Surge in taxi numbers could be to blame for Stirling parking issues
A councillor has suggested that parking problems which have emerged on some city centre streets could be linked to the lifting of a cap on taxi licences in 2023.
Parking problems on some city centre streets are being potentially blamed on an upsurge in the number of taxis.
At a recent meeting of Stirling Council, SNP councillor Jim Thomson asked for clarification on taxi provision.
He added: 'Residents and traders are being impacted by indiscriminate parking on Barnton Street, Murray Place and Station Road in the city centre.
'The problem has appeared following the lifting of the cap on taxi licences in 2023.
'Is it the intention of the [planning and regulation] panel to review the decision on lifting the cap?'
He was told the panel would make a decision on this based on a further unmet demand survey, to be undertaken later this year and which would review whether there was a need to cap taxi numbers.
Cllr Thomson, then said: 'Unfortunately I don't know how we're going to get the genie back in the bottle on this one.'
Conservative councillor Neil Benny said: 'The issue of the cap will be discussed as part of the unmet demand survey, but the other issues such as parking etc will have to come forward as part of discussions on taxi policy. I look forward to hearing discussion on how we can use taxi policy to help with that enforcement as well.'
The cap on taxi licences for certain types of vehicles was lifted in 2023 when the council's planning and regulation panel voted to remove the cap on licences for electric, hybrid and wheelchair accessible vehicles to help meet customer demand.
The panel also decided all taxis could operate across the Stirling Council area. Previously, 11 of the 82 licences available were restricted to operating outside Stirling city, mostly in rural areas.
The decisions were taken after consultation with taxi drivers, operators and Police Scotland and followed the recommendations from a Stirling Taxi Unmet Demand Survey.
The council had appointed the Licensed Vehicles Survey and Assessment (LVSA) to undertake the survey, which concluded there was a significant unmet demand for taxis in Stirling city centre.
Council officers were also to undertake a feasibility study on the introduction of a new, night-time taxi rank in the centre.
All but one of the then panel members agreed with removing the cap on taxi licences for the specified vehicle types.
Last year residents across Stirling were asked to share their views on plans for a new taxi rank in the city centre with more cabbies set to take to the road following the lifting of the cap.
At that time, the council was working to identify the most suitable location for an additional taxi rank to cater for the increase in taxis operating in the area.
While Port Street was the main option, there was a loading bay on the west side and it was proposed that this continued to operate for loading/unloading Monday to Saturday between 8am and 6pm, but that it operated as a taxi rank between 6pm and 8am.
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