I HAVE read in the Citizen the arguments for taxi and private hire vehicles to be able to use bus lanes and the proposal that the lion will lay down with the lamb in as much as the hackney carriage owners now seek the help and financial support of the private hire sector to help pay legal costs to fight the council.

The police , I believe, say they object on the grounds of safety - whose safety?

Buses and taxis and private hire vehicles have always shared the privilege of using Chapel Street, where the signs permit it. So why not the same privilege in George Street and Spring Garden Street?

The bus lane that most people in the taxi business are concerned about is on Morecambe Road, where a few buses use the facility but not the taxis that are an integral part of the transport system in any town.

I can appreciate that one of your correspondents would be upset if this privilege was extended by the local authority but I do feel for elderly or inform people travelling from Morecambe to the Royal Lancatser Infirmary who have to book taxis 20 or 30 minutes early at busy times and pay some £2 or £3 extra to get there.

Also consider the fact that the cost of licensing vehicles for use as taxis or private hire vehicles contributes £100,000 to the city council, on top of the road tax paid to the Government. That alone differentiates taxi owners and drivers from normal car users.

Also, the deterioration of public transport has also increased the demand for taxis and private hite vehicles - at one time there were fewer than 100 taxis registered on the streets but now there are more than 400. In my opinion that proves that these vehicles are a major part of the integrated transport system.

In closing, I invite any member of the police authority to explain the safety factors that deter them giving consent for taxis to use bus lanes.

Jim Harrison, Morecambe.