Tenby's taxi drivers are a step closer to having a taxi rank provided in the town centre following discussions with town and county council representatives.
At Tuesday night's meeting of the town council, Mr. Tony Brown, of the Tenby Taxi Association, met with councillors and Mr. John Price, traffic manager for Pembrokeshire County Council, to consider the proposal of having a taxi rank situated in Tudor Square.
Currently, the taxis' main rank is situated at the entrance to the multi-storey car park, but Mr. Brown pointed out that hardly any pick-ups were made from that point and he himself had only made one from there all summer.
Mr. Brown requested that more taxi bays be introduced in Tudor Square, along the road from Lloyds Bank down to Peacocks, during the busy months of July and August and also Friday and Saturday nights all-year-round, from 8 pm at night until the pubs closed.
"We would only request those times as that's when it's busiest in the town and we wouldn't see any point in having a provision all-year-round or during the daytime," said Mr. Brown.
"Policing of the rank, though, would be essential, as at the moment taxis are forced to double park, making it difficult for other vehicles to get through the square, with cars constantly parking illegally in the current '30-minute only' waiting bays," he added.
Clr. Nicky Lloyd agreed with the principle of the taxi rank provision, but was concerned over signage. "The problem will be getting the message across to others when they can park in the bays, so signage will be a very important aspect, along with policing, for it to work," he said.
The county council's traffic manager, Mr. John Price, agreed to look into the matter, although correct signage would have to be decided upon so other motorists would be clear as to when the bays could be used.