Denver would allow taxis to stop in traffic lanes to pick up and drop off passengers under an ordinance approved today by the Public Works Committee.
Drivers would be allowed to stop for as long as 90 seconds and would need to have a visible, flashing amber light while stopped.
“I think it’s just a good measure for better customer service,” said councilwoman and committee member Judy Montero.
Montero and others said that with upcoming conventions, including the Democratic National Convention in 2008, it makes sense to allow drivers to stop in the streets as they do in other major cities around the world.
“When I travel, (a cab ride) is usually the first entree into a community I’m visiting,” she said.
Montero said this ordinance has been in the works for years as one way to deal with the shortage of taxi cab stands and increase overall customer service.
“It’ll help a lot because guy’s are paranoid as hell (about getting ticketed),” said Jack Kaufman, a Yellow Cab taxi driver.Under current city law it is illegal to stop the flow of traffic.
Kaufman has been a driver for 40 years and has been ticketed three times for being stopped in the street, most recently, he said, for helping an elderly woman out of the taxi.
The new ordinance includes a provision specifically for taxi drivers.
Montero said approval of the ordinance from City Council could come as early as the second week of July.
Staff writer Sara Crocker can be reached at 303-954-1661 or at scrocker@denverpost.com
