Races taxi ban ruins disabled mum’s birthday

May 16 2008 by Laurie Stocks-Moore, Chester Chronicle

Races taxi ban ruins disabled mum’s birthday

A DISABLED woman was forced to walk from Chester Races on her 70th birthday after a ban on taxi pick-ups.

Police ordered taxi firms to keep away from the Roodee during last week’s May Festival and last Friday, Martin Ithell, of Robinsons Croft, Great Boughton, went with his girlfriend and her parents.

Martin’s girlfriend’s mother is severely disabled but was forced to walk to the railway arches in New Crane Street just to get a lift home. Because of her disability, it took an hour for her to make her way from where she was on the course to where a taxi was willing to pick her up.

Martin said: “It was her birthday on Friday. It was a birthday treat and it ruined the day.

“We arrived in a black cab. A policeman immediately came and said ‘You should not park here’. He came on us like a tonne of bricks.

“On coming out of the racecourse we rang three taxi firms but they told us nobody was allowed to pick up from the racecourse.

“It’s an absolute disgrace the way the police force come down so heavily on law-abiding citizens while yobs do as they like.

“We told each she was severely disabled but were specifically told nobody was allowed to pick up even if they are disabled.”

Eventually Kingkabs agreed to collect them from the railway arches.

Martin added: “We told the police we were just getting a taxi and they said certainly not. They told us the nearest place we could get a taxi from was the Fountain’s roundabout or the Moat House on Trinity Street.

“The taxi driver got a lot of stick off the copper.”

Sgt Andy Pickup, of Cheshire Police, claimed police were told to exercise discretion.

He said: “If there is somebody with a disability which affects their mobility, they may need to make arrangements away from the peak time.

“We wouldn’t stop disabled people or taxis conveying them.

“If they’re going to pre-book a taxi, they should try to book it before or after the main rush when there’s less pressure on Watergate Street.

“There is no policy of a blanket stop on taxis.”

Martin responded: “There was no discretion. I asked three taxi firms and they all said that under no circumstances should they pick people up near the course.

“We came out before the last race. We missed the last race because we didn’t want to cause a disturbance.”