Taxis use residental areas as routes
HOUGHTON – Residents and local ward councillor have expressed concern about a growing problem of taxi’s and busses taking illegal routes through Houghton.
8th Street resident Nico Czypionka said he was frustrated by public transportation driving through his street, a residential area. “None of their permits allow them to drive through the area. When the taxis get to the stop sign, they don’t even stop, they just overtake on the oncoming lane which is dangerous,” he said.
Czypionka said it was unacceptable that 30 to 40 taxis pass through his street during the peak hours in the mornings and evenings. “One of the bus drivers even covered his face with a newspaper when I took a photo from the front,” he added.
Ward 73 councillor Marcelle Ravid said when there was traffic congestion in Oxford Road, the taxis and buses took “shortcuts” and drove through the streets in the suburb. She wants to get law enforcement involved to curb the problem. “What we need here is Metro police during peak hours,” she said.
Ravid said one resident wanted to put up a ‘No entry to taxis’ sign. “We had the chief traffic engineer here who explained that the sign [could] not be used to prohibit taxis but [could be] used as an example to indicate the road cannot take heavy vehicles for safety reasons.”
According to Ravid, there is a nursery school nearby and there was an illegal taxi rank at the intersection of 9th Street and 11th Avenue, as taxis transport students of the school.
