In message , John Rowland
writes
Mike Hughes wrote:

Driving a Private Hire (minicab) does not require a knowledge test.
Inmost cases they can get you to your destination, even if it is by a
round about route, but I know of one recent case where a minicab
driver using sat nav just couldn't get his passengers to their
destination because the roads around Trafalgar Square had all been
closed off (cycle race or something) and every time he diverted it
tried to send him back the same way. Eventually the customers stopped
a '*proper* taxi who got then to their destination within 15 minutes
- after they'dalready spent nearly 4 (yes 4) hours trying to get
there with aid of a sat nav!

Mike, you don't need loads of closed roads for that to happen. If you're
anywhere near Belsize Circus and you ask TomTom for the shortest route to
most places in Central London, it will send you down Loudoun Road, left into
Boundary Road and then right into Finchley Road. But when you get to
Finchley Road, the right turn is illegal and you have to take a forced
*left* into Finchley Road instead. As soon as you go left into Finchley
Road, the TomTom recalculates the new shortest route.... left into Hilgrove
Rd, left into Alexandra Rd, left into Loudoun Rd, left into Boundary Rd,
then the illegal right into Finchley Road again. I wonder how many times
people go around the loop before they realise they're going nowhere.

Another funny one is when you ask it to take you into or out of the city
when you're anywhere near Holborn Viaduct. It tells you to turn left or
right into (or from) a road this is 40 feet above (or below) the other!

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

"Mike Hughes" wrote in message
...
In message , Zara Henderson
writes
--------------------------------------------------------
How do you know what hours I work? you pompous oaf, A taxi drivers duty is
to serve the general public the anti social hours come with the
territory,if
you do not wish to work these hours then their are tens of thousands of
Eastern European immigrants who will,my six year old can read a Sat Nav,
so
driving a minicab/black cab is hardly an occupation that taxes the brain
is
it.
OK I'll bite. Let's get this right. A licensed London *taxi* (black cab)
does require a great deal of 'knowledge' which does indeed tax the brain.
Most *taxi* drivers take on average 3 years to get their licence. During
this time their brain expands in an area known as the hypocampus which is
an area associated with learning and sense of direction. This has been
confirmed by MRI scans at, amongst others, University College Hospital.

Driving a Private Hire (minicab) does not require a knowledge test. Inmost
cases they can get you to your destination, even if it is by a round about
route, but I know of one recent case where a minicab driver using sat nav
just couldn't get his passengers to their destination because the roads
around Trafalgar Square had all been closed off (cycle race or something)
and every time he diverted it tried to send him back the same way.
Eventually the customers stopped a '*proper* taxi who got then to their
destination within 15 minutes - after they'dalready spent nearly 4 (yes 4)
hours trying to get there with aid of a sat nav!

Please do your research before coming out with statements such as that
----------------------------------------------------------
My "research "into using Black Taxis comes as a fare paying customer,& in my
line of work I frequently have to take cabs to the City of London & I do
notice that drivers have to either refer to an AtoZ or use a Sat Nav because
they do not know many of the streets & major business establishments in the
financial sector,as for the Knowledge of London it is now an anachronism &
should be scrapped,most cabbies in London did not enter higher education so
the brain expanding in an area known as the "hippocampus" is probably
brought about because it is first time they have ever had to use their
brains for anything at all.

The correct spelling is "Hippocampus" not hypocampus please do not patronise
me remember you are a mere cabby a job that is regarded by new immigrants as
a "first step" occupation an intelligent chimpanzee could do your job.

"Zara Henderson" Zara@Hendersontyped

The correct spelling is "Hippocampus" not hypocampus please do not
patronise
me remember you are a mere cabby a job that is regarded by new
immigrants as
a "first step" occupation an intelligent chimpanzee could do your job.

Stop acting as a troll!

Most cabbies I encounter are intelligent and polite. By and large, their
geograhical knowledge, general demeanour and driving skill are far
better than many of the mini-cab drivers I have had. They also speak
English, which I find to be an advantage.

Some cabbies are graduates...

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

"Helen Deborah Vecht" wrote in message
...
"Zara Henderson" Zara@Hendersontyped

The correct spelling is "Hippocampus" not hypocampus please do not
patronise
me remember you are a mere cabby a job that is regarded by new
immigrants as
a "first step" occupation an intelligent chimpanzee could do your job.

Stop acting as a troll!

Most cabbies I encounter are intelligent and polite. By and large, their
geograhical knowledge, general demeanour and driving skill are far
better than many of the mini-cab drivers I have had. They also speak
English, which I find to be an advantage.

Some cabbies are graduates...

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.
------------------------------------------------------
Some cabbies may well be graduates but most are Sun reading thicko's,but
watch out this guy has applied to TFL for a license to flood London with Tuc
Tucs & if that transpires then you are all up **** creek.
http://www.brightonlife.com/news/index.php?news_id=1488

Zara Henderson (Zara@Henderson) gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying :

Some cabbies may well be graduates but most are Sun reading
thicko's

Oh, the irony.

but watch out this guy has applied to TFL for a license to flood London
with Tuc Tucs & if that transpires then you are all up **** creek.
http://www.brightonlife.com/news/index.php?news_id=1488

Why will - the consumers of transport and denizens of London - be "up ****
creek" with an extra transport choice?

John Rowland wrote:
Mike Hughes wrote:

Mike, you don't need loads of closed roads for that to happen. If you're
anywhere near Belsize Circus

Good waiting point for minicabs as you are on the plot for Kilburn/West
Hampstead, Hampstead (just about), St John's Wood and Maida Vale.

and you ask TomTom for the shortest route to most places in Central London, it will send you down Loudoun Road, left into Boundary Road and then right into Finchley Road.

Obviously they have a bad sat nav. By the way you haven't been allowed
to turn right out of Marlborough Road for the last 2-3 years, and after
that point Loudoun Road is one way towards you so the only route is
then to go right, then left onto Abbey Road and then Grove End Road
(actually ahead and left are both called Grove End Road at this point -
one of those where the name of the road follows the side road).

Actually, many minicab drivers do have a reasonable knowledge, and will
know the suburbs too. I know most of the routes, at least in the North
side of London, plus a few in the South too. I am unlikely to know the
names of all the cafes on Kensington High Street or where McDonalds is
in Fulham. But even then, these things change so those who have
completed the knowledge would either have to be told every update as it
happens or would be as unknowledgeable as me until they learnt from
experience.

But when you get to
Finchley Road, the right turn is illegal and you have to take a forced
*left* into Finchley Road instead.

Funny sat nav system, as far as I'm aware there has never been a right
turn from Boundary Road onto Finchley Road. Except perhaps for
bicycles.

As soon as you go left into Finchley
Road, the TomTom recalculates the new shortest route.... left into Hilgrove
Rd, left into Alexandra Rd, left into Loudoun Rd, left into Boundary Rd,
then the illegal right into Finchley Road again. I wonder how many times
people go around the loop before they realise they're going nowhere.

Can't believe they'd go back down Hillgrove Road, they'd go round the
one way system at Swiss Cottage then along Finchley Road in the right
direction, or even down Avenue Road and maybe round Regents Park even
though it's technically forbidden. However they might take Prince
Albert Road, Albany Street and Great Portland Street. That's A5205,
A4201 and B406 by the way and I know that without looking at sat nav or
even streetmap.co.uk

Zara Henderson wrote:
----------------------------------------------------------
My "research "into using Black Taxis comes as a fare paying customer,& in my
line of work I frequently have to take cabs to the City of London & I do
notice that drivers have to either refer to an AtoZ or use a Sat Nav because
they do not know many of the streets & major business establishments in the
financial sector,

I would rather my taxi driver looked up in an A-Z or used a Satellite
Navigation system if he didn't know where the place was rather than
take a guess and go the wrong way.

as for the Knowledge of London it is now an anachronism &
should be scrapped,most cabbies in London did not enter higher education so
the brain expanding in an area known as the "hippocampus" is probably
brought about because it is first time they have ever had to use their
brains for anything at all.

I do not think that the knowledge should be scrapped at all, I think
minicab drivers should also be required a knowledge test although it
does not need to be as intensive as the one for taxi drivers.

Private hire drivers are not required to take any knowledge test. The
PCO check is mostly a criminal record and medical check.

The correct spelling is "Hippocampus" not hypocampus please do not patronise
me remember you are a mere cabby a job that is regarded by new immigrants as
a "first step" occupation an intelligent chimpanzee could do your job.

hippo refers to the equine species (i.e. horses), not primates (that
chimpanzees and humans are) (and not hippopotamus either).

Why do you come under the impression that immigrants are stupid?
Actually, driving a taxi is probably the least appropriate job for them
because while they may well know a profession, they are highly unlikely
to know their way around London.

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

Some cabbies are graduates...

as our many minicab drivers. During recession periods when many
professionals are put out of work, quite a few take to minicab driving
whilst they are looking for another job. Some of them remain in the job
for longer than expected.

Tom Anderson wrote:
On Fri, 27 Oct 2006, Earl Purple wrote:

Let me pick my routes for these journeys:

[ka-SNIP]

A number of those routes when through Muswell Hill, a big climb on a
bicycle.

Not very well picked, then! Unless you actually live in Muswell Hill or
Highgate or such, there's no need to go via there on a bike.

Find me a good route round. I once cycled, by the way, from the Fiat
Garage, Colney Hatch Lane N11 to Parsons Green. This was on a December
morning. My route was B550 all the way to Highgate, then B519
(Hampstead Lane, Spaniards Road towards Hampstead), little bit of A502,
then B511 (Fitzjohn's Avenue), B509 and B414 (Kilburn Park Road, I
think that's B414). then through Westbourne Park towards Bayswater,
through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens on the permitted route then
North End Road (i.e. the one in Kensington/Fulham).

However, i do agree that some of the trips Steve listed are a bit much to
do by bike; Ladbroke Grove would not be much fun,

might take a route similar to the one I took. In fact I could have
chosen that route but preferred to head for the A406 as quickly as
possible for a good car route in the early morning.

and the Chatham one -

isn't that in Kent? So in a car probably Blackwall Tunnel, A12 and
possibly at Green Man take A114/A104 then A406 but you can just take
A12/A406 etc

Adrian wrote:
Zara Henderson (Zara@Henderson) gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying :

Some cabbies may well be graduates but most are Sun reading
thicko's

Oh, the irony.

but watch out this guy has applied to TFL for a license to flood London
with Tuc Tucs & if that transpires then you are all up **** creek.
http://www.brightonlife.com/news/index.php?news_id=1488

Why will - the consumers of transport and denizens of London - be "up ****
creek" with an extra transport choice?

I think she means the taxi drivers, but I doubt the Tuc Tucs will put
them out of work.