Advertisement

London cab drivers accuse Sadiq Khan of prioritising cyclists and buses as their earnings fall

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tries out a new Streetspace protected cycle lane in London - Stefan Rousseau/PA
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tries out a new Streetspace protected cycle lane in London - Stefan Rousseau/PA

London cab drivers have likened Sadiq Khan to a “lunatic taking over an asylum” for prioritising cyclists and buses on the capital's streets, as their earnings fall with traffic being forced into gridlock.

To help reduce car usage and demand on public transport, the Mayor of London has created 17km of new cycle lanes throughout the city, with 15,000m2 of extra pavement space to enable social distancing on streets.

Pavement on Camden High Street that has been widened to help social distancing - Paul Grover for the Telegraph/Paul Grover
Pavement on Camden High Street that has been widened to help social distancing - Paul Grover for the Telegraph/Paul Grover

But this has led to people shunning cabs in Central London to avoid the increased fares charged by drivers forced to travel further in search of drop-off points, according to Darryl Cox, Secretary of the London Cab Drivers Club.

He is particularly critical of the installation of pop-up cycle lanes in tourist heavy areas such as Euston Road and Park Lane where demand for taxi services is still below pre-lockdown levels.

Speaking on behalf of his 1000 members, Mr Cox told The Sunday Telegraph: “The traffic is gridlocked because Sadiq Khan has helped massively increase the amount of bike lanes being constructed around central locations. There is also restricted access to the roads which are being re-designed purely for cyclists, buses and pedestrians.”

“It is now harder for us to drop and pick up passengers - especially disabled ones- at some stations as there are fewer spaces to pull over. The lunatic has taken over the asylum.”

Under ambitious proposals to transform parts of Central London into car-free zones, Mr Khan also plans to create a series of “bus-only corridors” within sections of Zone 1.

However, taxi groups claim the scheme will make it harder to travel around the city centre, which is suffering huge losses as many arts spaces and hospitality venues remain closed.

Steve McNamara, General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, added: “Any policy which deters people from coming into Central London and safely resuming their old routines, especially those who do not feel safe using public transport and for whom walking and cycling is simply not an option, will undermine London's recovery and do further economic harm.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Sadiq makes no apologies for the temporary emergency measures he has put in place to encourage Londoners to make as many journeys as possible by bike or on foot to help enable social distancing on public transport, and prevent a car-based recovery leading to one public health crisis being replaced with another.”