Taxi drivers in Tenby have requested a new rank for daytime pick-ups as their current one cannot facilitate enough cabs at times.

Speaking at Tuesday night’s meeting of the town council, Deputy Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Christine Brown said that she had been approached by a local driver with the request as the current daytime pick-up spot down Lower Park Road outside Sainsbury’s only had enough room for three to four vehicles, and was getting congested, with taxis queuing to ferry people, and inadvertently blocking the road.

“It has been suggested that the strip along the Parade next to the Five Arches would be an ideal spot for taxis to facilitate pick-ups from the morning until 6 pm,” she told her colleagues.

“This area currently has ‘half hour only’ parking bays - but they are being badly abused and people are just leaving their vehicles parked in them all day and night.

“The taxi drivers feel that this area could be put to much better use for visitors and the people of Tenby as a daytime pick-up point. An additional four or five spaces for taxis during the daytime would be a real bonus for the drivers,” continued Clr. Mrs. Brown.

Clr. Paul Rapi felt that it was a good idea, and could even work well at night, but only if taxi drivers used the spots, as he had grown tired of taxis using St. Georges Street at night and ‘causing chaos’ by just pulling up any where along that area, even though they had a designated rank in Tudor Square.

“They are parking all along there now on St. Georges Street - so to put them on the other side of the town walls next to the Five Arches would be a better place. They also shouldn’t be perfotming u-turns in the streets too, and blocking everybody, they should be using the right system!” he remarked.

Clr. Mrs. Sam Skyrme-Blackhall agreed that Tudor Square was often congested when taxis parked one side, stopping other vehicles going two-ways along that street.

Clr. Tracey Evans said that she often used the 30 minute bays by the Five Arches designed for a ‘stop and shop’ as when pedestrianisation was in place, they were handy to pop into town, so she didn’t want to see that lost, although Clr. Mrs. Brown felt that these bays were just a ‘pacifier’ during the traffic free period over the summer.

“When they built the multi-storey I’m not sure why they didn’t allow tax drivers the area they used to park,” continued Clr. Mrs. Brown.

“All they are trying to do is earn a living. They had difficulty with parking last summer and will do so again this summer, so they just want an area where they can pick up in the day until 6 pm.”

The town clerk Andrew Davies explained that Pembrokeshire County Council carried out periodic reviews on parking restrictions across the county, and that the suggestion to convert the 30 minute bays into a taxi rank could be put out for consultation.

“Because they are 30 minute ‘stop and shop’ bays, and then unrestricted parking zones after 6 pm, there would need to be strong evidence that taxi drivers would actually use the area,” he added.