Welfare)• Manual Handling Operations• Display Screen Equipment (DSE)• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)• The Management of Health & Safety at Work• Provision and use of work equipment (PUWER)

The HSC had carried out a major review in 1992 of regulations andwas looking for simplification, something you were increasingly cravingwhen this lot landed on your desk. However, the regulations flowcontinued:• EU Working Time Directive (1993)• Construction (Health Safety & Welfare) Regulations (1996)• Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations (1998)• Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations (1999)

There were two major rail accidents at Southall in 1997 and atLadbroke Grove in 1999.

At the millennium, we had a revitalising Health & Safety strategystatement with a ten year campaign mapped out.

Then we had the Hatfield Train Crash in 2000 where four people died.By 2004, a new direction was stated for the HSE. This was to

improve safety performance, with greater participation from workers,closer involvement with the HSE and simple and accessibleinformation and advice.

In 2004, we saw the dreadful death by drowning of the 21 “cocklepickers” in Morecambe Bay and also an explosion at the ICL plasticfactory in Maryhill, Glasgow where 9 died.

Responsibility for Railway safety transferred from the HSE to theOffice of the Rail Regulator in 2006. Whilst in 2007 responsibility forthe Adventure Activities Licensing Authority switched to the HSE. Inthe same year the Construction (Design & Management) Regulationscombined the CDM and HS & W regulations for construction into onepackage.

Reo-organisation continued in 2008 when the HSC and the HSEmerged to become one organisation. In 2009, the Health & Safety(Offences) Act brought in higher fines and longer sentences foroffenders. A Gas safety register was set up and the contracted out toCapita.

The old Health & Safety poster seen in workplaces was updated forthe first time in ten years.

When it was realised that the combined rate of illness and injury,was the same as in 2004, the HSE set out a new strategy for Health &Safety in Great Britain.

Clearly, comments about the Health & Safety culture prompted thepoliticians to have a go. This resulted in Lord Young’s 2010 reviewentitled “Common Sense-Common Safety”. The aim was to improveways that Health & Safety is applied in the UK and to review theprevailing compensation culture. It is also to deal with people hidingbehind Health & Safety to restrict activities that they perceive to havean element of danger. Banning playing conkers in the playground isone example.

This was followed by a further independent review by ProfessorLofstedt in 2011, commissioned by the Employment Minister.

Not surprisingly, in times of income shortfall for the government,Fees for Intervention were introduced allowing the HSE to recoup costsfor inspection, investigation and taking enforcement action.

By 2013, the Health & Safety (Miscellaneous Repeals, Revocationsand Amendments) Regulations actually killed off one act and twelveStatutory Instruments.

Statistics that go back part way through the period makeinteresting reading:

However, deaths from asbestos related diseases and stress relatedconditions have increased over the period.

Most sensible employers have learned that occupational Health &Safety, exercised through the preventative, punitive and compensatoryeffects of legislation, can indeed reduce employee injury and illness,related costs, including medical care, sick leave and disability benefits.

At RTG we have a Health & Safety Committee that meets quarterlyand its minutes are reviewed by the Board of Directors.

Quite a lot of time is put into training and refreshing knowledge orimparting information to both new and existing members of staff. Aheck of a lot of it is really basic common sense.

Our latest involvement in this area has been to produce proceduresfor the Safeguarding of Children and other vulnerable people beingtransported by road for our clients.

Robert MacDonald WatsonGroup Company Secretary.

1974 2012/3

Workplace injuries 651 95

Rate per 100,000 employees 2.9 0.4

Reported non-fatal injuries 336,701 77,310

24

These charming narrow back streets ofRotherhithe have yet to be discovered byparking meters, yellow lines, traffic wardensand CCTV cameras, which just goes to showthat places like these, left to their owndevices, can still cope admirably well.

One sunny Sunday afternoon this August,I was admiring the ancient church of Saint

Mary’s, after justhaving a pint acrossthe road at thehistoric riversidepub ‘TheMayflower’, whenI stumbled uponThe RotherhithePicture ResearchLibrary and

The Sands Film Studios,belonging to the same owner and housedtogether in the same building.As luck would have it, while I was takingsome photographs of this former warehouse,the doors to the building opened and a tallman whom I later discovered was named

Rotherhithe is one of those unique places that time has forgotten. Unlike itnearest docklands rival Canary Wharf, with its glitzy sky-scrapers, towering overa modern city development, Rotherhithe has been kept relatively unspoilt andunchanged, left neglected by and large, which gives it a character all of its own.

Neale Brown, asked me if I would like tocome in to take some pictures and then havea good look around.

What I was about to discover hiddeninside this building was an Aladdin’s Cavefull of wonderful costumes worn by someof the most highly regarded actors such asSir Alec Guinness.

Soon after the film production of “Talesof Beatrix Potter” in the early 1970’s, SandsFilms was founded by producer RichardGoodwin and director Christine Edzard.For over thirty years the company hasdedicated itself to the making of particularlywell crafted films of which the adaption ofCharles Dickens “Little Dorrit” is the bestknown example. Not only do they make theirown films, they also supply services foroutside productions including theirrenowned costume-making workshop ofperiod costumes, which is used not only forcinema films, but also for many BBC TVproductions.

As an independent film productionstudio, Sands Films has its own soundproof

The Sands Film Studios

“They have own soundproof

stage, workshops, costume

department, set construction

workshop, cutting room,

cinema and other services

needed to make films.”

25

which production they were used for and which actorwore them. My wife, who was with me, was amazed bythe intricate embroidery, which I guess was moreappreciated by her than myself.

Christine Edzard and Richard Goodwin moved intothese two disused warehouses in Rotherhithe, wherethey equipped a small film studio and made three shortfilms which Christine Edzard wrote and directed: “TheLittle Match Girl”, “The Kitchen” and “Little Ida”.These films were based on stories by Hans ChristianAndersen and were released by EMI in 1979 under thetitle: “Stories from a Flying Trunk”. Christine Edzard’ssubsequent films include the animated film “TheNightingale” (1981), which used stop frame animation(the same process is used with Wallace and Gromit),they had the figures made of sheet lead with all theirlittle fingers being caste in lead to stop them fracturingas the models moving parts were filmed in motion.Christine Edzard’s first feature, entitled “Biddy” (1982),describing the life of a nanny between 1860 and the turnof the century; she wrote and directed both films.

In 1983 Christine Edzard began work, with OlivierStockman, on her six-hour film adaptation of CharlesDickens’ “Little Dorrit”, which was released toenormous acclaim in 1987. The film received many

stage, workshops, costume department, set constructionworkshop, cutting room, cinema and other servicesneeded to make films. It is a self-sufficient and fullyintegrated production facility.

The complete list of films they have been involvedwith is too long for here – but they include; “GreatExpectations”, “The Lost Prince”, “Vanity Fair”,“Nicholas Nickleby”, “Harry Potter”, “Oliver Twist” andmore recently; “The Other Boleyn Girl”, “The YoungVictoria”, “Les Miserables”, Tim Burton’s “Alice” as wellas “Sweeney Todd” which starred Johnny Depp – as Isay, the list is endless!

Neale Brown was happy to show me around while Itook some more pictures and the first thing which hebrought to my attention was the Picture ResearchLibrary, where hundreds of black and white photographsof late Victorian and early Edwardian London, takenmainly around the Rotherhithe area, are stored.

The Picture Research Library is tucked away on theground floor of the oldest part of the building; itsceiling is supported by 18th century reclaimed ships’timbers. The catalogue system they use enables anymember of the public, including children, to use thevolumes without the need for an expert’s knowledge ofindexing or cataloguing.

These volumes are large “scrapbooks”arranged by subject, into which are mountedevery kind of visual reference material, frompostcards to magazine illustrations, fromcatalogue and book plates to originalphotographs, drawings or prints. You canpurchase copies of any of the pictures in theircollection, which are reproduced on A4 sizecopies, which Neale is happy to print for you– for the princely sum of 20p each. TheRotherhithe Picture Research Library is anon-profit-making educational trust inspiredby the Picture Library of the Museum ofDecorative Arts in Paris.

SANDS FILMS EARLYPRODUCTIONS

Next on Neale’s special tour was a viewing ofthe many costumes which are exhibited ontailor’s dummies with cards announcing

Corn Flower Fairy

The Sands Studio Notice Board

A Sands Film worker

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awards, including: OscarNomination for Screenplayadaptation, 1988; BAFTA asBest Screenplay; the LosAngeles Critics Award for bestfilm; and for the cast: DerekJacobi received the EveningStandard Award for best

actor; Miriam Margolyes received the Globe Award andSir Alec Guinness received the Berlin Film Festival Awardand had both Oscar and BAFTA nominations. Soon afterChristine Edzard began work on “The Fool” which shedirected after having written an original screenplay basedon the work of Henry Mayhew (Mayhew’s London). Like

her previous work this remarkable piecestands out by the quality of its cast and themeticulous details of its productiondesigns.

An actor will spend many months ofrehearsals, learning their lines, trying toget to be the character they are going toportray, but it isn’t until the very firsttime they try on their costumes and lookin the mirror that they really do becomethat character.

As I always say you never know what’saround the corner, just as this quiet andunspoilt area of London proves.

Roger Sligo.

Reclaimed ship’s timbers

The 1950’s style Café

‘Stop frame’ animation figures used in the film The Nightingale

Sands Films runs an informal Cinema Club on Tuesday nights with screenings aiming to help membersachieve a better knowledge of film history. Membership is free and the club runs on donations.

Sands Film Studios and the Rotherhithe Picture Library, 82 Saint Marychurch Street, London SE16 4HZ.Box office: 020 7231 2209 | Website: www.sandsfilms.co.uk

There is also a cafe which looks 1950’s style – open for hot meals during the day.Neale Brown is the studio’s set builder and normally does the tours.

Neale lives on the site so he is usually available most of the time.There are no charges for tours although they do welcome donations to help with running costs.

Drawers and waistcoat

Alec Wallis costume

TWITTER CONTINUES TO GROW as asocial media phenomenon allowingordinary people to communicatewith and to a wider audience. But italso has its pitfalls as the same legalrules apply to twitter as all other

forms of publishing. Radio Taxis Boss Geoffrey Riesel,a regular tweeter himself as @radiotaxis_boss,explains why it is important to stay on the right sideof the law and to ‘Think before you Tweet!’

Twitter is just a few years old, yet what started as a small social mediamicro-blogging site enabling users to send and read text-based posts ofup to 140 characters, informally known as “tweets”, has turned into acommunication revolution which has a huge influence on our daily lives.

Twitter regularly sets the news agenda and allows people with similarinterests to create a dialogue with each other. At its best, Twitter can beinformative, educational, funny, frustrating and entertaining.

It is also a service that can be particularly useful to those outand about in London all day. Personally I find it a good tool forcommunicating with drivers, clients and other stakeholders. I also find itallows me to stay up to date with key news items, stories about Londonand sports results and I know many drivers enjoy being on Twitter.

THERE’S AN UPSIDE AND THERE’S A…But as with most things in life there is a downside and the potential thattwitter can lead to trouble. A total of 653 people faced criminal chargesin England and Wales last year in connection with comments on Twitteror Facebook.

While it takes just two minutes to set up a Twitter account, and onlyseconds to type out and send a tweet, the implications of getting it wrongcan be considerable. Making ill-judged gossip or serious allegations canhave unpleasant consequences both for the subjects and perpetrators. Therepercussions can be a significant legal bill or even a spell in prison.

Once a tweet is published it is live, available for everyone to view inthe digital space and in effect a publication just as much as a newspaperarticle.

The law concerning Twitter is straightforward. If you make adefamatory allegation via a tweet then you are liable to be sued for libel.You also need to be careful that you do not say anything that could beviewed as contempt of court or harassment or threatening behaviour.These issues are explained further below.

This all sounds doom and gloom. But it isn’t at all. Twitter is greatfun and useful. I urge everyone to have an account to follow theinteresting tweets and maybe tweet yourself. But as in most other thingswe do. Be careful and ‘Think before you Tweet’.

Think Before youTweetby @radiotaxis_boss

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Sending tweets that can be interpreted as a threat – it is anoffence to send a “menacing electronic communication” under the2003 Communications Act.

Paul Chambers was living in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, whenhe joked on Twitter that he would blow up nearby Robin Hood Airportwhen it closed after heavy snow – potentially disrupting his travelplans. He tweeted: “Crap! Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got aweek and a bit to get your crap together; otherwise I’m blowing theairport sky high!!”

He was found guilty in May 2010 but his conviction waseventually quashed by the High Court. The case led to new guidancebeing issued. Prosecutors are now urged to consider whether athreat to damage property or harm someone carries real menacebefore pushing ahead with a case. New CPS guidelines stipulate “asa general rule, threats which are not credible should not beprosecuted, unless they form part of a campaign of harassmentspecifically targeting an individual within the meaning of theProtection from Harassment Act 1997.”

So the definition of what is a menacing communication ultimatelycomes down to the judgement of police and prosecutors.Aggravating factors such as racism and prejudice against religion,disability and sexual orientation will lead to increased sentences.

Contempt of Court – such as breaking injunctions or commenting onthe progress of a trial in anything other than a factual wayContempt of court is a court order which in the context of a court trial orhearing, declares a person or organisation to have disobeyed or beendisrespectful of the court’s authority. This may be from having broken acourt injunction, reported inaccurately on proceedings, or making a publicjudgement on the progress of a trial.

In a famous incident, 75,000 people named Ryan Giggs on Twitter asthe footballer at the centre of an injunction row. This offence is potentially acontempt of court, as the tweets would appear to be interfering in theprocess of courts.

In this instance the Judge declined to renew Giggs’ injunction banningdetails of an extramarital affair being published and no action was takenagainst the Twitter users but in other cases people have been jailed forinstance for tweeting the identity of anonymous witnesses who have beenthe victim of crimes.

Libel – A tweet, or even a retweet, is potentially libellous if it damagessomeone’s reputation “in the estimation of right thinking members ofsociety.” It can do this by exposing them to “hatred, ridicule or contempt.” Itis a civil offence so you won’t be jailed but you could end up with a largedamages bill.

The highest profile example of this came when Conservative peer LordMcAlpine announced his intention to seek libel damages from Twitter usersover incorrect and defamatory insinuations linking him to child sex abuse.The Conservative peer had already received a substantial damagessettlement from the BBC over a Newsnight report falsely suggesting he wasa paedophile.

Newsnight did not name him in its report, but it prompted a guessinggame on Twitter which resulted in the peer being falsely accused of sexoffences.

The best defence to a libel claim is if you can prove the contents of thetweet are true. You could also claim the tweet was “fair comment” – yourhonestly held opinion on established facts. Another possible defence is toclaim you were covered by privilege, if it was something said in Parliamentor in court, or that it was an example of “innocent dissemination” – you didnot know you had published the comment (it might have been an automaticsystem). The only way to be completely safe is to avoid tweeting gossipunless you know for a fact that it is true.

Geoffrey’s Twitter Page

1953 Timeline – TransportationDURING THE SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY YEAR OF RADIO TAXIS, Mountview News has beenlooking back at 1953, covering the news, media and sports from this period of time.For our last look over the last sixty years I thought it would be rather nice to end with someof the changes to London’s transportation, beginning with every cab drivers favouritedestination – the Flyers…

During the 1950’s there were several air terminalsstrategically place around London – North, South andWest but for some unknown reason nothing in theEast. One of the long forgotten terminals was theBritish Airways (BEA) Waterloo Air Terminal whichwas just across the road from the exit of WaterlooStation, on the site of the Shell Centre in York Road.The Waterloo Air Terminal replaced BEA’s KensingtonAir Terminal which operated from Stafford Court,108, High Street, Kensington and this closed down onthe 19 May 1953.

The Coade stone Lion seen in our old picture above,once stood at the exit gates of Waterloo Station, beforeit was finally removed and re-erected on its presentday site on the Southbank end of Westminster Bridge.

The BOAC Air Terminal at Buckingham Palace Road,Victoria, is a rather striking Art Modern structurewhich was designed by architect Albert Lakeman,with construction starting in 1938 and completed by1939. The building belonged to Imperial Airways andwas originally known as the Empire Terminal.Imperial Airways originated the Speedbird symbol

which is still used as a call sign by British Airwaystoday. It is a little hard to understand how BritishAirways could so easily surrendered such a pricelessarchitectural and corporate heritage – with itspredecessor’s logo painstakingly wrought from thevery stone above the entrance.

The West London Air Terminal which was onCromwell Road, was first opened in 1957 and stoodwhere Sainsbury’s stands today, with the car park andservice road surrounding the supermarket remainingalmost unchanged. Geoffrey Riesel tells me that onvoice radio when you were at the top of the ramp atWest London Air Terminal, it was known as “up thehurdy gurdy.”

Clarkson’s Coaches had the North London AirTerminal at 202 – 204 Finchley Road, during the1960’s which was used for coach transport to LutonAirport, the main airport served by Court Line, whichwas Clarkson’s main air transport supplier. Thebuilding almost opposite Finchley Road and FrognalStation is still there but now occupied by Allied IrishBank with apartments above.

In its early years what is now known to us all asLondon Heathrow Airport was the Great WestAerodrome, sometimes known as HeathrowAerodrome. During 1953, Queen Elizabeth IIceremonially laid the first slab of a new runway at

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Waterloo Air Terminal

The Speedbird Stone

29

Heathrow. During December that year there werecelebrations at the airport as passenger traffic reachedone million for the first time, with a total of 62,000flights completed over the year. Two years later in 1955the Queen was back again at the flyers to open the firstpermanent passenger terminal, the Europa Building,later to become known as Terminal 2.

Whilst researching back to Radio Taxis special year itwas a sad reminder of some of the thing that have comeand gone during all that time. The Bedford CA van(1952 – 1969) produced by Vauxhall Motors of Luton.With its front sliding doors, which made it very popularfor newspaper delivery vans, because it was quickerdelivering to newspaper street vendors for young lads

jumping in and out of whiledropping off the latesteditions as the van’s wheelswere still moving. In thefifties there were plenty oflocal evening papers to readin London, with the News,the Star and the Standard,

now only the Standard remains and they even have togive that away for free! The Evening News during thesetimes had a van which was built on the FX4 taxi chassis,which incedently was also fitted with sliding doors.

The milkman doing his round back in the 50’s drove,at that time, their modern daybattery powered milk-floatswhich were replacing the horsedrawn carts, as the milkmenrattle their way to almost everydoor-step down every street inLondon, delivering the daily“Pinta.”

The pioneers of these milk-floats were the companyWales and Edwards, which entered the battery electricvehicle market in 1951 with a chain-driven 3-wheeler,designed and built at the request of United Dairies(UD). Such was its success that the dairy placed an orderfor 1,500 of them, and more than twice that numberwould eventually follow. The “float” was soon offered toall the other milk companies such as Express Dairies,London Co-op and the smaller privately owned dairiesin 1953, the chassis was, hugely popular, soon joined bylarger, more powerful W&E models. This is one of thosesad reminders of how such a thriving industryemploying many thousands of workers has dwindledalmost to the point of extinction!

December 13, is the official 60th birthday of RadioTaxis, so to all those drivers and staff who over the yearshave helped make our radio circuit the number oneLondon taxi company of today – thank you all andHappy Birthday RTG.

Roger Sligo.

BOAC Victoria Air Terminal

30

The Hoard included; gold, jewels, rock-crystal dishes,carved gem figures, cameos, enamelled chains, clasps,bodkins, badges, buttons, beads, an exquisite perfumebottle and an emerald watch. They could not have known itat the time, but this was the stock-in-trade of a 17th-centuryjeweller which had been lying undisturbed for 300 years.The circumstances under which it was buried are stillunknown.

The demolition workers took no time in takingtheir discovery to George F Lawrence, known asStony Jack, an antique dealer, collector, pawn-broker and museum librarian. Over the yearsStony Jack had befriended London’s labourers,encouraging them to bring him any finds.The workmen turned up at Stony Jack’sWandsworth shop with sacks containing greatlumps covered with mud glinting with promise.Once he had sorted and washed everything, revealingits full splendour, he realised he was looking at atreasure of extraordinary beauty and monumentalhistorical importance, one of the most significant findsto come from London’s soil and rubble. Stony Jack knewthis collection belonged in a museum and he thought atonce of the newly established London Museum.

The London Museum as it was known at the time wassituated next door to St James Palace. Within two daysof the discovery the museum had a hushed meeting withStony and their trustees where they decided to keep thefind secret until the hoard was officially acquired by theLondon Museum. The workmen who had discoveredthese treasures and for which they were handsomely

The Cheapside Hoard

London’s Lost Jewelsrewarded, remained anonymous. Many visited theLondon Museum and the press went wild, but thedisplay also sparked controversy over the rules oftreasure trove, kindling intense rivalry among museumsand academics. Questions were asked at the highestlevel, about the issue of ownership, yet the ruling by the

Treasury (on behalf of the Crown) that had grantedthe Hoard to the London Museum stood.

Over the years experts have never been able topiece together why such a treasure had been leftforgotten, or by whom it had once belonged.They have however been able to date within a fewyears of when the hoard had been buried.An overlooked Intaglio has recently given a vitalclue in dating the world’s finest collection of

Elizabethan and Early Stuart jewellery.Blazoned with the heraldic badge of William

Howard, the first and only Viscount Stafford, (1612 –1680), new research has shown the 10mm x 8mm ovalintaglio to be the latest datable item in the Hoard.Viscount Stafford was granted a peerage in 1640, a yearor two before the Catholic peer had to flee persecutionin Britain. The dating of this stone was a coup, yet itposes questions. Why was it in the jeweller’s shop?Perhaps for repair, or for setting into a signet ring, orperhaps it had been sold by the Stafford family beforethey left England. This alongside recent excavations atthe site of discovery built over now by Number OneNew Change that shows clear evidence of damagecaused by the Great Fire of London in 1666 has seen theMuseum of London accurately date the burial of the

ON THE 18th JUNE 1912, little over a monthafter the sinking of the “Titanic” a startlingdiscovery was made by labourers demolishingthree dilapidated buildings in the City ofLondon, just a few doors west of Bow Bells.While they demolished buildings which hadbeen built after those destroyed by theGreat Fire of London in 1666, some six feetbelow the brickwork they literally struckgold as they unearthed a stash of earthcovered treasures, now known asThe Cheapside Hoard.

31

Hoard for the first time. Dated between 1640, whenStafford was granted the peerage and before 1666, whenthe Great Fire of London ravaged the city.

MUSEUM OF LONDONEXHIBITION

The day before The Cheapside Hoard Exhibition openedto the general public, I was invited on behalf ofMountview News to a press preview – showing the fullcollection for the first time since its discovery. Securityat the museum for this priceless collection was verymuch in evidence, any bags or coats were taken awayand placed in lockers, where they were securely helduntil you were ready to leave. The roof to floor ironturnstiles, where you could enter and exit one at a timewere more like those in the underground vaults of the

Bank of England than you would expect to find in amuseum, but once inside you could completelyunderstand the reason for this high calibre security.Looking into the showcases at these wonderfullydisplayed treasures, showing the full collection for thefirst time since its discovery, knowing they were lost tothe world for over three and a half centuries is trulyamazing. Placing it alongside rarely seen portraits,historical objects and multi-media installations, theexhibition takes steps towards unravelling the mysteryof when, why and by whom the Hoard was buried.There is something captivating in realising that life, andin particular London’s jewellery world, was much thesame then as it is now. It is also remarkable to think thatthis amazing collection is only a few hundred yards fromwhere it was discovered hidden for so long!

THE CHEAPSIDE HOARDOctober 11th 2013 to April 27th 2014

Sharon Ament, Director, Museum of London says:“The Cheapside Hoard: London’s Lost Jewels showcases the very best of the Museum of London.

Our vision is to create a revitalised, world-class museum through state-of-the-artgalleries and exhibitions jam-packed with ground-breaking research and historical objects.

The Museum of London tells the story of the world’s greatest city and its people.And, as London’s most exciting stash of buried treasure, The Cheapside Hoard tells a thrilling tale of

mystery and discovery, with every jewel and gemstone unlocking a story.”

The exhibition from October 11th 2013 to April 27th 2014 marks the very first timethat The Cheapside Hoard has been displayed in its entirety since its

chance discovery deep under a cellar floor in London’s Cheapside over 100 years ago in 1912.

SPECIAL OFFERThe Museum of London is pleased to offer Radio Taxis & Xeta Drivers

FREE ENTRY to the exhibition on presentationof their Taxi Drivers’ Green or Yellow Badge at the ticket desk.

Terms and ConditionsValid for the Taxi Driver Identification Badge holder only.

Entry is for next available time slot. Redemption at ticket desk only.

My thanks to the Museum of London for their previewinvitation and for their exclusive free entry offer (ticketsnormally cost £10 each) to all RTG drivers.

So when you are having a tea break at Gresham

Street/Noble Street – do take a stroll over the road to theMuseum of London for a priceless visit.

Roger Sligo

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In the Daily Telegraph online appeared a piece about AddisonLee’s battle to try to get their Private Hire Vehicles into BusLanes. Here is the web link to the headline and what was said:http://tinyurl.com/addison-lee

7:01pm BST 11th Oct 2013Part of minicab operator Addison Lee’s legal battle to win thesame rights to use bus lanes as London’s iconic black taxis isheading for the European Court of Justice after the British courtasked for a ruling on European anti-competition law.

The court has requested a European ruling on whether“making a bus lane on a public road available to black cabs butnot minicabs, during the hours of operation of that bus lane,involves the use of ‘State resources’ of Article 107 (1) of theTreaty on the Functioning of the European Union”.

This is the section of the European Treaty originally intendedto stop member nations from illegally supporting their majorindustries to give them advantages over other nations. It wasused to force RBS to sell hundreds of bank branches as acondition of its huge state bail-out during the financial crisis.

The ruling could ultimately mean the right to use London’sroads could be decided across the Channel in the Luxembourg-based court.

Addison Lee, through its subsidiary Eventech, has beenfighting with Transport for London (TfL) for several years to winequal rights to black cabs. In April the battle reached the Courtof Appeal with a ruling now awaited.

However, only in recent weeks have documents beenofficially released which revealed the court wanted a European

decision on state aid.A spokesman for Addison Lee said: “We are pleased that the

matter has been referred to the European Courts as we believe thatthe current legislation is a breach of the EU and UK law. You can’tdiscriminate between two types of taxis and we are pleased to havethe opportunity to continue the fight against this injustice.”

A TfL spokesman said: “In the original judicial reviewproceedings, we explained to the court that taxis are allowed todrive in bus lanes because they can ply for hire, whereas minicabscannot. It would be more difficult to hail a taxi, especially on abusy road, if the vehicle concerned was not near to the kerb.”Mr Justice Burton agreed.

“The Court of Appeal has referred to the European Court ofJustice the issue of whether or not TfL’s policy, which allows taxis butnot private hire vehicles to drive in bus lanes, amounts to State aid.Once the European Court has given its judgment on this aspect, thecase will be referred back to the Court of Appeal for a decision on thewider appeal. Pending that outcome, we continue to maintain ourpolicy on access to bus lanes and to contest the appeal.”

Drivers of the capital’s 25,000 blackcabs could be illegally receiving stateaid, according to the Court of Appeal.

Black Cab Drivers Could BeGetting Illegal State Aid?

IN A RECENT EMAIL EXCHANGE with abusiness associate, he inadvertentlyreferred to ‘One Transport’ as ‘OneDirection’ – this was in the morning andthe guy is in his 50’s, so I assumeneither intoxication nor a misguidedadmiration for the manufactured “tweenie poppers”

was responsible for his faux pas. Although‘One Direction’ may have the fame, ‘OneTransport’ is likely to be around longer and issignificantly more useful!

An increasing percentage of Radio Taxis jobs are now being deliveredthrough One Transport clients. One Transport’s client base has almosttrebled year on year, with the overwhelming majority of these beingclients that are new to Radio Taxis Group i.e. not previously Radio Taxisaccount holders.

One of the main reasons why we have won this business is that we areable to offer Radio Taxis supply as an essential part of the product mix.More importantly, Radio Taxis supply is seen as a quality product forclients who want to offer a higher grade service to key customers withintheir organisations.

For Radio Taxis Group as a business in an improving economy, it is ultimately self-defeating to engage in a ‘race to the bottom’ on price or use Taxis as a ‘loss leader’ forcars. (Despite what some misguided elements of the trade have expressed in the past).

A recent tender for a large bank was won by a competitor offering no ‘run-in’, nogratuity and no admin for their taxi supply – why denigrate the value and quality ofyour product by essentially declaring it worthless? That’s the Gerald Ratnerapproach to business. London once again boasts the world’s best taxi industry andother circuits trying to sell it too cheap is business of the madhouse.

The beauty of the One Transport product offering is that not only is it incomplete synchronisation with the trend for price-conscious, travel policy managed,consolidation, it also provides complete flexibility of choice for users. A recentlyacquired, substantial, One Transport account currently has 75% of its supplyprovided by Radio Taxis as their users prefer the service, quality and convenienceoffered by a Taxi.

Beyond the established corporate market, One Transport allows for opportunitiesin markets that we previously struggled to access with the Radio Taxis productalone. This has been most apparent in the Public Sector market. We have recentlywon two tenders for Public Sector Framework Agreements in London, where therewill be demand for substantial Taxi work within a One Transport operatingenvironment. Both these contracts will be up and running in 2014.

There’s no doubt that in the current market place, One Transport as a Londonwide and National transport provider as well as an international one as well, byhaving London taxis as “the best way to get around London” at the forefront wedefinitely have the ‘X Factor’!

33

One DirectionBy Roy HughesDirector of Commercial Development

Caption Contest Winner forthe Autumn issue is:MICHAEL MARCUS (KILO96) he came upwith the caption: “I told him to take the nextturning ‘on his right hand side’… so he did!”

Michael wins a superb £25 Marks & SpencerGift Voucher.

The Mountview News AmusingCaption Contest

34

With Christmas coming up and Fairway’scoming off the road, with a second handvalue of only £200 each! Here’s a chance tobuy a brand new Pedicab for Chrismas forjust £799.99 – tempted?

To win our £25 M&S Gift Voucher for this issueall you need to do is send us your funny captionwith your name and call sign by email to:mvn.editor@radiotaxis.co.ukOr send it by snail mail to:Mountview NewsCaption Contest,Mountview House,Lennox Road, LondonN4 3TX.

CHRISTOPHER DRIVER (A204) gets acheque for £300 plus a £100 Westfieldvoucher. Chris does lots of Radio Taxiscredit card jobs and thus went into themonthly draw.

He told us an amusing story:Recently he picked up five japanese people whoasked if his cab seated five, he said that it did andoff they all went to their destination. About halfwaythere Chris looked in his mirror and saw that theywere all sitting together on the back seat! He didn’thave the heart to tell them that there were two jumpseats as well.

Well if you’ve never been to London before...?

Credit Card Winner...

Give your brains a reallygood work out!

HAVE A GO AT THIS ISSUE’SSUDOKU PUZZLE!

The object is to write in the missing numbers inthe empty boxes below. But to satisfy only

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Well you can find many more Sudoko puzzles online FREE by going to: www.sudoku.cc

The Mountview Puzzler PageCLUES ACROSS8. Sports arena9. Allowing liquid to escape10. Dispute11. Exterior12. Charged particles13. Trips16. Grateful19. Cougar22. Brass wind instrument23. Bay24. Diving bird25. Extraordinary

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Mountview News – Graphic design, layout, print and distribution by DC-Graphics, Barnet: 0208 440 1155 | www.dc-graphics.co.uk

CHIEF RENTALS is proud to announce that theyhave joined forces with Radio Taxis as their mainsupplier of replacement licensed Radio Taxis fortheir drivers who find themselves involved in theunfortunate circumstance of a non-fault accident.

This specialist service enables Radio Taxis drivers who areinvolved in such an incident to get straight back to work andmore importantly, back on the Radio Taxis circuit as allreplacement vehicles supplied by Chief Rentals are fitted witha Radio Taxis terminal.

Other aspects of this exceptional service also include repairmanagement of the driver’s own vehicle as well as the handlingof all personal injury claims, either from injured drivers ortheir injured passengers.

Not only are these services available to Radio Taxis drivers,but Chief Rentals has also agreed to expand them to drivers’

families and friends who may also find themselves in a similarpredicament following a non-fault accident and requiring alike-for-like replacement vehicle.

Chief Rentals look forward to working with both RadioTaxis and their drivers long-term into the future and endeavourto provide them with an outstanding service that will keepeveryone ‘on-circuit’ and at work during difficult times.

To find out more with no obligation, please call us FREEon the number above.