Abandoned taxis

[Ed Davies]

Has anyone else noticed an increasing number of abandoned London Taxis. With parking getting ever more difficult there are two on Ondine Road and another two on Crystal Palace Road, I didn?t venture onto any other side streets on this mornings walk - do the owners not get ?trade in? grants as they upgrade to a greener vehicle whilst adhering to the demands of ULEZ ?

[seenbeen]

they are actually decreasing on Crystal Palace Road.

https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,1982358,2009161#msg-2009161

[Rumbero]

How do you know they're 'abandoned' and not being used as private vehicles?

[singalto]

If they are anything like the one we had in our road, it?s because they don?t go anywhere from one month to the next!

[marypink]

There is one parked in the same place in Tintagel Crescent for over 3 months. Contact has been made with the police, but they said none has reported the vehicle as stolen.

This car hasn't mover for months, and the licence inside seems to be expired.

[Rumbero]

That's two then. Any more?

[TheArtfulDogger]

It's only an abandoned vehicle if it hasn't got valid MOT, road tax or insurance

It's licence status is unfortunately irrelevant as it may be a private vehicle and no longer considered a hire vehicle.

You can check online to see if it's road legal and if it's not the you can report it as abandoned

[kiera]

A Police Community Support Officer was very helpful with a car near me which hadn't moved for months, maybe because it was getting to look increasingly neglected. The car was still legal, but he traced the owner, and as it was local address, he visited the owner and got the car removed. So it could well be worth drawing the taxi issue to the attention of the PCSOs.

[Soylent Green]

I have observed about a dozen of these unlicensed black cabs in the streets around Copleston, Oglander and Ondine. They all just sit parked up unused,with the taxi licence plate missing, except for their quarterly visit to the sprayers, when their owner pops his single London Taxi License Plate onto the vehicle to get a new ad sprayed onto it. Thankfully, the CPZ, which only allows 2 vehicles per address, should put a stop to this devious practice.

[Stradello]

As many of these taxis (I can see at least 3 from my front door) are taxed etc. so to not be considered 'abandoned', they surely must be generating revenue for the owner. My theory is there is some payment to be made for advertising on the side of the taxis, meaning that either advertiser and/or media company are being scammed.

(or it could just be someone who REALLY likes decrepit black cabs)

[Rumbero]

Licensed taxis and private vehicles (including 'de-commissioned' black cabs) have been allowed to take advertising for many years now ('wrapping' seems to be the expression used). If the owner and advertiser are both happy with the arrangement then I don't see how the practice is 'devious' (Soylent Green) or anyone is being 'scammed' (Stradello). Without speaking to both parties then anything else is pure speculation.

Now whether vehicle advertising is desirable or not is another question. Can't bear it personally. It cheapens the public realm (just like those ads plastered all over football shirts!)

[seenbeen]

Do the companies that pay for the ads think that the cab is driving around London- I wonder?

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Yes.

[ianr]

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Yes.

On what do you base your certainty?

[ianr]

Soylent Green Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> They all just sit parked up unused,with the taxi

> licence plate missing, except for their quarterly

> visit to the sprayers, when their owner pops his

> single London Taxi License Plate onto the vehicle

> to get a new ad sprayed onto it.

What evidence do you have of this licence plate subterfuge?

[Rumbero]

None would be my guess.

[JohnL]

Rumbero Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Licensed taxis and private vehicles (including

> 'de-commissioned' black cabs) have been allowed to

> take advertising for many years now ('wrapping'

> seems to be the expression used). If the owner

> and advertiser are both happy with the arrangement

> then I don't see how the practice is 'devious'

> (Soylent Green) or anyone is being 'scammed'

> (Stradello). Without speaking to both parties then

> anything else is pure speculation.

>

> Now whether vehicle advertising is desirable or

> not is another question. Can't bear it

> personally. It cheapens the public realm (just

> like those ads plastered all over football

> shirts!)

At least Southwark don't seem to allow wrap advertising around our flats :)

[Seabag]

Vehicles with broken windows used to get removed pretty pronto. Do any of them have windows that are broken?

[Ginster]

Two taxis on Ondine Road have signs on saying to move it or it?ll be moved. Wondering how many others may have the same.

[kford]

The taxis on Northcross/CP Road/Crawthew all have yellow removal for destruction notices on.

[Abe_froeman]

That's great news!

Southwark are pretty good at following up on those notices too. A few years ago there was a very nice Land Rover Defender in North Cross Road with a flat tyre that lasted about four weeks before getting a yellow notice and being taken away :(

[kford]

I remember that Land Rover. It was worth about ?12k.

[Ginster]

2 more stickered on Avondale, one with a clamp. Also few cars around clamped (guessing road tax or not moved)

[seenbeen]

At least one on Crystal Palace Road

[Soylent Green]

I have seen a few of these yellow notices on cab windows, but the hand written part about getting your cabs out of Southwark and the lack of reference number made me wonder if they are fake. The notices give a 7 day time frame, so let's see if they are gone by next week.