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TAXI DRIVER!

Moving Target,Issue #5, Fall 1989

Think of it this way, London's streets are an artificially constructed(and appallingly managed) ecosystem, no-one actually eats anyone else butstill there's a clear vehicular hierarchy, and at the top is the blackcab. Their drivers, the cabbies, can justifiably claim to being the kingsof the road / jungle. They know the streets best, their vehicles are purposebuilt, and there are more of them than any other single species. So wheredoes that leave the cc? Well, as a kind of small but persistent rodentI suppose, a squirrel or rat maybe; difficult to pin down, unconventional,versatile, dangerous when cornered, but certainly smaller and softer thanjust about everyone else - basically 'prey'. From a cc's point of viewthen cabs are The Baddies and helpfully most of them are painted blackfor ease of identification. Another analogy might be that cabs are to cc'swhat Klingons are to Capt. James T. (Bold) Kirk and his crew. -Wheneverone shows up you just know something nasty is going to happen. So whenI went down to the taxi rank outside the piccolo bar in EC1's Gresham St.I was expecting nothing short of abuse, ridicule and derisive laughter,I was a scared squirrel.

This next bit is not easy for me to say because not only did none ofthem spit fire, have horns or 666 tattooed on their heads but yes, I admitit, they were all very, ...nice. O.k. not so nice I wanted to go on a campingholiday with any of them but they were perfectly reasonable people. 'Bollocks'you say? Well read on. Question 1 was; What do you think of cc's? "They'vegot a lot of guts' said one, (no hint of "..and I'd like to spillthem"). "If they can earn a living good luck to them" saidanother. "It's got to be the best way of getting around" saida third.- Not only were these guys reasonable, they were articulate too.

Question 2. Would you like to see cc's banned? (he asked, expectingthe answer -yes-) -No, not for the sake of it" said Allan, cabbieof some 10 years standing, " Although they do break just about everylaw, I don't think they think they can get arrested for what they do. Itwinds me up until I realise that it's the police not doing their job, butthen they're undermanned and haven't got time to worry about traffic. You'veonly got to go to Oxford St. to see that every other vehicle is a privatecar". True enough. "I'd rather see buses banned" said Chrisonly slightly joking, "they don't give a damn about anyone, even cabdrivers. Sometimes I think they (cc's) take the piss though. They don'tbelieve in traffic lights and they don't believe in giving way. I couldunderstand it more if they had the power to get themselves out of a situationbut their legs can't move fast enough".

Opinions were mixed on my next question; Has the situation got any worsein the past five years? "Because there’s more cyclists and more carsI think the attitude of cyclists towards car drivers in general has hardenedbecause of what they have to go through. I wouldn't like to have to goround Hyde Park Corner on a push bike because they (car drivers) don'tcare about other cars let alone bikes". Although one cabbie (rejoicingin the name Gordelia) felt that "There are a lot more cc's about now,but if anything things seem to have got better, at least they don't causetraffic jams or take up parking spaces".

Opinions on dr's was also mixed; "I don't think too much aboutthem, occasionally they cut you up but then they're gone. They don't giveme too much worry" said Chris. On the other hand all three othersexpressed reservations saying that there were too many on the road andone recounting how after breaking his wing mirror, deliberately weavingabout in front of him and finally falling off, the dr then had the gallto report him to the police. So what about U -turns in Oxford St? Chrisexplained in matter of fact terms "The cab can turn in 25 foot. Ifit wasn't built for it, we wouldn't do it. If you were sitting in the backof my cab and wanted to go the other way you'd expect me to do a U wouldn'tyou?" Yup I suppose I would. According to the LTDA (Licensed TaxiDrivers Association not Licensed To Do Anything) there are 18000 cabs inLondon with 15000 on the road at any one time. Given those figures andbeing so clearly marked is it any wonder that we've all got X-rated Taxidriver stories to tell? With respect to cc's it seems the reverse is nottrue, cabbies have to put up with far more shit from other vehicles toworry particularly about cc's and the ones I spoke to, perhaps not surprisinglywere keen to point out that they are professionals. "I try not toget provoked into doing anything silly. You have to be progressive notaggressive. Once you start being aggressive you get yourself into trouble"was how Allan put it, which seemed like pretty good advice for all concernedto me.

A fact often overlooked is that cabbies have to spend two or more yearson a moped learning the knowledge and all the guys I spoke to were at painsto point out how much more aware of bikes of both kinds they were. Neverthelessunder irresistible interview pressure Chris related the story of a cc indistress with mechanical problems who hailed a cab. As the two 'adversaries’chatted on the journey back to town Chris felt now was the time to declarethat he always kept an eye open for cyclists. In his own words "Whatdo I do? The next thing I know I've cut up a push bike without meaningto, I looked in my mirror and didn't see him. - so accidents do happen.

Ok I admit it could all have been a big act and after all it was theirtea break but I got the distinct impression that these guys were sympatheticto the humble cc's plight. As far as I'm concerned they are no longer TheEnemy but just fellow victims suffering the consequences of a traffic systemcreaking inexorably into collapse, instead of the traditionally exchangeddigital gesture maybe a smile of solidarity from cc's would be more inorder in future.

CC's are still rooting around for lucrative scraps at the bottom ofthis particular 'food chain' but clearly others are suffering too.

A.D.

Thanks to Dave, Chris, Allan and (ahem) Gordelia.

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at messvilleto@yahoo.com