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Taxi rank faces closure

Sophie GabrielleEastern Reporter

THE days of Leederville’s Newcastle Street taxi rank could be numbered.

City of Vincent councillors approved a motion to consider relocating or completely removing it at last Tuesday’s council meeting.

Cr Joshua Topelberg’s motion stated that demand for the rank had fallen away over the past few years because of the changing nature of businesses in the town centre and the rise of ride-sharing services like Uber.

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“I think it is no longer appropriate to have a car park as our town centre,” Cr Topelberg said.

“It is a significant volume of land that could be used for pedestrians…”

Local taxi driver Vicky Kho said removing the rank would make it tougher for businesses in Leederville and taxis.

“On weekdays, it is hard to find a spot for taxis to park because it is all paid parking,” Mr Kho said.

“On weekends it is very busy and we need to be able to pick people up.

“We won’t have anywhere to park (if Vincent removes the rank).”

The review of whether to remove the rank or relocate it to another area in Leederville would include data about how many patrons it services.

Cr Roslyn Harley said the issue came up at council last year.

“The usage by taxis at the rank blocks up Oxford Street and Newcastle Street,” Cr Harley said.

“We have a number of taxi ranks around Leederville.”

Cr Jimmy Murphy said he supported the motion and had spoken to several traders in Leederville who supported the move.