In message .com,
Boltar writes

Earl Purple wrote:

Boltar wrote:
This morning I saw a black cab do a u-turn on a busy 4 lane road. And
not for the first time.

Doing a U-turn is a legal manoeuvre, unless there is a no-U-turn sign.
Unlike most drivers, taxis do not know where they are going to go when
they start their journey.

I didn't see a no u turn sign on this road but I reckon its a safe bet
theres
one hidden somewhere given he was blocking one lane of traffic and
sticking out into oncoming. Hardly safe.

Taxis are allowed to stop in red routes to pick up a fare. Obviously

So a red route is No Stopping At Any Time (unless you're a cabbie
and then its no problem , block the traffic for as long as you like
mate)?

Taxis are only permitted to stop on a red route for the purposes of
picking up and setting down passengers. They are not allowed to wait any
longer than the time it takes for this purpose. They may have to take
some time if they have a disabled passenger in a wheelchair to get in
and out, but they may not wait while the passenger goes to the bank to
get money. Taxi driver have been done for this on several occasions and
this is published in the trade press. This can sometimes cause friction
with the passengers when we tell them that we have to go around the
corner before stopping!

So what makes cabbies exempt? Plenty of other people have to drive
in london for a living. Why shouldn't we permit delivery drivers,
couriers
and so forth to stop too? They need is probably even greater than the
cabbies since they can't just drive further on and drop the delivery
off
somewhere else.

Most deliveries *can* be done outside the normal 'rush hours' and there
are usually marked off bays for delivery vehicles to stop.

--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England