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I just walked past a long row of diesel cabs, sitting with engines idling, waiting for fares at Canary Wharf. They sit there all day pumping out noxious fumes.
by cbeach 10y ago
I just walked past a long row of diesel cabs, sitting with engines idling, waiting for fares at Canary Wharf. They sit there all day pumping out noxious fumes. I'd much rather see the efficiently-allocated modern hybrid vehicles of Uber.
Taxis aren't dying nearly fast enough in London
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- Symbiote 10y agoI couldn't agree more. I refuse to use a black cab in London on principle. Their drivers fight against regulations limiting the maximum age of their cars, so filthy, worn-out diesel engines from 15 years ago are still polluting the city.
- Lio 10y agoThe Licensed Taxi Driver Association (black cabs) are also doing their damnedest stop TfL building decent, safe cycle paths across the city. http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/black-cab-drivers-challenge-londons-cycle-superhighway-in-high-court-206652 http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/black-cab-dr...
- iNerdier 10y agoCabs actually have more stringent MOT tests than private cars do and have them more often. I'm not sure where your idea of 'filthy worn-out' engines comes from. I understand that diesel engines and particulate emissions are a big problem in London at the moment but cabs are hardly going to be the worst offenders here.
- mdpye 10y agoI understand that they are. And the cars (and engines) are much older than would be preferable because updating the regulations to mandate newer vehicles gets a lot of push back. The vehicles are privately owned, the drivers do not want to fork out for a new one. Black cabs are much more expensive than prius because of the limited number of approved models and manufacturers. Source: friends who work air quality policy for tfl/city hall
- Symbiote 10y agoBuses and lorries must comply with the Low Emission Zone, but black cabs are exempted. A lot of public buses are now hybrid.
- Dylan16807 10y agoDo any other cars have age limits? That seems like a strange metric to use.
- Symbiote 10y agoClose enough, using the European emissions standards which get tighter every couple of years. Buses, lorries and other commercial vehicles must comply with the "Low Emission Zone" or pay a hefty charge. Taxis are exempted from this. All public buses are something like 6 years old or younger, but for taxis it's 15 years. For other taxis the limit is 10 years: http://www.pcoworld.com/pco-vehicles/what-is-the-age-limit-allowed-for-pco-vehicles-in-greater-london/ http://www.pcoworld.com/pco-vehicles/what-is-the-age-limit-a... https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/spread_of_ages_of_londons_black https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/spread_of_ages_of_lon...
- Dylan16807 10y agoWhy in the world would a "low emission zone" require a specific age instead of a specific amount of emissions? Even if we assumed that every engine put out the exact legal max from when it was built, that wouldn't exactly line up with age, and that's a terrible assumption to begin with. In fact this policy actively discourages making an engine that's efficient enough to meet regulations 20 years down the line. Total waste of money.
- detaro 10y agoIf I understand it correctly, it is like that directly. Cars have to have a certain environmental standard for the zone. Taxis/hire cars are exempted, so the only thing limiting their emissions is the fact that newer cars have been build to meet stricter standards. Black cabs are allowed to be older than other hire cars, so they were build to weaker standards. The age limit does not exist primarily for environmental reasons, but because standards increase it has the side effect of limiting how bad taxis are.