"It's a disgrace": Council plan to reduce taxi ranks on Cork's Patrick St slammed

A plan to reduce taxi ranks on Patrick St has been branded a “disgrace” by a taxi-driver representative.

Following a vote by councillors to progress the proposal, the council’s city centre directorate is working on a pilot scheme that will require changes to three taxi stands to facilitate the installation of planting and seating.

Under the scheme, the taxi rank near Merchant’s Quay will be reduced from a seven-vehicle maximum to a two-vehicle maximum.

The two-taxi rank on the western side of the road, near the junction with Bowling Green St, is to be suspended for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 18 months. Finally, the six-taxi rank near the junction with Maylor St will move to near the former Debenhams store.

Green Party councillor Oliver Moran said: “A vote of council was required on changes to the taxi ranks. The wider context is about giving the city centre directorate a free hand to develop ideas with the new city centre committee, and rapidly try them out.”

He said it can be hard to imagine change, with negatives often being overstated or people missing out on the public consultation process and only hearing about a project when works begin.

Consultation by doing approach

“A new ‘consultation-by-doing’ approach, like is being taken with Patrick St, allows us to see what works, get feedback, and change it again if needs be,” said Mr Moran. “We’ll try new things out over a 12-month period and keep an open survey for people to continually give feedback.”

The proposal, tabled at Mondays night’s council meeting, secured 22 votes in favour and four against.

Sinn Féin councillor Joe Lynch said at the meeting that he and his party colleagues would not be supporting the motion as taxi drivers were opposed to the changes.

He told The Echo: “We all want to see a better city centre, and changes delivered to Patrick St, but this must be done in a planned, sensible way, and it’s regrettable that the council have not brought taxi drivers along with them through further engagement.

“In particular, the removal of the shelter at the taxi rank outside Dunnes will have a big impact on older people.”

Derry Coughlan of the Cork Taxi Association told The Echo: “It’s a disgrace what they’re doing, interfering with very important taxi ranks that are used as shelter for women and children, people in wheelchairs.

“Taxis are essential services, they take you places no other transport takes you.

“The work that they intend on doing on Patrick St will be of no benefit to anybody. It’s unnecessary expense.”