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If you had trouble finding a taxi on Monday night, it may have been because London’s black cabs were out in full force at Bank junction, parked up in protest over the City of London's plans for road closures. The junction was a sea of black cabs from 3pm as scores of taxis brought traffic in the area to a standstill. Many drivers swore to stay put at the junction until the early evening, however intervention from the police meant roads were open again after 5pm.
All the hoo-hah is down to the City of London's plans to ban cars, taxis and lorries from the junction between 7am and 7pm as part of a safety move, which means only cyclists and buses will be able to use the roads once the 18-month scheme starts in April.
The demonstration followed a similar protest last Thursday, and taxi drivers have said they'll be returning to the junction every evening this week to press their point that black cabs are, according to the Taxi Union RMT, an 'integral' and 'safe' part of the transport system. So, you might just have to start hailing the bus instead this week.
In other news, pollution on Oxford Street has dropped by a third in 12 months.