Latest news with #DanBrothwell
BBC News
21 hours ago
- BBC News
Illegal parking 'massive problem' near Worcester taxi rank
Illegal parking near a taxi rank in Worcester is a "massive problem", a campaign group has Worcester said it recorded 300 offences in 24 hours using a time-lapse camera in Foregate Street last there and by The Cross causes problems, spokesperson Dan Brothwell said, because cars overtaking "cross the solid white line into the bike/bus lane, meaning cars drive head-on at people cycling – many of these are also taxis".Richard Udall, chair of Worcester City Council's licensing committee, said the authority had issued "hundreds" of fixed penalties and accused Bike Worcester of becoming an "anti-taxi campaign". Mr Brothwell said: "This is a massive problem – and we don't have a vendetta against taxis or cars.""Our time lapse video recorded over 300 parking offences and incidents of over-ranking in 24 hours. People turn a blind eye to it."I feel for Worcester's taxi drivers – they're being swamped by drivers from Wychavon and Wolverhampton."Mr Udall said the council could only enforce "at times when we are present" and repeated offenders would lose their licences. 'Unfair and unjustified' "Taxis are allowed to load and unload passengers on yellow lines, this may account for some of the issues they are complaining about.A Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed that 10 Worcester taxi drivers have had their licences revoked in the past three Udall said taxi drivers were becoming increasingly concerned about attacks upon them by Bike Worcester, saying they felt they were "unfair and unjustified"."The vast majority are law abiding professionals, providing a quality public service."They feel the constant attacks from Bike Worcester are beginning to look like an anti-taxi or an anti-car campaign."The council would continue to take action against any offending taxi drivers and work with drivers to reduce any problems, he added. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Worcester city centre bike store to close
A cycling charity has said it is "gutted" by the closure of a bike store, intended to reduce bicycle thefts in Worcester city Worcester said the free facility in Friary Walk shopping centre - formerly Crowngate - has been used to securely store 28,000 bikes a space, which has now been leased to a rent-paying customer, will close on Wednesday, four years after it Brothwell, from the charity, said it was "as good a place to lock our bikes as we've found anywhere in the world". Mr Brothwell paid tribute to the shopping centre's manager for making the facility available to cyclists for free."Bike Worcester were approached by Mike Lloyd in the depths of Covid with an idea of making an unused commercial unit available as a place for people to store bikes," he said. "It would be under the watchful eyes of CCTV with the security team regularly checking in. It was a no-brainer."Mr Lloyd said the centre had been "incredibly proud" of the role it had played in "encouraging more sustainable travel", adding it "was the right thing to do during a difficult time for the city"."Now, as we celebrate a full return to occupancy at Friary Walk - a real milestone for the local economy - we must transition the unit back into retail use," he said. The store also included a repair station for people to carry out minor services of their Brothwell said any bikes which were found unlocked would be secured, along with details on how to get it released - for which Mr Brothwell himself admitted to having been grateful on occasions when he had been distracted and forgotten to lock his own bike."It is with a heavy heart we say farewell to the Friary Walk bike store," he said. "We've used it to store our bikes, fix our bikes, and help others fix their bikes."It's been instrumental in growing Bike Worcester."Mr Lloyd said Friary Walk was "committed to supporting active travel" and was working to install external bike added that the stands and racks from the bike store were being donated to the city council for potential relocation. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
