Taxi drivers call for rank spaces to be restored

Taxi drivers are calling for the government to restore some of the spaces on a rank which were removed and replaced with disabled parking bays and bike racks.

Three disabled parking bays were introduced at Library Place in St Helier earlier this month and two spaces were removed from the taxi rank - with one left to "meet demand".

Jersey Taxi Drivers' Association (JTDA) said the islands 300 taxis were now competing for about 25 spaces in the town centre.

Infrastructure Minister Constable Andy Jehan has defended the decision to remove the spaces and said he believed the requirement for parking taxis had been reduced because consumer habits had changed.

"The taxi industry is very different to what it was years ago, many people now book their taxi using an app," he said.

Mr Tostevin said drivers hoped "common sense would prevail" and the decision could be changed.

"If we can at least not put the cycle racks there, and keep the three spaces and the five or six at the front that is probably adequate."

He said it made more sense to put bicycle racks on the Esplanade in St Helier, rather than a new taxi rank, which was the minister's plan.

"That's no good for shoppers, people with disabilities... but if people are fit enough, to cycle put the cycle racks down there," Mr Tostevin said.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].