A SUGGESTION that Launceston’s current taxi rank closes during the day but operates at night has been described as a ‘totally ridiculous idea’ by one of the town’s taxi drivers.

Taxi driver Mervyn Pollard attended the meeting of Launceston Town Council on July 19, where the council considered a report from two of its members, which suggested alternative daytime locations for a taxi rank, alongside the current rank to be available for use by taxis between the hours of 6pm and 6am.

There has been disagreement over where the taxi rank, which currently runs along Broad Street, should be sited, but all agree the current location is not suitable.

Town councillors Dave Gordon and Paul O’Brien, who wrote the town square taxi rank report considered at the July town council meeting, have put forward Madford Lane and Western Road, alongside the castle wall, as alternative locations for the taxi rank, during the daytime.

But Mr Pollard reiterated to councillors: “We [taxi drivers] would love to go in on the cobbles, and Dave Gordon said we must try and reach a compromise. Ours would be if we can’t go on the cobbles, can we go back to where we were before, outside Barclays bank, and have both sides of the road?”

He said of the suggestion to close the existing taxi rank during the day: “It’s a totally ridiculous idea. That’s when the majority of taxis are working.

“Putting us out of the town is putting us out of business. Madford Lane is too far for a lot of elderly, disabled people to walk. Outside the castle wall is virtually the same.

“A lot of elderly people do their shopping in Co-Op and the staff are brilliant and carry their shopping over to the car. I don’t think they would do that if we were at Madford Lane.

“We really do need to be in the town square.”

Mr Pollard pointed out the problem with the existing taxi rank is there are around 20 taxis operating in Launceston, with four spaces on the rank. He added: “At the moment we have to park illegally or keep driving, which costs us a lot of money.”

Cllr Dave Gordon said: “Everybody around this table accept it’s your livelihood but we are not talking a huge distance between anywhere in town. Nobody likes change but we both agree change needs to happen.”

Cllr Brian Keighley said: “I don’t think we can take the taxis out of the town to be honest.”

Cllr John Conway said: “We need to get something going where the taxis can operate in and out of the town centre. Anything else isn’t to my mind acceptable.

“We need to keep the taxis operating in and out of the town centre so the elderly and disabled can still use the shopping facilities in the town.”

Cllr John Harris described the report as ‘very thorough’, adding: “Without any alternatives we need to give it a chance. If it doesn’t work we need to go back and look at the town again as a whole.”

Cllr Margaret Young suggested there could be a pick-up point in the town square, near to Barclays bank and the Co-Op, while Cllr Roger Creagh-Osborne put forward the idea of one taxi space in the square with taxi drivers communicating to the next driver when the space was available.

However, Mr Pollard said: “We don’t have radios in our cars. A lot of us are one-man bands.

“The majority of people in the town have their preferred taxi company and in order to pick up your customers you need to be visible to them, and if you are not in the town square you are not visible.”

It was agreed by the majority of councillors to accept the document, with an amendment stating there will be a pick-up point within the square, location to be agreed.

It is understood once there is a formal request to re-site the taxi rank, Cornwall Council is obliged to hold a formal consultation exercise to assess residents’ reaction to the proposed changes.