Taxi drivers have been given one week to prepare for the planned relocation of the Chaguanas and Port-of-Spain taxi stands from High Street, San Fernando to Kings Wharf but they have vowed to oppose the move legally saying it is unsafe and impractical.
During a press conference held at Library Corner on Tuesday, president of the T&T Taxi Driver Network Adrian Acosta said they will fight the move through the courts.
“We are calling on upright and upstanding lawyers to get in contact with me. We will not move and we will fight this to the end,” he said.
He added, “The Mayor did not have any discussions with us. It is unfair to us. This is an injustice to passengers. The Wharf is dark and dismal. There are vagrants there and the place smells bad. There are no toilet facilities yet you want to take us from a place which is busy and lighted up to put us down there? It is unfair, unacceptable and we believe the Mayor is victimizing us.”
Acosta also said relocation of the stands will take away business from High Street.
“The San Fernando, Chaguanas and Curepe taxi drivers bring about 15,000 passengers daily to High Street. When you put us down there the business people are going to suffer. Sometimes passengers drop on High Street they purchase items. This idea of putting us on the Wharf is a total waste of time and we are never going to support it,” he added.
He denied that the Curpe, Chaguanas and Port of Spain taxi drivers were responsible for traffic congestion on High Street, saying if the Mayor wanted to clear congestion, he should ban PH cars from plying for hire illegally on High Street.
“Former Mayor Ian Atherly solved congestion by stopping PH cars from plying on High Street and that worked well. If the Mayor wants to clear traffic congestion from High Street, revert to that plan,” Acosta added.
Secretary of the San Fernando to Port-of-Spain Taxi Drivers Association Randy James said the taxi drivers tried to explain their complaints to Mayor Junia Regrello during a meeting three years ago but was not given a fair hearing.
James also said that the Mayor created congestion by putting two taxi stands on either side of High Street.
“Now he blames us for congestion and that is not true,” he added.
In a letter issued yesterday, Mayor Regrello told the drivers that effective Monday, they will be relocated to the Wharf for a trial period of one month. Concerning issues of safety, Regrello said drivers will have the option of using Harris Promenade between the hours of 6 pm to 5 am. However, during daytime hours, they will have to ply their trade from Kings Wharf.
“We have the Marabella, La Romaine, Port-of-Spain, Couva, Williamsville, Whiteland, Chaguanas and Curepe taxi stand all in the same area at Library Corner. Businesspeople are complaining that they cannot get goods to offload. We are currently planning for Independence, Christmas, Divali and Carnival next year so we have to deal with the traffic congestion on High Street,” Regrello said. —Radhica De Silva