June 2012Mountv

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WE ARE NOW WELL INTO THE NEW YEAR and hopefully our members of theCredit Union have peace of mind as far as their tax is concerned.This concern for many of you who do not belong to the Credit Union willonce again raise its ugly head in June/July when tax demands once againdrop on your doormat. If you join now you will be eligible, if needed, to takea loan to cover this expense, just save for three months on a regular basisand your worries will be over.

I cannot emphasise enough how useful being a member is, you may apply for a loan for whatever

reason you may have, no questions asked. Apart from the tax issue you may want to take a holiday or

buy items for home, or you can just save for a rainy day, your choice.

Ask any of your friends who are members just how easy it was to raise money for whatever reason

they may have had.

Join now, it is so much easier to have money deducted from your account

work than having to come in to pay, alternatively if you wish, you may pay

by Standing Order direct from your Bank/Building Society, you decide

how much you wish to save each month.

A TYPICAL LOAN FROM RADIO TAXICABS (LONDON)CREDIT UNION LTD IS AS FOLLOWS:£1,000 over 12 months will cost you £88.85 a month, total loan

repayment is £1,066.20, interest payable is only £66.20, beat that

if you can. In addition to this all loans and savings

are insured and fully protected in the event of an

untimely death, this normally costs a great deal

more with other lenders.

For an application form or other information, or

you just want to discuss anything relating to the

Credit Union just give us a call and we

would be happy discussing this with you.

Call Alan Woolf on 020 7561 5148 Tuesday

or Wednesday before 13.00 hrs, on other

days speak to Selam Haile on 020 7561 5131.

Email: alan.woolf@radiotaxis.co.uk

Why not join theCredit Union now!

CreditUnionRadio Taxicabs ( London) Credit Union Ltd No. 90C

Mountview House, Lennox Road, London N4 3TX

Tel: 020 7561 5148 Fax: 020 7561 5166

Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority FRN. 2132322

Worthy of Worthing?See pages 18 – 19Worthy of Worthing?See pages 18 – 19

4 This Month’s Latest NewsRoger Sligo’s got more than normal and let’s us have it

8 The Mayoral Election & My View on BorisGeoffrey Riesel spills the beans

10 Stand by your Beds!Peter Gibson – how to get through during the Olympics

12 Fleet Mobile Data Terminal Upgrade –Project UpdateSteve Cooper keeps us updated with the latest

13 Operations and the OlympicsAlan Franks is looking forward to a busy time

14 Curiosity CornerRoger Sligo tells the story of Crocker’s Folly

16 Faster, Stronger, Higher, TwitterGeoffrey Riesel twittering about the Olympics and more

17 Mervyn King and the Barometer ofTaxi RidesGordon Brown on the Bank of England boss and more

18 London Taxi Benevolent Association’sAnnual Trip to WorthingRoger Sligo on why it was all so worthy

21 Up the Junction!Roy Hughes on working during the Olympic period

22 A Midsummer Night’s Dream –Shakespeare in LondonRoger Sligo reveals things you never new about Bill

25 TfL’s Three Point PlanAdvice to licensed taxi and private hire drivers

26 The Crow StoneRoger Sligo reveals where the Thames boundary is

28 The Thames Cable CarOpens to passengers who don’t want a bridge

30 The Cutty Sark RevisitedRoger Sligo climbs aboard for a nautical update

31 Wimbledon Tennis FortnightRobert MacDonald Watson is court reporting here

32 Cyber MirthSome light-hearted jolly jokes, mirth and merriment

33 Dear Boris...Geoffrey Riesel’s letter to Mayor Boris Johnson

34 Letters and Emails to The EditorCaptivating cabbie correspondence

34 The Amusing Caption CompetitionWho won the last – come up with the next

35 The Mountview Puzzler PageBrain training whilst waiting

MountviewNewsCONTENTS

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MOUNTVIEW NEWS EDITORIAL TEAM IS:Roger Sligo – Editor & photos / Penny Cuckston – AdministrationDoug Canning, DC-Graphics – Design, layout, artwork, print & distributionGeoffrey Riesel & Peter Gibson – Board productionDesign: © 2012 / DC-Graphics / Barnet / Herts / EN5 5TP

T: 0208 440 1155 / W: www.dc-graphics.co.ukContent: © 2012 / Radio Taxis Group Ltd / Lennox Road / London / N4 3TXThe information and images contained in this Newsletter are subject to copyright.Unauthorised use, disclosure or copying without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

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This month’s

NEWSWHEN THE BENDY BUS ON ROUTE 453 WASfirst introduced during Ken Livingstone’s firstreign as mayor it was re-routed alongDevonshire Street, turning left into GreatPortland Street. Because of the larger sweepneeded to make this turn an experimentalscheme was introduced, making the smallsection of road between Hallam Street andGreat Portland Street one-way.

It was developed to reduce the unwanted loop throughPark Crescent that articulated buses had to make before onthe 453 route, while also providing an important bus stop byGreat Portland Street Station to provide a good interchange ofpublic transport in the area.

The experiment must have been seen as a goodsolution, even though traffic wanting Harley Street andMarylebone High Street had to endure the long hardslog along New Cavendish Street, which had to absorbtoo much additional traffic, increasing the costs to ourfare paying passengers.

Although Mayor Boris Johnsonkept his election pledge to removeall bendy buses from the streets ofLondon before the end of 2011 heleft the changes in the carriagewaysthe same.

Six months into 2012 and thissmall section of roadway is stillone-way, why? It would appear thatnone of our trade reps have askedTfL to reinstate two-way-workingon this section. Whatever is the

point of depriving us of such a small section, causingtraffic needing Devonshire Street to travel down GreatPortland Street into New Cavendish and then back upHallam St to get where a simple right turn would havesufficed! With the 2012 Olympics coming soon andMarylebone road losing its bus lane, it would be a usefulcut through for places such as Paddington Station.

There is no earthly reason why this small bit of roadshould remain one-way any longer!

After writing to Westminster Council regarding theabove article I received a reply from Mr David Yeoll,Westminster City Council’s Assistant Commissioner ofTransportation;“Although the bendy buses have gone, the new 453 busesare larger than the older double decker buses that used toserve the route.”

“This means that the changes that were made for thebendy buses are still needed to allow a left turn by all fullsize buses, without their paths encroaching into the southbound lanes on Great Portland Street.”

Give us back theright to turn!

“The council plans to retain the one-way system alongDevonshire Street as the changes made also allowed foradditional residential parking spaces and discouragedwestbound traffic along the main Marylebone Road fromusing the more residential Devonshire Street as a rat-run.”

MY REPLY IN ANSWER TO THE ABOVE:I disagree with calling Devonshire Street a “rat-run” asthe traffic doesn’t just disappear – traffic wishing to useDevonshire Street now has to go all along GreatPortland Street, right into New Cavendish Street, rightinto Hallam Street and then left into Devonshire Street –this is more like a “rat run” – all to save traffic using lessthan 20 yards! Where are all those green councillors?

The west bound traffic using Marylebone Road doso to save paying congestion charges, so that would notchange if the 20 yard one-way section was reopened.

If it is difficult for buses to make a left turn why dothey only drive in the left hand lane with the righthand lane empty? (See picture below).

My pictures of the entire one way section showsonly three cars parked in the parking bay set back offthe road, with spaces for four. This lay-by doesn’t affectother traffic, with the rest of this small section on theopposite side of the road having double yellow linesparking restrictions. As far as I am aware, buses have

always used this street even before the bendy bus everdid, without it needing to be one way.

I would doubt that residents would have anyobjections to a two way street, as the street is alwaysbusy anyway, so I can’t see what the difference would be!

USE IT OR LOSE IT!In September 2011, I wrote in Mountview News thatwe had lost our left turn from New Bridge Street intoQueen Victoria Street, and how difficult it would be toservice clients like Bank of New York for this junction.

Then again in the May issue of E-View MagazineI mentioned the new bus only round-a-bout which

would be good for us to use, with my comments;“Over recent weeks a “bus only turn” has beeninstalled at the Blackfriars junction, although it ismarked as ‘Buses Only.’ Fortunately TfL have had arethink and are now saying this signage is incorrectand taxis are also allowed to use this importantround-a-bout, to compensate us for the loss of the leftturn at Queen Victoria Street.”

Over a month on and no cabs are using thisimportant turn around. One of our PH competitorstold their drivers to break the law and ignore the buslane signs; I’m saying we are legally entitled to use thisbus only round-a-bout which TfL have unfortunatelyforgotten to add taxis to the signage (why?) –

What will happen is that TfL will claim that taxis don’tneed this facility to U turn back to New Bridge Street,or Queen Victoria Street, and they will remove us fromit as they did in the Marble Arch bus only lane –remember? I asked one of our drivers to help me witha photo opportunity and he confessed that he wasn’tsure if it was legal – I assured him it was! Let’s seemore of us using it!

MY CONFIRMATION EMAIL FROM TFL:Roger –

I’ve asked about the ‘bus only’ sign and taxis areallowed to use this lane and the sign should bechanged.

Regards,

Darren Crowson,Strategy & Infrastructure ManagerTransport for London – Taxi and Private Hire,Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road,4th Floor – Yellow Zone (4Y7),Southwark, London SE1 8NJ.

APPLE(ING) CAB NAMESWhen private hire (or mini-cabs as they were known atthe time) first appeared on our streets, they gave theircar companies macho names like; Welbeck Motors,Speedy Cars, Quick Cars, Express Cars and Z-Cars toname but a few. Since Radio Taxis became the World’sfirst CarbonNeutral® Taxi Company PH has gone for aharvest festival of names such as Green Tomatoes andCarrot Cars.

Remember a few years ago when these mini-cabshad grow bags attached to their aerials? I was never toosure at the time, if they were to protect the paintworkor to help passengers spot them as mini-cabs! I thinkthe latter was true as most of these would be illegallyplying for hire.

Anyway, with so many green fingered PH companiesit gave me the idea of how we could sell our services onthe market. I came up with several names and theservices which they could offer…

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� Beetroot Taxis –Beat any route PH cars with Sat/Nav will take!

� Mushroom Taxis –As much room if not more than a people carrier.

� Cabbage Taxis –Welcome to the Cab Age technology.

� Turnip Taxis –Taxis that turn up.

� Chestnut Taxis – While you’re roasting in theOlympic Traffic.

Well that’s about as many as I can think of withoutgetting seedy or scraping the wheelbarrow.

WEST ONE NOWHERE TO BE SEENWest One Cars have a green silhouette of the LondonSkyline all around their cars. This is to display theirlogo everywhere, as they are only permitted by T&PHto have their name, phone number and website on the

rear windows. Looking a little like our own Radio Taxislogo on our website, after all London landmarks areeasily recognisable. Just one thing I did notice though,none of the landmarks on their cars are in West One!

THE ORBITThe Arcelor Mittal Orbit is a 115 metre high (377 feet)observation tower in the Olympic Park; whichresembles those fairground rides where you expect acar full of screaming people, doing a loop-the-loop, toarrive at any moment.

The Orbit viewing platform has 360 degree view ofLondon Docklands and the City. The Orbit was

designed by award winning artistAnish Kapoor. It has an elevatorshaft built in the centre; visitorscan either walk down the stairs ortake the elevator.

As Britain’s tallest sculpture, andto give you some idea of the scale itis 10 metres taller than the Statueof Liberty. The Orbit will become amajor visitor’s attraction after thegames, with the structure bothpraised and criticised for its bolddesign. There has also been somecriticism calling it a vanity project,with questionable lasting use ormerit as a public art project.

ON YOUR BIKEJust when you think you have heard it all, what withthe train, underground, buses and now the Boris Bikeworkers, all seeking large bonuses for doing what theyare paid to do... work!

The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) memberson London Underground have been awarded up to£1,000 extra each to work during the Olympics,

following the threat of strike action. Docklands LightRailway (DLR) staff will each receive £900 (I thoughtDLR had driverless trains!), Network Rail employeeswill receive £500 and Virgin Rail staff will receive £600.

The Unite Union’s bus drivers are threatening strikeaction unless they too are given at least a £500 bonus(see below) and now getting in on the act are thehumble Boris bike employees!

The RMT general secretary Bob Crow hasconfirmed that it is to ballot members of the BarclaysCycle Hire scheme who service and look after the 5,000bikes and 300 “docking stations.” But Serco Barclays,which operates the scheme, immediately responded bysaying the RMT union is not recognised by them. Itwould appear that the RMT using the industrial muscletactics they have used for their other transportmembers, hope to secure around £500 in additionalpayments for bike staff. But are workers who maintainbikes, pump up tyres or move cycles around variousdocking station doing anything different than theywould normally do?

The only public transport drivers who have clearlysaid “NO” to any extra payments are us – the good oldLondon taxi-drivers. I think more should be said by themedia in praise of us setting a good example to the restof the London’s transport network. There is no doubtin my mind that we could have been awarded extrapayments by having rate 3 both day and night during theOlympic Games. At the Olympic transport briefing late lastyear, I asked Mr John Mason (director of TPH) if there wasto be any extras put on the fares during July/ August. He toldme there was no need as there was no desire from withinour trade for anything extra.

As there will be no spectator parking at London 2012venues, except for a limited number of blue badge spaceswhich must be booked in advance. The Olympic travelorganisers are recommending everyone goes by publictransport. This has surely given rise for all these greedytransport unions to hold a gun at the heads of the bosses,otherwise how would thousands of spectators be able toarrive at any of the events?

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REQUEST BUS STOPBuses in London are due to strike for a £500 Olympicbonus, the Unite Union have called its drivers out on Friday22nd June for a 24 hour strike (I am writing this just daysbefore). They are asking TfL to pay them the extra forworking over the Olympics but TfL say it is up to the 20private bus operators to negotiate with the 20,000 driversabout any bonuses.

Threatening to up their bonus payments by £100 forevery day they strike, they think they will be rolling in themoney, but will they?

The good things about buses on strike – it makes cabsbusier and the streets are empty of traffic jams, not tomention the bus lanes – see if I’m right!

STRATFORD ON THE BURSTIf you see this message on your screens during the Olympicsit might not mean thousands of punters are looking for cabsin Stratford – it could be announcing another burst waterpipe flooding the underground! Just weeks before millionsarrive for the London Olympics and the worlds eyes arefocused upon London; our tube network was knocked out.

The Central Line which connects the West End and City tothe Olympic Park was part-suspended after a burst watermain flooded 800 metres of tracks with 2million litres ofwater via a ventilation shaft.

A Transport for London spokesman said “It’s possible thatthings like this will happen at Games time, and we’ll deal withthem. We’ll provide people with real-time travel information;it’ll take longer, but we’ll get people to the Games and back.”

Radio Taxis Group which has the account for LondonUnderground could well be asked to supply taxis at shortnotice should something like this happen during the games.I really do think that our transport organisers should look atletting taxis use the Games Lanes. After all, whenever thereare large transport problems taxis are always the first port ofcall, only this time, with the biggest event in our history, weare to be excluded from the same lanes as news reportersand VIP’s.

It will be a sad day if any bad incidents do occur butin reality it will be surprising if London’s transportdoes run smoothly.

FIRST THE BUS LANES, NOW THE CAB RANKSMany Addison Lee drivers either don’t speak English or theyare very arrogant. I refer to this guy on the Tate ModernTaxi-Rank who sat there for best part of an hour. Passengerswanting a cab were approaching him as they were confused,thinking he was the cab on point. This was causing aproblem for the real taxis!

The driver obviouslyhad a booked job to pickup, but when a taxi-driverasked him politely to moveoff the rank he just closedhis window and carried on reading his paper.

This is getting a regular thing with private hire wantingto be thought of as taxis, and as his boss is good at writingletters to drivers, perhaps he should write to remind themthey could be nicked for touting!

TFL ONLINE TOUTING REPORTING TOOL Taxi and private hire drivers are reminded that they canreport suspected touting activity directly to TfL at thefollowing web address: www.tfl.gov.uk/cabenforcement

Information and intelligence gathered through the onlinereporting tool enables the TfL Taxi and Private HireCompliance team to strategically manage deployment andtarget those areas that are of the greatest risk to public safety.The Metropolitan and City of London Police deploymentalso takes into account reports received through this tool toconduct intelligence-led operations.

Helen Chapman, Deputy Director of London Taxi andPrivate Hire, said: “Touting is one of the key issues raised by thetrade and this online tool is the best way to provide us withinformation about illegal activity. There has recently been asignificant drop in the number of reports received for toutingoffences through this reporting tool and I would urge people toresume reporting suspected offences directly to us. Rest assuredthat all reports received are analysed regularly to help determinecompliance priorities and deployment.”

Enforcement results, including arrest figures and licencerevocations, are also available to view to show what is beingdone and to serve as a warning to drivers who operate illegally.

All minicabs in the capital must be licensed by TfL andmust be booked in advance. Any minicab that isn’t bookedby phone, email or in a licensed minicab office is illegal,unsafe, will not be insured to carry passenger, and in somecases the drivers are linked to more serious crimes. Overseven thousand arrests have been made in the last eight yearsfor touting and cab offences in London. � Roger Sligo.

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is bright, erudite, articulate and charming as well as having someextraordinarily sensible policies which include supporting the callfor a third runway at Heathrow and to boot she’s lovely woman.She also came out immediately condemning John Griffin for his“stunt” on the bus lanes. Now that’s a combination, but as anIndependent and with no air time (you have to have a politicalparty to get airtime under the rules?) she stood little chance andactually did extraordinarily well in the circumstances.

Boris was very personable, friendly and talkative – OKsometimes perhaps he’s not always as well informed as he mightbe, but what you see on the Telly is what you get and how he is.He does what its says on the tin!

Especially when the cameras start rolling, he then springs tolife, somewhat of a performer. I liked his policy undertaking towork with the Police to get accidents cleared away more quickly,also his pledge to improve traffic flow schemes which includesinvesting in the roads network; (60% or more of all journeystake place in on the roads) also that he intends to roll out thelane rental scheme (first suggested by a Street Networkcommittee that I chaired for London First back in 1999 when,the then, DETR member of the committee said he would see ifgovernment would move this policy forward). I also liked hiscommitment to lane rental schemes

WHAT IS LANE RENTAL? It is essentially charging utilities for digging up the road, itpenalises poor contractors who take too long to close up the holein the road and leave the site so that traffic cannot flow. (Seepage 33 for the letter I sent Boris following his re-election).

KEN LIVINGSTONEWell I’ve known Ken and “crossed swords” with him for moreyears than I care to remember. As a political commentary Iwould say that Ken damaged his own campaign, by making somerather “ill judged” comments and I believe that this ultimatelylost him support from his own natural followers. The electionwas much closer than anyone could have imagined.

DRIVER PROTESTSI was somewhat surprised when recently, through the grapevineI did hear, from an anonymous public and government official,that some of the powers that be are not at all impressed by taxidrivers’ organisation protests about the Olympics and publicgripes about other issues. Indeed I get the impression that theradio circuits might in future be excluded from their thinking onpublic transport contracts because of the feeling that the tradegives them “unnecessary” grief.

You see we all get lumped in together “radio drivers” and“non-radio drivers,” we are all “licensed taxi drivers.” My concernis that when elements of the trade are planning “militant action”they ought to give a thought for the public relations damagebeing done to our industry. Albeit I accept that politicallobbying, instead is not as “stimulating” as demos. I am notsaying that demos are never appropriate; it’s just that sometimesthat option is used too easily.

WHO DID I SUPPORT FOR MAYOR? I always support the winner! On behalf of our company ourindustry and on behalf of our drivers, I have to ensure that I have agood working relationship with whoever is the Mayor, as the Mayoris effectively our licensing regulator. OK I must admit I was alsovery impressed by Siobhan Benita, the Independent candidate. She

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The Mayoral candidates themselves were all very supportive indeedof the taxi trade itself. We have some very solid backing and BorisJohnson expressed clearly “that he would back the trade strongly.”

The Mayoral Electionand my view on Boris

WORK IN GENERAL AND THE OLYMPICS? During the Easter school holidays it was pretty quiet, but thenwhen the rain started and the holiday ended it got quite busy(well I did see Noah’s Ark floating by!)

However, with yet another Eurozone debt crisis in themaking, I do have concerns somewhat for the corporate work;fortunately we are also doing lots of municipal work (localauthorities, railway companies etc.) and of course the massivelygrowing consumer work (credit cards etc.)

On the other hand I was recently picked up by a couple ofour drivers who had joined the circuit over the last six months;one came from Dial a Cab and the other from Com Cab. Bothtold me, that our circuit is not only much busier, but the spreadof work is better too. I can’t say if that’s actually so, I am justgenuinely repeating word for word what they told me. Of courseI know it’s not been raving busy this year and yes most of Europeis in a double dip downturn, but we have won and re-signedmany significant accounts including winning, over the year, 230new accounts from SME’s (small and medium size businesses.)

THE OLYMPICS?Bookings are starting to come in for the Olympics from lots ofdifferent places. I am also starting to do quite a few interviews asthe world’s media arrives, which should be good PR for ourcompany and for London PLC.

RTG AWARDED LOCOG CONTRACTOur subsidiary One Transport has been awarded themanagement of a major “shuttle” contract by (LOCOG) theLondon Organising Committee for the Olympic Games andParalympics.

We will be the Lead Operator and quite a lot of the businesswill be going in taxis, including ad hoc work for the whole taxifleet. I cannot talk about it too much because, as you mightexpect, security is a huge issue; but I can say that we anticipatebeing busy.

Yes we know the traffic might be difficult, but you knowwhat, we all need to do our best. It will serve us well over thenext few years – if we can help to successfully showcase Londonwith the eyes of the world on us. London can be seen globally asa city with a “can do “attitude and with the very best taxi driversin the world.

“Business as unusual” is the phrase, but you should all dovery well.

Based on the survey we conducted some months ago, over91% of you intend to work during the games, now that they arehere, I hope you will be committed to playing your part in theirsuccess.

We hope to be sending out more updates to you about what’shappening.

Hope you have a great and prosperous summer.

Geoffrey Riesel – Chairman & CEO.

INSTALLING EMV CHIP AND PIN MACHINES Overall it’s going very well. It does seem that a majority of ourdrivers agree with our editor Roger Sligo, who has shown realenthusiasm for credit card journeys since having the machinefitted in his cab a few weeks ago and also in his case for themedia screen.

Roger’s encounters out on the cab (he volunteered hisexperiences to us unsolicited) seem to be repeated right acrossthe fleet. In a number of aspects:

1) Drivers are anecdotally telling us about unexpectedly goodquality jobs, paid by card, from ranks and even from street hail.

2) Although the rate of credit card trip acceptance hasunsurprisingly shot up (about 2/3 trips a week average upfrom 0.5 trips per week average which is about +60% growthacross the fleet) no-one is doing so many credit card jobsthat it is affecting their cash flow, it’s just a few jobs a week,but good ones!

3) It seems that over 90% of passengers who use credit cardsare also leaving a decent tip, so its win/win all round.

TIME FOR YOU TO CHANGE OK so what about the die hards who don’t want the chip and pinmachines?

The reality is that if we (ie; the trade and Radio Taxis) do notrespond to the fact that more and more people don’t carry cashwe will continue to allow Private Hire to steal more and more ofour work.

If you are one of the few who are resisting this, (and I knowit is a very few as most drivers are enthusiastic about what animprovement the chip and pin machine has been) imagine yourwife going into Tesco for your shopping and offering a card forpayment, but them saying “no we’re not accepting credit cardstoday” Would she ever go there again?

OUR OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE INSOMETHING PRIVATE HIRE CAN’T DO!

The fact is that PRIVATE HIRE CANNOT PICK UP STREETWORK AND THEN TAKE CREDIT CARDS – this is somethingWE MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AND WIN OUR WORKBACK – OR DON’T YOU CARE?

The trade really is winning back work (previously lost) frompeople like Addison Lee, because passengers are becoming confidentenough to step out in the street and pay for a taxi by card.

I did also hear a story of a couple of drivers who had put bagsover their machines; and they have now been reported to us.

We have people out and about so if you do this, your cab willbe liable to get a “stop” notice (fitted equipment which isn’toperational) and we will also take back the money we paid youto fit the machine. Oh yes, and you will face a complaintscommittee risking expulsion from the circuit.

A PERSONAL PLEAIf you are one of the handful who is resisting this inevitablechange – please don’t throw your toys out of the pram; try itbefore you make any decision which you might regret.This circuit is ahead of the game and you will benefit from itfinancially I promise you that. The chip and pin scheme is puttingmoney in drivers pockets we now have the evidence of that.

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BY THE TIME THAT YOU RECEIVEthis issue of Mountview News wewill be less than a month awayfrom the event of a lifetime – theOlympic Games. Just in case youhave been asleep for years, it allstarts on Friday 27th July.

We know it will be busy and we know that the traffic will beawful at times and pretty slow at the best of times. Whilstyou are sitting in traffic jam trying to make your way toStratford or Lords or Wimbledon or Wembley here’s areminder of just why the traffic is being managed as it is.

The ORN (Olympic Route Network) has been a featureof the Host City contract, and has been in place at everygames since Sydney 2000.

The ORN is needed to ensure reliable journeys forathletes, officials, workers and media. Since the vastmajority of journeys on the ORN will be bus or coach, itis effectively a mass transit system, which will actually helpminimise the impact of Games traffic on the roads.

Traffic measures’ are proportionate and removed whennot needed.

There will be:� Changes to traffic signal timings.� Banned turns to and from some roads.� Removal of some parking and loading bays, and

pedestrian crossings.� Ban on planned road works on ORN from March 2012,

and on most A and B roads in London during theGames.

� Provision of “Games Lanes” for the sole use of theGames Family and emergency vehicles but only whenabsolutely necessary. They will comprise just one thirdof the whole ORN in London. Or 0.3% of London’sroad network.

Some of the central London areas will be particularlybadly affected. Whitehall will be closed to all traffic otherthan buses and emergency vehicles. The Mall will beclosed and Victoria Embankment will be trunked, goingwest, as all right turns will be banned.

There will be a TPH (PCO) pack of informationregarding venue set downs and pick up points that willbe sent out to all licensed drivers. We, at Radio Taxis,will be sending as much information to your MDT(Mobile Data Terminal) as we can with regards totraffic.

As a company, we suggest that if your journey is going to beaffected in any way by road closures or Olympic RouteNetwork road changes you should very politely mention toyour passenger that there will have to be “a colourful route”taken or ask if they have a preference for what route youtake but be aware that some journeys through town willneed to be different from the norm.

Radio Taxis Group Ltd will be involved in providingtransport for LOCOG (The London OrganisingCommittee of the Olympic Games and Paralympics) viaour subsidiary company One Transport. We will beproviding both Taxis and Private Hire shuttle services toand from all London termini and the Games venues,Media hub and hotels in and around town. These servicesare being provided, primarily, by dedicated drivers whowill be working on Olympics and Paralympics for fixeddaily rates and will go through specialised training beforethe Paralympics commence in September. None of these“Shuttle” vehicles will be able to use the Games Lanes.

Just in case you are not convinced that it is going to“busy up” during the run up to and during the Games – ina recent poll that was doing the media rounds, London hasbeen voted the world’s best holiday destination for 2012, bythe travellers on TripAdvisor. The awards consisted of threecategories – best in the world, best in Britain, and best inEurope – and London came top of all three lists!

LONDON EVEN BEAT NEW YORKOn the world list, London beat New York into secondplace, Rome into third and Paris into fourth.

In the European category Rome took up the secondspot and Paris jumped in at number three, while the onlyother UK city to rank in the list was Edinburgh at number13. In the UK, Edinburgh and Liverpool were named thesecond and third must-visit spots, followed by Torquayand Glasgow. So I think it’s safe to say that you should getready to “stand by your beds”.

OLYMPICS UPDATE Opposite is a copy of a recent Olympics Update articlethat has been sent out to account customers. It’s worth aread as it lets you know what they know and has referenceto consulting your driver about a “preferred route” duringa summer of road closures. I always found that asking thepassenger if they were alright going via “x” because “y” isclosed was preferable to a conversation that starts with“why did you come this way?”

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Peter Gibson talks about how youcan get through during the Olympics

Stand by your Beds!

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WELCOME TO THE ‘FUN AND GAMES’From mid-June traffic will be affected throughout thesummer until late September ie; not just for the durationof the Olympic Games themselves. There will be roadevents, concerts, security cordons as well as free eventsand the Olympics Arts Festival and a myriad of otherOlympics-associated events going on all over London.

It is worth noting that all distances to and fromLondon are measured from Charing Cross, which on theeast side of Trafalgar Square – is considered to be the‘centre’ of London. Thus, the first road closures to beimplemented will take place around The Mall andTrafalgar Square. One of the direct consequences of theseCentral London road closures will be that all journeysthat go from one side of town to the other will takelonger or will involve a more circuitous route. As I havesaid, talk to your passengers at the outset of the journey.

This is what we have said to customers:“It is safe to say that from Monday 18th June ‘normal’service in London will effectively be suspended for threemonths. Remember that taking a longer route cansometimes save you time, money and raised blood pressure!If in doubt, please feel free to consult your friendly cabdriver en route, about the specific route taken.”

The following is a diary of closures and re-openingsfor Central London and a map of the affected areafor reference:� 18th June onwards the Mall and Horse Guards Road

will be closed.� From 25th June Constitution Hill and Birdcage Walk

along with Whitehall will be closed except for Buses.� Whitehall will re-open temporarily on 10th August.� Birdcage Walk and Constitution Hill will re-open,

temporarily on 15th August.� Whitehall, Constitution Hill and Birdcage Walk will all

close again for the Paralympic Games from 25thAugust until 12th September.

� The Mall will remain closed until the end ofSeptember.

� The Road ‘Olympic Torch’ event will be on 26th July,with local closures in place.

� On 28th and 29th July the Cycle road race willencompass the Mall, Knightsbridge, Fulham, Putney,Richmond and Kingston. Road closures will besupplied nearer the event.

� The 4th and 7th August will be the Triathlon events inHyde Park. Hyde Park Corner will be closed from themorning until mid-afternoon.

� On 5th and 12th August and 9th September the Olympicand Paralympic Marathons will be held in Central

London. Road closures will be supplied nearer the event.Normally, in late July when the schools break up for thesummer, transport journeys in London fall byapproximately 15%. With the Olympics taking place thissummer, there is a campaign to reduce traffic by 30% tohelp accommodate the Olympics family travel times and totry and make it a safer environment for the expected influxof spectators and visitors to London.

Below is a reminder of the advice being given toemployers and employees: If you have yet to put anymeasures in place, please read the advice below and see if itprompts a discussion that might reduce your stress levelswhilst the Games are taking place!

Reduce non-essential trips and minimise disruption toyour staff, visitors and suppliers:� Encourage staff to work from home or an alternative

location� Allow staff to work compressed weeks, for example, work

five ‘normal’ days compressed into four longer days� If possible, encourage staff to take annual leave� Reduce the number of journeys made during the

working day� Where possible, use alternative methods for meetings,

like conference calls, video conferencing and webconferencing

Re-time essential journeys to avoid busy periods:� Change working hours so staff avoid the busiest times on

transport networks� If possible, change core hours of operation� Stagger staff start and finish times to provide flexibility� Schedule appointments for less busy times of the day� Shift meetings to less busy days

Re-route essential journeys to avoid busy areas:� Avoid busy stations and roads during the Games� Finding alternative meeting points that are less affected

by the Games will make things easier for you

Revise mode –use a different type of transport:� Avoid the busy transport network and walk or cycle

during the Games

OK this is our opportunity to show the world the besttaxi service in the world. Hope it all goes well for you.

“This is our opportunity to

show the world the best

taxi service in the world.”

12

BACK IN FEBRUARY, WHEN I WASWRITING the MDT update for the Marchedition of Mountview News, we had justmoved into the Zeus and the “chip andpin” roll out and we had what seemedlike a mountain to climb.There was a commercial requirement to upgrade 100taxis per week in order to have the fleet ready to take chipand pin transactions for the Olympics.

Although it has been a challenge we have managed tokeep sight of our target. This has been achieved due to theenthusiasm of the office staff at Station Road and the fitters,who have been supported by a team of contract engineers.

Yet none of this could have been achieved without theoverwhelming support of the drivers, so thank you all.

As we know, the chip and pin project has beensponsored by Visa who in turn provide a service for allthe major banks, this means that there are numerous taxiusers with a vested interest in our project.

These passengers are presently reporting back to theircolleagues their experiences which I am pleased to sayhave been vastly positive, however; for the benefit of thehandful of Radio Taxis drivers who having accepted theincentive to have their EMV machine fitted and nowdrive with the chip and pin reader covered, take note.

You will not go undetected. Do not be influenced bythe practices that you might have observed among a fewfleet drivers who while working as journeymen in, non-radio, taxis have covered or placed an “out of service”sign, please know that this is completely unacceptableand it will ultimately result in you having to attend acomplaints hearing.

If ever you have a service issue with the unit, thencontact Station Road and we will address it.

RTG has worked to secure a substantial investmentfrom VeriFone and Visa which has enabled us all tobenefit from their commitment. The Management ofRTG have been adamant in ensuring that the investmentgoes to you as drivers.

This means that when you have the equipment fitted,chip and pin, it is part of the “standard” installationwhich is provided for passengers to be able to use at theirconvenience. By having the new equipment installed you

qualify for the financial incentive that comes with it and you are expected to support and dare I say promote itsuse. The upshot is that we are seeing a pleasing increasein the number of credit card street rides. This in turntranslates to more high value street hires than when thereis no facility to pay by chip and pin.

We have continued with our quest to roll out a newscreen design for the new Zeus terminals and also toimplement the Satellite Navigation upgrade. Both arenow at the testing stage and close to being ready torelease to the fleet.

One issue that we still have to contend with onoccasion is signal loss. While GPRS is an improvementover the old radio technology and of course we nowenjoy the benefit of a national network, there are stillsome areas that suffer from intermittent connectionissues. This issue is very much “work in progress” andtypical of all service providers.

We are kept informed on a regular basis of theplanned service infrastructure improvements and indeedhave seen a significant overall improvement during thelast year but it has to be recognised that a 100% coverageservice for 100% of the time does not exist in anytechnology. Hopefully we can manage at 99.9%

TAXI APPS.Feedback suggests that there is an opportunity for TaxiApps to take cash work from Private Hire but how muchare Licensed Cab Drivers prepared to subsidise the meterfare to provide the facility?

No run in, free waiting time and a percentage of thefare to the app company? There is no doubt; the jobs thatthese apps generate are mainly coming from ex mini cabusers, but what will happen when the streets are busy?Well, because it is the driver that is funding these rides,the driver will start to neglect the App work and then thebusiness model will need to change so that the app userwill have to pay towards the service or worse go back totheir old ways of using PHVs, unless there is anotherway……

I expect us all to have a very busy time during theOlympics so let’s be lucky.“Times fun when you’re having flies” (Kermit the Frog).

By Steve Cooper,RTG’s Driver Services Manager

Fleet Mobile DataTerminal Upgrade –Project Update...

We are writing to all our clients to advise them that theyshould allow more time than usual.

If passengers complain please help us to explain thatthe situation is out of our control but you will do the bestyou can in the circumstances.

JAW JAWActually if you think there will be a problem then the verybest way to avoid having an upset customer is to talk tothe passenger, at the beginning of the journey, or if you hitunexpected bad traffic or detours then just talk it through.

Talking and communication is what works and it willkeep down your blood pressure as well as your customers.’

We are expecting a lot of work for the run in to andduring the Olympics and Paralympics.

You should have received a letter by now (or youshould do soon) explaining some of the work that we are

expecting during the period but there will also be a lot ofad hoc work too.

There will be incentives for drivers during the verybusy periods to encourage you to do Radio work ratherthan street work during this time.

We are also accumulating as much information relatingto routes and will be updating you as we progress throughthe games. We will also try to allocate a special phonenumber that can be used to update you on anydevelopments.

The Olympics coming to London, we believe, willprove to be very beneficial to both the company and toour drivers and it will certainly be an added boost in whathas been a difficult year.

Looking forward to a busy time.

Alan Franks – Group Operations Director.

By Alan Franks, RTG’sGroup Operations Director

Operations and the Olympics

13

WE DO NOT REALLY KNOW WHATeffect the Olympics will have ontraffic flows, but we must assumethat journeys will take a lot longerthan normal.

Roger Sligo on themysteries of hidden London

In 1898 Frank Crocker decided tobuild a luxurious, no expensespared hotel in Aberdeen Place,St John’s Wood. Friends must havethought him to be mad buildingsuch a place in an out of the waylocation. There was a good reasonbehind Crocker’s decision to investall his money in this way. He hadbeen given a tip off that a railwayterminus was about to be builtopposite this plot of land.

Large amounts of commuters would be arriving all thetime, and with Lords cricket ground nearby he just knewhis hotel would be a gold mine.

Unfortunately, although rail travel was fast becoming apopular form of transport, it wasn’t welcomed by everyone,

especially among the residences of St John’s Wood.Soon after the lavish Crown Hotel was completed it was decided toextend the railway line half a mile further south to what is the presentday Marylebone Station.

Of course this meant no passing trade was coming by Crocker’snew hotel, all his money spent on this venture was fast disappearing.Poor Mr Crocker in deep desperation took his own life by jumpingfrom the top floor window.

For many years the hotelwas made into a publichouse, aptly namedCrocker’s Folly, althoughover recent years the pubfinally closed and sadlynow stands boarded up(pictured right) andneglected.

CuriosityCornerCuriosityCorner

Crocker’s Folly

“Poor Mr Crocker took

his own life by

jumping from the top

floor window!”

14

Old station entrance

15

Left in Peace

Wimbledon’s Artesian Well

Wimbledon’s Artesian Well.

The hidden graves with Hebrew inscriptions

Long before this world event ever took place, or even beforetennis and its “super stars” for that matter became householdnames, Wimbledon was a rather sleepy rural retreat. Along withits near neighbour, the Windmill, on Wimbledon Common andanother rather peculiar shaped building, the WimbledonArtesian Well, these were the only other attractions in the area.

The story of the Wimbledon Artesian Well begins during theyear 1744, when Wimbledon Park was inherited by the first EarlSpencer, who was a great ancestor to the late Diana, Princess ofWales. Earl Spencer (the first one) and his family began spendingtheir summers here and he had this Artesian Well built in ArthurRoad, Wimbledon during 1763.

It was constructed so as to provide water for Earl Spencer’snearby home. In 1798 the well’s depth was increased to over 500feet, although soon afterwards it dried up. The fourth Earl Spencersold his Wimbledon estates, including the well, to developers in1864. The well then became disused and derelict for more than acentury. It was not until 1975 that the building was, for the firsttime, converted into a private dwelling.Reprinted from July 2010 E-View Magazine.

The amount of times we all pass by walls without giving asecond thought as to what lurks behind them. Some of these walls are inprime positions in rather expensive areas, yet they remain empty foryears, without anything ever seeming to take place there. One such wallis in Chelsea, on the Fulham Road with the junction of Old ChurchStreet and Dovehouse Street. The wall, which encircles these streets, hasonly one entrance, a small black door on the Fulham Road.

This empty space with a low wall just too high to see over on foot orin a motor car, although upstairs on a double decker bus, the mysterycould become a little clearer. For the bus passengers can see somegravestones, revealing a cemetery, which, by the look of the headstones isa couple of centuries old. Closer inspection would reveal the epitaphs arewritten in Hebrew, therefore making it a Jewish Cemetery.

I will now relay a story I heard a while ago, which took place in thelate 1970’s. It started just before midnight, when a Rabbi hailed a taxiand asked to be taken to the Fulham Road, by Queen Elms. After arrivingat the destination the Rabbi told the cabby to wait for a while, and thentake him back to North London. The driver watched as the Rabbidisappeared through the little door in the wall. When the Rabbi finallyreappeared, the cabby, full of curiosity ask for some kind of explanation.

The Rabbi told of an ensuing battle with local land developers, whomwere about to move in and desecrate the graves and the remains of thedeceased, as they wanted to use the site for building work. The Rabbiexplained that he had to conduct a burial service under the cloak ofdarkness; for fear that the developers would become aware and stop theservice. He went on to say that now the burial had taken place, it wouldbe another hundred years before the corpses could be disturbed.What’s the betting that around the year 2070 another cabby will be doinga North London to Chelsea wait and return?Reprinted from June 2010 – E-View Magazine.Fulham Road’s hidden cemetary

In the month of June, all of the world’s media attentionis focused on Wimbledon, with the Lawn TennisAssociation’s annual tennis tournament.

LONDON IS NOW JUST WEEKSaway from staging the Olympicsand Paralympics, an event that isgoing to dominate the lives ofevery Londoner this summer.

It will of course bring some frustration andchallenges to our normal day to day routines, but italso provides an opportunity for more fares and towelcome millions of national and internationalvisitors whom we hope will return to London manytimes in the future.

Twitter is going to be an invaluable way of keepingup to date with what is happening during theOlympics, be it in the sporting events themselves or onnews about traffic conditions or other incidents.I have become a regular user of Twitter and it helps me

to stay in touch with news about London andcommunicate directly to drivers and customers. I knowincreasingly drivers are finding it a useful tool whenthey are out on the road.

If you haven’t yet signed up to use Twitter then Iwould recommend you try it. Just go towww.twitter.com and set up an account. Don’t worryabout tweeting if you don’t want to, many people usetheir account just to follow others. You can follow meat @radiotaxis_boss. I hope readers ofMountview News will find my Twitteraccount a good way of getting moreinformation about what’s important for ourindustry, what my views are on some of theimportant national issues of the day and ofcourse about the work of Radio Taxis.Geoffrey Riesel.

16

LONDON OLYMPICS TWITTER ACCOUNTS

Twitter Name Twitter Account Description

@London2012 Official Olympics and Sport, culture, behind the scenes information andParalympics channel opinion on the London 2012 Olympic and

Paralympic Games

@sebcoe Lord Coe Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committeeand Olympic gold medalist

@GAOTG GetAheadoftheGames The official twitter feed to help you understand thetravel hotspots, plan in advance and make yourjourneys easier during the Games.http://www.getaheadofthegames.com

@BBCLdnOlympics Summer & Adrian Summer Hurwitz and Adrian Warner are the BBCLondon News Olympics team, working on anystories related to London 2012.

@chrishoy Sir Chris Hoy Official Twitter page of Sir Chris Hoy, 4 x OlympicChamp track cyclist.

@usainbolt Usian Bolt The most naturally gifted athlete the world has ever seen. http://www.usainbolt.com

@MayorofLondon Boris Johnson http://www.london2012.com

@J_Ennis Jessica Ennis http://www.jessicaennis.netBritain’s leading Heptathlete and World Champion

@iamwenlock I’m Wenlock, the official mascotof the London 2012 Olympic Games http://www.london2012.com/mascots

@owen_g Owen Gibson The Guardian’s Olympics editor http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/owengibson

Faster, Stronger, Higher,Twitterby @radiotaxis_boss

Follow the Olympics on Twitter

Mervyn King andthe Barometer ofTaxi RidesBy Gordon Brown,Chief Operating Officer

17

APART FROM THE OBVIOUSpleasure of riding in the back of ataxi what else is of interest toMervyn King, the Governor of theBank of England about ourindustry?

You might be slightly surprised toknow that we (RTG) are one of a numberof companies that economists from theBank of England talk

to, as consultees on a regularbasis, to help them in assessing economicand business conditions.

These ‘business wise’ economists arethe ‘eyes and ears’, of the Bank andprovide information about trends anddevelopments across the economyaffecting demand, costs, prices,employment, investment, exports andimports; and all based on the experiencesof individual businesses like ours.

We have regular meetings with theBank and we give them informationabout the current state of the marketfrom which it is then used to helpprovide assessments to the MonetaryPolicy Committee (MPC) about businessconditions, thus assisting the MPC informing a view on the likely path of theeconomy and on inflation.

As the Banks two main ‘weapons’ ofchoice are interest rates and ‘quantitativeeasing,’ (the modern version of printingmoney to reflate the economy) so we arepartly to blame if you disagree with whatthey’re doing.

Why do they talk to Radio Taxis?Well the taxi industry is generallyregarded as an excellent “barometer” of

economic activity and if anything we seethe booms and busts long before a lot ofother industries. Taxis provide animmediate and visible sign of economicactivity in London as business deals,meetings, mergers etc tail off, or stopaltogether, before the trend is seenelsewhere by other indicators such as –less available cash in the system,redundancies and profit warnings.

As examples; the Lehman and sub-prime crisis started to affect all of the UKfrom September 2008 onwards but wewere already seeing a significantdownturn in jobs from May onwards.Similarly the European debt crisis madethe second half of last year very difficultfor all of us with retailers and the restfollowing on in the latter part of the year.

So how do we cheer Mervyn up?Well first of all coincidentally, bycontinuing to give the Bank of Englandaccount a great service, but that isprobably the easy bit.

Then I think we need to make surethat we can grab all of the potential andopportunities we can, to increase jobnumbers by being as competitive aspossible in terms of pricing (that is inrelation to both your fares – includingfix priced jobs –and of course ourcharges too), alsoit is important forus all to continueconverting formercash jobs intocredit card jobs,which means thatbecause of the convenience many a newcustomer will want to ride with RadioTaxis again. In this regard over thecoming months we’re developing a RadioTaxis consumer App which should alsobring us more work and again put asmile on Mervyn’s face!

“It is important for us all to

continue converting former cash

jobs into credit card jobs!”

London Taxi Benevolent AssociaEVERYONE IN THE VILLAGEseemed pleased to turn out and welcome the taxiconvoy, allowing parking in empty private driveways,as well using every available space possible.

It was a chance for both passengers and driversto meet up with old comrades and chat over a tea orcoffee, before making the last 25 miles to the CivicCentre in Worthing.

I had a surprise myself when I found anold cabby mate of mine John Holman, ataxi-driver for forty years. I rememberhim doing the Worthing run each year asa driver and I wondered what hadhappened to him. It turns out he retiredabout seven years ago and he is now onthe receiving end of the veterans day out

– as they say what goes round comes round andnow its John’s turn.

Radio Taxis Group Chairman and CEOGeoffrey Riesel attended with his wife Jacquie.I met up with them in South Holmwood whereGeoffrey told me that he has been going on theWorthing trip for the best part of forty years,

having only missed the outing about 6times. It was evident that he still enjoysmeeting with the drivers and ex-servicemanand he told me of his pride that so manyRadio Taxis driver support the cause andgive up so much of their own time.I discovered that Geoffrey’s wife Jacquie alsohas an affinity to the outing too as her late

father Freddie Franks, was a former secretary of thecharity. I also discovered much later on from the

On Tuesday the 12th June 2012, with torrential rain and flooded roads tocontend with, around 120 London taxis carrying over 400 ex service menand women, made their way from London and the Home Counties to thetiny village of SOUTH HOLMWOOD for a much needed refreshment break.

association’s current secretary Mr Paul Davis, thatGeoffrey sponsored four of the taxis on this year’s trip.

I was accompanied by Penny Cuckston mycolleague from Mountview News and Tracey Fuller(mum) from our driver’s services. As we were aboutto leave we decorated my taxi with Union Flagswhilst the rain poured down on us!

On arriving at the Town Hall Civic Centreeveryone was made to feel welcome, with plenty toeat and drink. The Master Of Ceremonies MelvinZeff announced the Mayor of Worthing, CouncillorCharles James and his wife Pauline. He began bypaying tribute to the drivers, who have kept thetraditional trips to Worthing going for the pastsixty-four years.

The guest speaker was Admiral Sir JamesHenry Fuller Eberle GCB (Knight Grand Cross)who during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on theRiver Thames took the salute from HMS Belfast.Sir James gave a very humorous speech urging us allto have fun in whatever it is we do.

“…as long as there is conflictand war around the

world there is a need fororganisations such as

the London Taxi BenevolentAssociation for War Disabled”

Harry Joel MBE., President.

Tracey Fuller and Penny Cuckston brave the wet conditions

John Holman

18

Kas presenting the cheque

Wow! It’s a Wurlitzer!

completed she immediately returned to the Mediterranean.Indomitable also saw action in the Far East and the Pacific,

including The Battle of Okinawa, fighting alongside “the Yanks,”which Roy recalls was quite an experience!

“I left the service as a commissioned officer – so I did quite well”Roy recalled. “I started off as a boy, mind you, I was fifteen and ahalf when I signed up with HMS Ganges, a famous training shipand a wonderful place for training boys.” Roy admitted adding

Richard Hudd, the Association’s Chairman announced that itwas with sad regret that the Charities’ Patron Dame Vera Lynnwas unable to attend this year’s event as she normally does.Everyone present wished her well.

Thanks went to Fullers Brewery (nothing to do with our

Tracey) for providing free bottles of London Pride for all theguests to enjoy.

Audrey Sherry, wife of the late lamented Doug Sherry MBE,kindly donated the taxi-driver’s fuel money for the outing,although she was unable to attend herself.

After the speeches a Wurlitzer organ arose from the stage andwas played delightfully by Ian Flitcroft who entertained us all whilstwe ate, drank and chatted.

Full of food after lunch we took a stroll to the nearby pier,with veterans having walking difficulties being ferried in taxis,including a couple of Doug Cheshire’s 1934 classic vintage cabs.

While many of the ex service men are regularson this trip, I did meet a first timer Mr RoyMiller aged eighty-eight. During World War IIRoy was attached to HMS Indomitable as aGunner Rating, where he saw action in Maltawith Indomitable participating in OperationPedestal, the largest convoy to supply thebesieged island of Malta. During the operationIndomitable was hit by two 500kg bombs and

suffered three near misses; a 500kg bomb penetrated theunarmoured portion of the flight deck, causing damage thatrequired her to withdraw for repairs, although she was able tosteam at 28.5 knots less than two hours after the hits. She sailedto the Liverpool Gladstone docks for repairs, and after they were

tion’s Annual Trip to WorthingVintage cabs decorated for the special day

Roy Miller

19

“Brolly Good Show” – Geoffrey Riesel with Penny Cuckston

three months to his age to get himself in.What did you do when you came out

of the service into Civvy Street? I asked.“Blimey, I went into the advertising businessand worked for a company called Bates, inFleet Street” replied Roy.

Roy is now retired and lives inWallington, Surrey. As a Burma StarVeteran he has been asked to give talks to

young 12 year old school children about his war experiences.And he has been doing just that for the last 3 months, the kidsfind it fascinating, and Roy finds it fantastic and enjoys everyminute of it.

When we returned to the Civic Hall we were treated to songssung by a young female singer named Kas, dedicating the song“The Band of Brothers” to all the veterans, sang in her ownheartfelt and moving way.

She also sang other songs made famous by Dame Vera Lynn,Gracie Fields, Anne Shelton, Ella Fitzgerald and today’sKatherine Jenkins to name a few.

Kas presented Chairman Richard Hudd with a cheque for £550which she had raised for the London Taxi Benevolent Association.

She was followed on stage by the Jive Aces who had everyonetapping their feet. They did everything from Rock, Trad Jazz andSkiffle they even got out the old wash board. There was a short

break between their set for a speech by the President of theLTBAWD, Harry Joel MBE the last remaining founder memberfrom when the association was formed at the Bedford Arms,Dawes Road, Fulham, on February 27th 1948.

The Jive Aces finished off the evening at Worthing before we allreturned to South Holmwood for more food and drinks.

The general feelings are that the London taxi-trade should receivemore publicity from the media which these events deserve.

I just wanted to say how proud I felt of our colleagues in thetaxi trade and especially to our drivers from Radio Taxis and Xeta.

Well done to all our Band of Brothers!Roger Sligo.

20

Worthing – continued...

Les Gibson and Tracey

The Jive Aces performing live

Eddie Crossley

It is a documented fact that the lights on the top of theMascots’ heads are ‘inspired by London’s Black Taxis’.No wonder then that certain outspoken Londonprivate hire owners are keen to refer to their mini cabservice as ‘Taxis’ but – as some football clubs havediscovered – you can buy success but you can’t buyhistory or iconic status.

There is no doubt that we are likely to experience avery busy period during, before and after the Olympicand Paralympic Games. We already have a significant

volume of pre-planned, Games related, work in the pipeline from both existingand new customers. Managing this incremental demand, plus our regularbusiness, will be a significant logistical challenge.

Although the period from the end of July through to early September is atraditionally quiet time for corporate account work, some of our clients haveexpressed concern that there will be an insufficient supply of taxis availableduring the Games period. They are also worried that drivers will prioritise

lucrative cash street work over account business – leavinga shortage of supply. The Account Management team hasbeen spending significant time and effort over the last fewmonths re-assuring clients that Radio Taxis clients will befully supported before, during and after the Olympics.

We have advised clients that their journeys may takelonger than usual, we have suggested that they think aboutcab share options and that they should book well inadvance wherever possible. There may also be additionalpeak periods of demand in the evenings with the plethoraof corporate sponsorship events, Olympic parties andConcerts taking place during the Games themselves.

This is where you, as drivers, can make a majordifference by quickly accepting jobs, being as punctual as is humanly possibleand if you are delayed, making sure you communicate with the Contact Centreso that we can keep customers updated.

We also need your help if you could, please can you regularly inform the ContactCentre of traffic bottlenecks or particular areas which need to be to avoided.

Not only will we be able to pass the information on to the rest of the RadioTaxis fleet, but we will also be able to advise customers at the time of booking.All of this will significantly enhance our overall customer service and help toensure that our account customers do not feel neglected or like the personwithout a chair when the music stops!

Hoping you have a very busy Olympics, this will be a major team effort.

By Roy Hughes, RT’s Head ofSales and Account Management

21

It’s hard to imagine that the XXX Olympiadis nearly upon us – even harder to imaginethat the 2012 Olympic mascots ‘Wenlock’and ‘Mandeville’ will soon be the face ofthe Games to a mystified global audience?

Up the Junction!

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE is the world’s most famousplaywright and yet, surprisingly, very little is knownof the man himself.

His exact date of birth is unknown, although records show hewas christened on 26th April, 1564, in Stratford on Avon (hisadopted birthday is recognised as St Georges Day 23rd April).

William was the third of eight children, born to JohnShakespeare, a glove maker and wool merchant and his motherwas Mary Arden, the daughter of a prominent and wealthylandowner. By the time young William was four his father hadbecome the Bailiff – which was the equivalent of Mayor.

TAMING OF THE SHREWShakespeare first attended a Petty School (the old name for aninfant’s school) between the age of five and seven to learn basiceducation such as respect for parents, saying his prayers andtable manners. His main education followed on at King EdwardIV Grammar School, where he was taught Latin and Greek.

Most of the teachers were Roman Catholic, so it is possiblethat Shakespeare would have been somewhat influenced by theirbeliefs, although none of his works ever revealed any religiouspersuasions. Shakespeare was withdrawn from education in 1577at the age of fourteen due to his father’s financial problems.

LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOSTIn November 1582, at the age of eighteen, Shakespeare marriedthe twenty-six year old Ann Hathaway, who was eight years hissenior; she was the daughter of an old family friend. There was aspeedy marriage after only one reading of the banns, this wasbecause Ann was already pregnant with Shakespeare’s child.Susanna was born in May 1583. How Shakespeare intended tosupport a wife and child is unsure. Stories that he was a deer-poacher have been discredited as contradiction. It is said to bemore likely that he became a school master before seeking hisfortune in London.

THE LONDON THEATREThe first London theatre was builtin 1576 at Shoreditch. The owner,James Burbage, built his theatreon the site now occupied by 86 –88 Curtain Road, naming it simply‘The Theatre.’ Today a brownHackney Council plaque marksthe spot and also recalls the otherplayhouse, ‘The Curtain’ which

was built soon afterwards nearby.The year when Shakespeare first arrived in London is

generally accepted to be 1584, when he was aged only twenty.He first took up residence at St Helen’s Bishopsgate, which waswithin easy reach of ‘The Theatre at Shoreditch.’ However theonly surviving relic Shakespeare would have been familiar withwhich escaped the Great Fire of London in 1666 is the church ofSt Helens, which would have been his local parish church.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHINGWhilst living at St Helen’s, Shakespeare joined “The Theatre” aspart of the Lord Chamberlain’s men, working alongside the greatestactor of the time, Richard Burbage, the theatre owner’s son.

By 1592 Shakespeare had already written three plays; Comedyof Errors, Taming of the Shrew and Two Gentlemen of Verona.Shakespeare did was not only a writer but an actor too and hewas put on the roll of tax-payers, becoming liable to an aggregatesum of £2 13s 4d for each of three subsidies voted to the Crownby Parliament in 1593. He was still left owing his tax and by theautumn of 1596 he moved south of the river to the ‘Borough’ inSouthwark, close to the George Inn. It was there that the taxmancame for payment of tax arrears, whereby he paid an instalmentof 5s the next year and another 13s 4d the year afterwards.We know of no other tax payments ever being made anywhere byhim after that.

The reason he moved south of the river was not simply tododge the taxman, but also because The Theatre at Shoreditchwas under threat from the lease holders. Burbage, the owner,along with the cast of actors, carried the timber-built theatre andre-erected it where Park Street now stands, just across the roadfrom the rear entrance of the Financial Times. This is a good

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – “Some are born great, some

achieve greatness, and some havegreatness thrust upon them.”

William Shakespeare.

22

Shakespeare would have certainly worshipped here – whateverhis religion or lack of any regular church attendance wascompulsory, and any shirkers were fined.

Although Mountjoy’s House was demolished many centuriesago, Silver Street did survive as recently as World War II – withthe Coopers’ Arms public house taking the site of Shakespeare’slodgings, until it was bombed during the blitz.

Today the only reminder of Silver Street, with its smallchurchyard, is the little gardens and a remaining commemorativestone and a couple of headstones.

BLACKFRIARS PLAYHOUSE The land previously forming part of the Monastery of DominicanMonks or Blackfriars, as they were known, was dissolved by KingHenry VIII as were all the monasteries of London.

The vacant site within the city was just therefore right tostart a new theatre.

Burbage, obtained rooms, large and small, with cellars andyards, including seven great upper rooms, formerly one greatroom, turning the rooms into a playhouse. It was in 1608 thatthe regular players included one William Shakespeare and whoalso it is recorded, that he obtained a part ownership in thecompany. Other than the name Playhouse Yard there is verylittle evidence left to remind us of the theatre which once stoodhere, except for the small piece of black wall standing at thecorner of the building, this is the only remains of this popularElizabethan Playhouse.

place to stop and look, for this is the only outside site inLondon, where markers visually show the outline of the originalShakespeare theatre, The Globe.

In those times the river had no embankment, and therefore itran wider than its present width. If you were to go along BearAlley at the side of a modern building, you will find theFerryman’s Seat – which dates back to Elizabethan times. Waitingfor the Globe to “burst,” would have sat, I am sure, a forerunnerof the London taxi-driver waiting for a fare back to the City. Afterall, there was only one bridge crossing the river – London Bridge– so taking a punt would be a very popular alternative!

Southwark Cathedral or St Saviour’s and St Mary Overie(meaning St Mary’s over the river to distinguish it from StMary’s in the City) and it would still be recognised byShakespeare today. The church was rebuilt after a fire in 1212and has remained virtually unchanged. Edmund, Shakespeare’syounger brother, was buried here in 1607, and although theposition of Edmund’s grave is unknown, he is commemorated byan inscribed stone in the paving of the choir.

THE LODGER OFSILVER STREETIn 1603 as Shakespeare wasapproaching forty, he became alodger to a Huguenot Wig andHead Tires* maker namedChristopher Mountjoy (*A HeadTire was a form of women’sheaddress). The property ofMountjoy House stood on thecorner of Silver Street, a

continuation of Addle Street, leading to Noble Street.This was the year when Queen Elizabeth 1st died, and the

same year as a savage outbreak of the plague, which caused theclosure of the theatres. Plays thought to be written whilst helodged here included; Othello, Measure for Measure, All’s Wellthat Ends Well, Timon of Athens and King Lear.

Across the street from the Mountjoy’s House stood the smallchurch of St Olave, which John Stow in his renowned survey ofLondon 1598 recorded; ‘the parish church of St Olave in SilverStreete, a small thing without any noteworthy monuments’.

Shakespeare in London

23

IRELAND YARDIreland Yard, just behind Playhouse Yard, was the onlyaccommodation in London owned by Shakespeare. The deed ofpurchase, dated 10 March 1613, made between the vendor,Henry Walker, Citizen and Minstrel of London and WilliamShakespeare. The following day Shakespeare executed anotherdeed stipulating that £60 of the purchase price was to remain onmortgage until paid in whole the following September.Whether this sum was ever paid is unknown.

Despite the detailed description in the deed it has proveddifficult to locate the exact site of Shakespeare’s property.We know that it abutted on the street leading down to PuddleWharf which is now St Andrew’s Hill. The Wardrobe which itwas near or “right against,” is commemorated in Wardrobe Place.The present day passage, Ireland Yard, which runs west out ofSt Andrew’s Hill, undoubtedly derives its name from the Irelandfamily who owned or occupied property in the Blackfriars area atleast as early as 1582. Walker leased the gatehouse to WilliamIreland, Citizen and Haberdasher of London, for 25 years.The exact date at which Shakespeare’s property passed out of thehands of his descendants is not known, but in August 1667,Edward Bagley, a kinsman of Shakespeare’s grand-daughter,Elizabeth Barnard, sold the site to Sir Heneage Fetherston.As the Blackfriars area had been razed to the ground by the GreatFire of the previous year, Bagley received only £35 for the land.

MY WEARY TRAVELS END Shakespeare said farewell to London in 1613 and returned toStratford on Avon where he passed his days quietly. He didreturn at least one more time to London for a visit.

He made his last will on the 25 March 1616 and died a monthlater on St George’s day, April 23rd. Shakespeare’s grave is locatedin the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford on Avon.

His wife, Anne Hathaway (who outlived her husband by sevenyears despite being eight years his senior) is buried at his side andthat of their older daughter; Susanna Hall is also close by.

William Shakespeare’s grave is covered by a flat stone thatbears his own written epitaph;

“Good friend for Jesus’ sake forbear,To dig the dust enclosed here:

Blest be the man that spares these stones,And curst be he that moves my bones.”

A DOZEN SHAKESPEARE FACTS...1 Shakespeare died on his 52 birthday

2 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was 17.She was 26 and she was pregnant when they married.Their first child was born six months after the wedding.Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway had three childrentogether – a son, Hamnet, who died in 1596, and twodaughters, Susanna and Judith. His only granddaughterElizabeth – daughter of Susanna – died childless in 1670.Shakespeare therefore has no descendants.

3 Shakespeare died a rich man. He made several gifts tovarious people but left his property to his daughter,Susanna. The only mention of his wife in his will is: “I gyveunto my wief my second best bed with the furniture”.The “furniture” was the bedclothes for the bed.

4 One of Shakespeare’s relatives on his mother’s side, WilliamArden, was arrested for plotting against Queen Elizabeth I,imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed.

5 During his life, Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets!This means an average 1.5 plays a year since he first startedwriting in 1589. His last play The Two Noble Kinsmen isreckoned to have been written in 1613 when he was 49 yearsold. While he was writing the plays at such a pace he wasalso conducting a family life, a social life and a full businesslife, running an acting company and a theatre.

6 Few people realize that apart from writing his numerousplays and sonnets, Shakespeare was also an actor whoperformed many of his own plays as well as those of otherplaywrights. During his life Shakespeare performed beforeQueen Elizabeth I and later, before James I who was anenthusiastic patron of his work.

7 Shakespeare is always referred to as an Elizabethanplaywright, but as most of his most popular plays werewritten after Elizabeth’s death he was actually more of aJacobean writer. His later plays also show the distinctcharacteristics of Jacobean drama.

8 Almost four hundred years after Shakespeare’s death thereare 157 million pages referring to him on Google. There are132 million for God, 2.7 million for Elvis Presley.

9 Some of Shakespeare’s signatures have survived on originaldocuments. In none of them does he spell his name in whathas become the standard way. He spells it Shakespe;Shakspe; Shakspere and Shakespear.

10 It was illegal for women and girls to perform in the theatrein Shakespeare’s lifetime, so all the female parts werewritten for boys. The text of some plays like Hamlet andAntony and Cleopatra refer to that. It was only much later,during the Restoration that the first woman appeared onthe English stage.

11 Shakespeare was never painted during his own life time;therefore no one knows for sure exactly what he looked like.

12 Many of Shakespeare’s plays were set abroad in Italy and yetthere is no record that he ever set foot in any other country.

Roger Sligo.

24

WITH THE START OF THE LONDON2012 Games drawing ever closer,TfL is issuing advice to licensedtaxi and private hire drivers to helpensure they are ready for the busysummer period ahead.

TfL is informing drivers and operatorsthat there are three crucial points theyshould consider in the lead up to thissummer’s Games and events.

THESE ARE:1. Taxi and private hire drivers and

operators are advised to carefullycheck whether their licence expireseither before or during the Games. If itdoes, they should submit their renewalforms as soon as possible. Anyone whohasn’t received their renewal pack should contactTfL immediately by emailingTPHLicensingSupport@tfl.gov.uk or by calling:0845 602 7000.

2. All drivers should check they have all their personidentification and paperwork, including licenses,badges and vehicle identification – including areasidentifiers for taxi drivers – up to date anddisplayed when working. Access to many locations,including taxi ranks and PH pick up and set downpoints at Games venues, will be subject to securitychecks and access will be restricted to vehicles anddrivers who can show they and their vehicle arefully licensed.

3. TfL wants to do all it can to communicateimportant information to taxi and private hiredrivers in the lead up to and during the Games.Operators and drivers are encouraged to registernow to receive updates:

� To receive email updates send an email totph.enquiries@tfl.gov.uk with ‘subscribe’ in thesubject field.

� To receive tweets follow us on Twitter @tfltph JohnMason, Director of London Taxi and Private Hire,said: “With millions of people coming to the capitalthis summer we want to make sure that London’s taxi

and private hire drivers are as wellprepared as possible to transport visitorsaround the capital. I would encourage all

drivers and operators to check their paperwork andlicences are in order, renew now if their licence expiresbefore or during the Games and keep up to date bysubscribing for email updates and following us onTwitter.” If drivers’ vehicles are due for servicingand licensing inspections these should also bebooked in now to reduce the likelihood of a problemoccurring during the Games.

OTHER INFORMATION THAT DRIVERS ANDOPERATORS SHOULD CHECK IN THE RUNUP TO THE GAMES INCLUDE:� Key dates – the Games officially start on Friday 27 July

and end on Sunday 12 August. The Paralympics thenstart on Wednesday 29 August and end on Sunday 9September. A full schedule of the events and dates isavailable at london2012.com/schedule-and-results.

� Road changes – there will be various road changes inplace during the Games with additional changeswhen road events are taking place in CentralLondon. Keep up to date with the planned changesand when they take place by visitingwww.tfl.gov.uk/london2012

� Vehicle inspections during the Games – somejourneys may take longer during the Games so ifdrivers have a vehicle inspection booked they shouldallow themselves plenty of time to get to the SGSinspection centre.

Transport for London (TfL) issues athree point plan to ensure London’staxi and private hire drivers and theiroperators are ready for the Games

25

TAXI-PRIVATE HIRE

12

COUNTLESS TIMES A DAY we are either driving our cabsalongside the Thames, or crossing it back and forth, as we plyour trade. We may recall some of the Thames’ history, of howLondon Bridge was the first and only bridge up until the lateeighteenth century. London’s river travels 215 miles from itssource at Thames Head, about a mile north of Kemble, inGloucestershire, finishing at the Thames Estuary. It is the longestriver which flows entirely through England and the secondlongest in the whole of the United Kingdom.

During the ice age, the Thames flowed about six miles north of its presentcourse and opened to the North Sea at Clacton. Before the North Sea appeared,Europe was one land mass and the Thames was a tributary of the River Rhine.At the end of the ice age the river found a new course through what is today’s

Central London. The fact that London was built at all wasdue to the river, making it possible for the Romans to opena trading post for the rest of Europe.

The Roman’s decided to build a city on the north side ofthe Thames on the hills around present day Cornhill.They also built the first London Bridge connecting thenorth with the south. Their bridge stood just a few yardsfrom where the present day London Bridge is situated,directly down from Fish Street Hill.

The medieval London Bridge had houses, shops and evena church built on it. The entrance to it still remains as thegateway of St Magnus the Martyr’s Churchyard, LowerThames Street. There is also part of the Roman wharf to thebridge kept in a corner of the arch. Most of the medieval

London Bridge has disappeared, except for three seating alcoves; one in Guy’sHospital and two in Victoria Park.

We all know that the river ends somewhere in the Thames Estuary –but where?

Old London Bridge Entrance

26

The Crow Stone

13

Victoria Park, London

Roman Wharf

It ends about halfway from Chalkwell to Westcliff-on-Sea and therefore Leigh-on-Sea should really be Leigh-on-Thames. There is also an ancient marker denotingwhere the rivers end.

This boundary stone is known as the Crow Stone andit was erected in 1837 to mark the seaward limit at thattime, of the City of London’s jurisdiction over the RiverThames. Beside it stood a smaller stone erected by theLord Mayor of London on the 25th of August 1755,which was moved to Priory Park, Southend-on-Sea, inthe year 1950.

Roger Sligo.

The Thames Marker

Priory Park Crowstone

27

ON 4 JULY 2010, TRANSPORT FORLONDON announced plans to develop acable car crossing over the RiverThames. TfL’s original budget came in at£25 million and as we all knowgovernment estimates are about asrealistic as you or me winning the EuroLottery next week.

This figure was then revised to £45 million, and bySeptember 2011 the budget had more than doubled to£60 million, reportedly because TfL had not taken intoaccount the costs of legal advice, project managementand land acquisition among other overheads.

TfL planned to make up the shortfall by paying forthe project out of the London Rail budget, applying forfunding from the European Regional DevelopmentFund and seeking commercial sponsorship.

Construction began in August 2011 with Mace asthe lead contractor. Mace is building the cable cars for£45m and will operate them for the first three years for£5.5m. Transport for London has provided the initialconstruction funding and sponsorship from the airlineEmirates who will cover £36 million of the cost.The rest will be funded from fares. The cable car willbe the most expensive cable system ever built.

Passengers will ride 90 metres above the Thames,taking them from the O2 Arena in Greenwich to the RoyalDocks on the other side of the river in just five minutes.

The construction moved a step closer to completionduring May as all 34 cabins of the Emirates Airlinetook off for their inaugural load testing flight.

I was fortunate enough to be going to the CityAirport as the first tests were being carried out.Pointing them out to my German passenger, who waslooking on in amazement, as though we English arecompletely bonkers!

The cable car is to bebased on MonocableDetachable Gondola (MDG)technology, a system whichuses a single cable for bothpropulsion and support, such

as that used on the Caracas Aerial Tramway. The MDGsystem is reportedly cheaper and quicker to install thana more complex three-cable system which would allowfor larger-capacity cars.

PASSENGERS WILL BE ABLE TO TAKETHE FIRST FLIGHT FROM

MIDDAY THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2012.The Mayor of London will fulfill his pledge to buildthe UK’s first urban cable car when the EmiratesAirline opens to the public from midday on Thursday28 June 2012, providing a vital new river crossing foreast London.

The 1.1km long river crossing, between Greenwichand the Royal Docks, will have the capacity to carry upto 2,500 people per hour in each direction, theequivalent of 30 buses. Initially it will operate seven daysa week, from 0700 to 2100 Mondays to Fridays, 0800 to2100 on Saturdays and 0900 to 2100 on Sundays.

Transport for London (TfL) confirmed thatpassengers will be able to touch in at the gates withtheir Oyster pay as you go cards to take a flight on theEmirates Airline; and that they have developed a‘frequent flyer’ boarding pass for regular users, whichwill allow them to make 10 single journeys for £16,equating to just £1.60 per single journey. The frequentflyer boarding pass will appeal to people living orworking in the local area who wish to use the EmiratesAirline on a regular basis and will be available topurchase from both Emirates Airline terminals.

A single fare boarding pass using Oyster, pay as yougo, for the Emirates Airline will cost £3.20 (child fare£1.60). Passengers with a Travelcard or other Oyster

28

The Thames Cable Car – Emirates Airline Opens to Passengers from End of June

29

cards (including Freedom Passes) will be able to fly forthe same fare but will need to buy a boarding passfrom ticket offices or vending machines which areavailable at both terminals, Emirates GreenwichPeninsula and Emirates Royal Docks. Passengerswithout an Oyster or Travelcard will need to pay aslightly higher cash fare.

For those who want the experience of an extendedjourney to enjoy the fantastic views of the City, whichinclude Canary Wharf, the Thames Barrier and theOlympic Park, there will be the option to take a non-stop return journey. This ‘360 degree tour’ will cost£6.40 with Oyster.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:“On 28 June this spectacular new addition to London’sskyline will provide a much needed new river crossing inthe east of our great city. It will open up access to jobs inthe Royal Docks enterprise zone and attract businessesand investors to a previously under exploited area.

“The Emirates Airline is part of my plan to develop apackage of new river crossings in east London andtransform the surrounding area into a vibrant newmetropolitan quarter that will attract new jobs, homesand enterprise.”

The innovative Emirates Airline is a key plank ofthe Mayor’s plans to revitalise east London and createjobs for Londoners and attract investment into thecapital. Over 50 people have been employed by MaceMacro to operate the Emirates Airline; nearly half ofthese employees come from the local area.

Peter Hendy CBE, London’s TransportCommissioner, said: “Passengers will very soon get toexperience this unique and exciting new addition toLondon’s transport network. Londoners and visitors tothe capital will be able to experience a direct and quickway of crossing the river whilst enjoying the fantasticviews from the cabins. The Emirates Airline is anamazing achievement for all of those involved, given thetimescales that they worked on, from it being just an

initial idea to a fully functional and completed mode oftransport.”

Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines,helped to make this new transport scheme a reality byinvesting £36 million in a ten year sponsorship deal.

“Emirates is known for its innovative customerexperiences and our partnership with Transport forLondon to link communities in the city is a testament tothis,” said Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline.“The Emirates Airline will bridge people closer, enablingthem to discover, connect and express their ideas aboutthis diverse city through crossing its majestic river,providing an incredible travel experience for residents,commuters and visitors alike.”

� There will be extended opening hours when thereare events at the local venues, including Olympicevents. Details of the extended hours will beannounced nearer the time.

� All cabins are wheelchair accessible. Cabins canaccommodate up to two bikes.

� The standard fares for the Emirates Airline areshown in the table below:

Fare for Oyster Cash pay as you go ‘Frequent Flyer’Single users, Travelcard ticket –Fare & Freedom 10 journeys

Pass holders

Adult Boarding £4.30 £3.20* £16.00Pass

ChildBoarding £2.20 £1.60** N/APass

* Oyster pay as you go users making 5 or more journeys in a week will

be charged £1.60.

** For children aged 5 to 15. Children under 5 travel free.

• Multi-trip journeys need to be used within 12 months.

• Emirates Airline fares will not be included in the Oyster daily capping.

31

I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF THE CUTTY SARKsometime back in 1957, on one of many familyoutings from our home in Great Dover Street,travelling the 188 bus route, which terminatedoutside the Seaman’s Hospital at Greenwich.

To a nine year old boy, like me, it was an inspiring sight,particularly when one of my heroes at that time was the one-legged sea captain, Long John Silver. My young mind wasn’tthinking of a tea clipper, but a pirate ship in all its glory, whichhad, no doubt, sailed to Treasure Island and back with JimHawkins and a crew of Buccaneers. I was not willing to acceptthat a commercial shipping company was, in some way, behindthis particular vessel.

The ship was built in 1869 at Dumbarton, Scotland, by thefirm of Scott & Linton at a cost of £16,150, for Jock Willis.

Jock Willis operated a shipping company founded by hisfather. The Cutty Sark was launched on November 23rd 1869.It was one of the very last tea clippers to be built and it was oneof the fastest, albeit coming at the end of an age of windpowered sailing in exchange for steam driven propulsion.

The opening of the Suez Canal (also in 1869) meant thatsteam ships now had a much shorter route to get to China, soconsequently, Cutty Sark spent only a few years on the tea tradebefore turning to the trade in Wool from Australia, where theShip held the record time back to Britain for ten years.

Improvements in steam technology also meant that graduallysteamships also came to dominate the longer sailing route toAustralia and the Cutty Sark was sold to the Portuguese companyFerreira and Co. in 1895 and renamed Ferreira.

She continued as a cargo ship until purchased by retired seacaptain Wilfred Dowman, in 1922, he used her as a training shipoperating from Falmouth, Cornwall. After his death she wastransferred to the Thames Nautical Training College, Greenhithein 1938 where she became an auxiliary cadet training shipalongside HMS Worcester. By 1954 she had ceased to be useful as

a cadet ship and was transferred tothe permanent dry dock atGreenwich, London where she stillis, on public display.

The Queen originally opened the19th Century tea clipper exhibit in1957 which was also the last timeshe visited the ship.

Most of us will recall thenews only five years ago when theship was badly damaged by fire on21st May 2007. It happened while aconservation project was being

carried out to repair Cutty Sark’s iron framework; the fire wascaused by an industrial vacuum cleaner which had beenaccidentally left switched on for two days. Fortunately, the ship’smasts, saloon and deckhouses had been removed and put intostorage in Kent when the fire took hold.

RESTORED ANDREOPENEDBY THE QUEEN ON25TH APRIL 2012Fifty-five-years on from whenthe Queen first opened theCutty Sark as a publicexhibition, our Monarchreturned, in the driving rain,cheered on by crowds atGreenwich Pier, accompaniedby the Duke of Edinburgh, to

reopen what must be a worthy landmark of Greenwich.Fifty-five years later, on a dark night with the rain pouring

down, I also returned, in order to photograph this spectacularvessel. The clipper, which has been restored at a cost of more than£50m; the little boy in me says that’s far more gold than LongJohn Silver could have ever hoped to dig up on Treasure Island!

SOME FACTS ABOUT THE CUTTY SARK…

� More than 15 million visitors have boarded Cutty Sark since 1954.

� The Cutty Sark is the first preserved ship open to the publicworldwide since the Golden Hinde was exhibited in Deptfordin 1580.

� The ship employs a team of riggers to maintain the elevenmiles of rigging.

� She carried 32,000 square feet of canvas sails, equivalent tothe area of 11 tennis courts!

� On the bow of the ship is the motto: ‘Where there’s a Willis a way’,a play on the name of the first owner, Jock,’ White Hat’ Willis.

� The Cutty Sark is named after the short shirt worn by thewitch in the poem ‘Tam o’ Shanter’ written by Robert Burns.

Roger Sligo. Images – Copyright of the National Maritime Museum London.

The Cutty Sark RevisitedBy Roger Sligo

25 June – 8 July 2012

31

WHEN YOU LIVE NEAR THE VENUE FOR THE WIMBLEDONChampionships, you get to see a Chrysalischange into a Butterfly as the days wind downto the start of the Grand Slam TennisTournament.

At the beginning of May, striped marquees start appearinginside the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.Then the sign posts start going up for car parks dotted aroundthe neighbourhood. As the time draws nearer, hospitality marquees start appearing across theroad at the Wimbledon Club, corrugated roadways are laid to protect grass entrances andexits. The loudspeakers for local Wimbledon Radio go up with hanging flower boxes, the latterchanged this year to those requiring less watering, something of a joke.

Then the first of the extra ground staff start to appear in those green outfits. This is just theadvance party of over 6,000 people who will work at the Championships during the fortnight.There will be hundreds of security people gradually appearing, then from a few days to go Stewardsand Catering staff also start appearing in order to pick up their uniforms and to attend training.Finally, the Umpires, Line Judges and Ball Boys and Girls will arrive in the latest designer kit.

The players themselves can be spotted from a week out; either going to the qualifyingtournament at Roehampton or getting used to grass on the Club’s excellent practice courts.You may even find some locals carrying extra rackets around to look as if they might be taking part.

At Southfields Underground Station you will quite likely find artificial grass appearing on theplatform and even fake umpires on high chairs calling out made up scores. The shuttle buses andtaxis for sharing will be ready to transport those not prepared to walk.

If you are walking, you will end up passing a number of pop-up street stalls marketing closelyor not so closely related sports kit, hamburgers, canned drinks (beware having it confiscated atthe gate if it looks like ambush marketing and has the wrong brand). You might even expect anumbrella stall to do good business this year.

Locals now get ready to put up junior or lesser ranked players, players support teams,Umpires, Line Judges and honorary or student stewards. They come from all over the world andmany people have formed good friendships and have the same visitors year after year. The topranked players usually hire out entire houses and the residents either go away or double bunkwith other friends. It is always fun to see a celebrity player cycling into the club, renting DVDs orenjoying the restaurants in the village. Of course you try not to be intrusive by asking forautographs when they are relaxing away from the courts.

With a couple of days to go, the campers start arriving to form the queue camp inWimbledon Park for the daily un-booked ticket release. They used to pitch their tents on thepavements north and south of the club but now it looks more like a colourful army in its serriedranks in the park. There they are marshalled courteously but firmly as always by the HonoraryStewards in their Panama hats.

I shall be at the top of the hill south of the club, helping with a squad of volunteers manningthe car park which we run in the field at St Mary’s Church. This raises money to support theChurch and our annually chosen charities; and it also gives us the opportunity to meet and greetpeople from all over the country. When a really big match runs late on Centre Court you canhear the cheers rolling up the hill. As soon as it finishes, it is like a dam busting as the flood ofpeople straggle out to the taxi queues, tube stations, car parks and B & B’s.

We will of course be rooting for the Brits and you will see many other national flags and facepainted supporters egging on their own favourites. This year will of course be different as thewhole circus will be back in town, under different branding, for the Olympics. It will feel as ifsomebody has done a makeover of their friend’s house.

Wimbledon Tennis FortnightBy Company SecretaryRobert MacDonald Watson

32

Cyber MirthCyber MirthCouple in their nineties areboth having problemsremembering things. During acheckup, the doctor tells themthat they’re physically okay, butthey might want to startwriting things down to helpthem remember. Later thatnight, while watching TV, theold man gets up from his chair.‘Want anything while I’m inthe kitchen?’ he asks. ‘Will youget me a bowl of ice cream?’‘Sure…’ ‘Don’t you think youshould write it down so youcan remember it?’ she asks.‘No, I can remember it…’‘Well, I’d like some strawberrieson top, too. Maybe you shouldwrite it down, so as not toforget it?’ He says, ‘I canremember that. You want abowl of ice cream withstrawberries.’ ‘I’d also likewhipped cream. I’m certainyou’ll forget that, write itdown?’ she asks. Irritated, hesays, ‘I don’t need to write itdown, I can remember it!Ice cream with strawberriesand whipped cream – I got it,for goodness sake!’ Then hetoddles into the kitchen. Afterabout 20 minutes, the old manreturns from the kitchen andhands his wife a plate of baconand eggs… she stares at theplate for a moment.‘Where’s my toast?’

An elderly couple had dinnerat another couple’s house, andafter eating, the wives left thetable and went into thekitchen. The two gentlemenwere talking, and one said,‘Last night we went out to anew restaurant and it wasreally great.. I wouldrecommend it very highly..’The other man said, ‘what isthe name of the restaurant?’The first man thought andthought and he finally said,‘what is the name of thatflower you give to someoneyou love? You know… the onethat’s red and has thorns.’‘Do you mean a rose?’ ‘Yes,that’s the one,’ replied the man.He then turned towards thekitchen and yelled, ‘Rose, what’sthe name of that restaurant wewent to last night?’

Hospital regulations require awheelchair for patients beingdischarged. However, whileworking as a student nurse, Ifound one elderly gentlemanalready dressed and sitting onthe bed with a suitcase at hisfeet, who insisted he didn’tneed my help to leave thehospital. After a chat aboutrules being rules, he reluctantlylet me wheel him to theelevator. On the way down Iasked him if his wife wasmeeting him. ‘I don’t know,’ hesaid. ‘She’s still upstairs in thebathroom changing out of herhospital gown.’

A senior citizen said to hiseighty-year old buddy: ‘So Ihear you’re getting married?’‘Yep!’ ‘Do I know her?’ ‘Nope!’‘This woman, is she goodlooking?’ ‘Not really.’ ‘Is she agood cook?’ ‘Naw, she can’tcook too well.’ ‘Does she havelots of money?’ ‘Nope! Poor asa church mouse.’ ‘Well, then, isshe good in bed?’ ‘I don’tknow.’ ‘Why in the world doyou want to marry her then?’‘Because she can still drive!’

A man was telling hisneighbour, ‘I just bought a newhearing aid. It cost me fourthousand dollars, but it’s stateof the art.. It’s perfect.’‘Really,’ answered theneighbour. ‘What kind is it?’‘Twelve thirty…’

Morris, an 82 year-old man,went to the doctor to get aphysical. A few days later, thedoctor saw Morris walkingdown the street with agorgeous young woman on hisarm. A couple of days later, thedoctor spoke to Morris andsaid, ‘You’re really doing great,aren’t you?’ Morris replied, ‘justdoing what you said, Doc: ‘Geta hot mamma and be cheerful.’The doctor said, ‘I didn’t saythat… I said, ‘You’ve got aheart murmur; be careful.’

One more…! A little old man shuffled slowlyinto an ice cream parlour andpulled himself slowly, painfully, uponto a stool… after catching hisbreath, he ordered a banana split.The waitress asked kindly, ‘crushednuts?’ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘Arthritis.’

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Dear Boris...

IT HAS COME TO OUR ATTENTION that one or two drivers have become a bitforgetful with regards to accepting Taxicharge card trips from the street.

More than 10,000 Taxicharge cards have been issued to our clients and thesecards are a big selling point when accounts are won and decide to open with us –therefore they are used.

A Taxicharge trip is generated in much the same way as a credit card trip, usingthe swipe device. If you are not familiar with the operation to create a Taxichargecard trip in the cab, then you are always welcome to come along to Station Roadand we will go through the procedure with you to refresh your memory.

Better to remind yourself how it’s done than face acomplaints committee for refusing to take a Taxichargecard for any reason – there is no reason to refuse aTaxicharge card, so please remember that.

AcceptingTAXICHARGE on the street

AcceptingTAXICHARGE on the street

34

Ed: Steve you are a real creditto us all at Radio Taxis –Hope you are recovering fromyour recent surgery: By the waycan the lady have her shovelback?

Letters & Emailsto the Editor...ALAN FRANK’S MYSTERY DRIVER FOUND

Dear Sirs,

I write regarding Alan Franks article on page 11 of theMarch issue of Mountview News. The mystery driver ismy husband Steve Nichols (M50), who has beenclearing the snow from this ladies garden area for thelast 3 years without her knowledge of who he is.

He is not aware of me contacting you but I feel thatyou should be aware of who he is. What is remarkablethat in February he was still recovering from surgeryfor bowel cancer and was not fully fit! I was with himin the cab this day and he struggled to carry the grit toher path but was determined to make a safe pathwayfor her.

Regards,Patricia NicholsWife of M50.

SEND YOUR LETTERS BY:Email: mvn.editor@radiotaxis.co.uk

Or by ‘snail mail’ to:The EditorMountview NewsRadio Taxis GroupMountview HouseLennox RoadLONDONN4 3TX

@

Can you write an amusing caption for thepicture opposite? A bottle of Champagnewill be awarded for the most amusingcaption. Email your caption along withyour name and call sign to:mvn.editor@radiotaxis.co.uk – Good luck!

The MountviewAmusing CaptionCompetition

Our March Caption Contest received the most amount ofmail to date with so many funny captions, it was difficultpicking a winner – but this one just took the edge:

“Na, don’t take credit cards, try the next one!”By Colin Crane, Fox 78.

Colin has won a bottle of bubbly to celebrate with.

Last Issue’sWinner was...

The Mountview Puzzler PageCLUES ACROSS8. Drape (7)9. Pack leader (5)10. Down-filled quilt (5)11. Illness (7)12. Silent (4)13. Newsman (8)16. Imagine (8)19. Stick used by a magician (4)22. Small fish (7)23. Evergreen tree (5)24. Burn brightly (5)25. Lunatic (7)

CLUES DOWN1. Pertaining to a school (8)2. Evergreen shrub (6)3. Components (5)4. Breathe in (6)5. Letterbox (7)6. Respectable (6)7. Skin growth (4)14. Saviour (8)15. Dwells (7)17. Kingdom in N Europe (6)18. Capital of Austria (6)20. Beast (6)21. One-twelfth of a year (5)22. Weeps (4)

Jotting space

each row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain the digits1 through to 9 exactly once. What could be simpler?

Hooked? Well you can find many more Sudoko puzzlesonline free by going to: www.sudoku.cc

?

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MOUNTVIEW SUDOKUA BONUS! – TWO Puzzles for this issue ofMountview News for you to give your brains a reallygood work out!

The object is to write in the missing numbers in theempty boxes below. But to satisfy only one condition:

Mountview News – Graphic design, layout, print and distribution by DC-Graphics: 0208 440 1155 | www.dc-graphics.co.uk

CHIEF RENTALS is proud to announce that theyhave joined forces with Radio Taxis as their mainsupplier of replacement licensed Radio Taxis fortheir drivers who find themselves involved in theunfortunate circumstance of a non-fault accident.

This specialist service enables Radio Taxis drivers who areinvolved in such an incident to get straight back to work andmore importantly, back on the Radio Taxis circuit as allreplacement vehicles supplied by Chief Rentals are fitted witha Radio Taxis terminal.

Other aspects of this exceptional service also include repairmanagement of the driver’s own vehicle as well as the handlingof all personal injury claims, either from injured drivers ortheir injured passengers.

Not only are these services available to Radio Taxis drivers,but Chief Rentals has also agreed to expand them to drivers’

families and friends who may also find themselves in a similarpredicament following a non-fault accident and requiring alike-for-like replacement vehicle.

Chief Rentals look forward to working with both RadioTaxis and their drivers long-term into the future and endeavourto provide them with an outstanding service that will keepeveryone ‘on-circuit’ and at work during difficult times.

To find out more with no obligation, please call us FREEon the number above.