Ref. 28830-45TAXI DRIVERS FEATURE: NOT for the first time Swindon's taxi drivers are on the warpath. For many years the relationship between Swindon Council and the town's taxi drivers has been tantamount to a festering sore.

Five years ago, cab drivers inflicted gridlock on Swindon with a skillfully orchestrated mass go-slow crawl through the town.

Then, in 2001, they threatened a Saturday blockade with 2,000 cabs, brought in from the Thames Valley region, bringing Swindon to a standstill.

This action was averted only when the council, then under the leadership of Coun Sue Bates, called for a cooling off period.

Now the cab companies are spoiling for a fight with authority yet again. The contentious issue, as ever, is bus lanes.

The council has always argued that the lanes are for buses and emergency vehicles only, with a concession to cyclists.

But after warding off the threatened blockade in April 2001, two months later the council infuriated the cabbies with the findings of its transport task group.

It recommended that the lanes should be opened up to motorcyclists for a year's trial run, but taxis should be excluded.

"Snubbed again!" stormed the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) official Nathan Blake.

Now the council has decided against its own traffic experts' advice to open up the bus lanes to all motorists between 7pm and 7am.

But no consideration was given to making the lanes available to taxis during daytime hours. Old wounds have been re-opened.

"To say we're beating our heads against a brick wall is an understatement," said Tony Johnson, the TGWU officer now representing the 150-plus taxis in Swindon.

"They're awkward, obnoxious and don't listen to any independent advice. We don't want to be militant. We'd much prefer to resolve our differences through dialogue, but there's a problem with that when the other side refuse to talk.

"The council has been acting illegally for years over its bus lanes policy, but it would cost us a lot of money to pursue the matter through the courts for justice. So if we don't go for militancy, we're in a bit of a Catch 22 situation."

Mr Johnson claims that the council bus lanes are not legally enforceable because "they haven't been marked properly".

He explained: "They should make it clear that they are 24-hour bus lanes, but in many cases this hasn't been done, making the signs worthless in law, but the council couldn't care less. They think they can ride roughshod over anyone's rights, especially with us.

"In this town we've always been the poor relation of public transport. We provide transport for the public and encourage motorists to leave their cars at home, yet we're more likely to get a slap in the face than any recognition for the service we provide.

"If it's more confrontation that the council wants, then so be it."

Because of the long-running friction and the conviction by the cabbies that they are unappreciated and prejudiced against, all grumbles tend to become blown-up into them versus us conflicts.

The TGWU has hired a professional private detective to video the activities of unlicensed, pirate taxis.

"We've now got loads of footage of illegal operators doing business in Swindon," added Mr Johnson.

"We've had eggs thrown at us by bully-boys when we've tried to photograph the unlawful trading.

"That's why finally we had to hire a professional private detective. Now we've got the irrefutable evidence and we'll be presenting it to the council, the police and the town's MPs.

"This should certainly embarrass the council, but we don't expect any action from councillors. We've come to expect nothing but inertia from Swindon Council."

What next?

"At the moment it's in the melting-pot," said Mr Johnson.

Translated, that means trouble is brewing.

The story so far

The story of the running battle between taxi drivers and the council can be told in headlines from the Evening Advertiser.

Cabbies to Block Roads Protest on Hold but the Meter is Running New Turn for Taxi Protest It's Not Fair Say Cabbies Taxi Boss Threatens Suit Over Bus Lanes Taxi Firms Under Fire

The choice is endless.

The one consistent factor is that nothing has ever been resolved.

Each new dispute has been left as unfinished business, allowing the resentment to simmer and come to the boil at regular intervals.

When the council decided to open up the bus lanes to motorists for the 12-hour period 7pm to 7am, the leader of the Labour group, Coun Kevin Small (Western), said: "We should be widening this debate to include the issue of taxis. I can see this resolving very little and sparking off more controversy."

In that respect, he was right.