Westminster City Council and the Metropolitan Police from Charing Cross Police Station started an illegal campaign against pedicab riders and operators.
In the recent few weeks there has been a significant number of pedicabs (rickshaws) impounded in the areas of Soho and Covent Garden. Pedicab riders are being arrested for minor road traffic offences such as stopping on the double yellow line.
Why arrest?
According to the Met Police pedicabs cause a lot of obstruction on the public highways making it difficult for other road users to move around Central London.
Pedicab riders who break the Highway Code get simply arrested and their pedicab is simply impounded. Those who were arrested are going to be prosecuted in the Court.
Impounded pedicabs are held by the police as evidence. The only thing is that total process takes months and the rickshaws are held by the police for up to six months.
Pedicab Riders discrimination
The question worth asking is why pedicab riders are arrested. If the car or any other motor vehicle stops in the place where it shouldn’t be the driver is certainly not going to be arrested and the vehicle is not going to be impounded ( with a small exceptions of not having road tax or insurance). The fact that pedicab riders are simply being arrested is illegal and discriminating against them. On what basis Police is arresting those riders. On Friday 16th of October the met Police together with Westminster City Council did an organised action of impounding pedicabs off the streets. The interviewed rider who apparently lost second rickshaw in two weeks time has just been stopped and his rickshaw being taken by two police officers.
Police officers above the law
In reality this is how it looks like. Police is approaching riders on the streets and simply confiscate their vehicles. What’s worse they do not give their ID’s or names. They just take it. Being a police officer does not mean thy can be above the law and should clearly follow certain procedures. Met po;ice knows very well that large majority of riders come from abroad and they have a language difficulties. Riders can not defend themselves in front of police officers as they are simply too scared to say anything to the police officers.
Bureaucratic Game against operators
The impounded rickshaws are in 95% the property of pedicab operators. These pedicabs are held by the police for few months. It is simply a game of the Westminster City Council and the Met Police to affect pedicab operators. Holding their vehicles cuts their source of income. This might lead to affect their cash flow and eventually lead them in to bankruptcy.
Police under the pressure from Westminster City Council
The local police is significantly being pushed by the Westminster City Council to fight with pedicabs in the West End. The plan of legislation by Westminster City Council has failed many times because Westminster simply does not want pedicabs in their borough. Met Police has created a special unit to fight with pedicabs in the West End. There are also suspicions that LTDA London Taxi Drivers Association is pushing a Westminster to take the pedicabs off the streets.
Published on 28/10/2009