"John Rowland" wrote:

Rumour has it that now that Livingstone has ordered Private Hire vehicles
(minicabs) have to carry an identifiying sticker on the window, the Royal
Parks Police are pouncing on any who drive through Hyde Park and prosecuting
them under the law which bans signed commercial vehicles from the park!

The law (section 4(27) of the Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations
1997 http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1997/97163901.htm) prohibits
unauthorised persons from "drive or ride any vehicle which is constructed,
adapted or in use for the purpose of a trade or business", whether the
vehicle is signed or not (people who use vans for personal trips take note
-- the regulation says "constructed *or* adapted *or* in use" for trade --
if it's a van it's not allowed in, even if you're not using it for business
at the time).

Minicabs, as vehicles used for carrying on a business, have always been
prohibited from entering any of the Royal Parks (Hyde Park, Kensington
Gardens, St. James' Park, Green Park, Regent's Park, Greenwich Park,
Richmond Park and Bushy Park -- as well as various other places that don't
have any roads and so aren't relevant here). The new licensing of minicabs
doesn't make them any more or less allowed into the parks, it just makes
them easier to spot.

There is a specific regulation (Part 1(1) of Schedule 2 of the regulations)
that allows taxis to enter the parks, but not to ply for trade (because that
would be a breach of regulation 4(6).

Wishing you'd never asked?


Matt Ashby
www.mattashby.com