Stay safe on your Wokingham Christmas nights out
Wokingham Safety marshals, a new temporary taxi rank and safety information posters and leaflets are among the ways Wokingham Borough Council is trying to ensure Christmas revellers enjoy a night out without any nasty incidents.
The Wokingham council has teamed up with the police to employ safety marshals to patrol in busy areas at peak times for people pouring out of clubs and pubs. They will be able to help people find their way safely to taxi ranks and the make sure the ranks are well-organised and orderly. The marshals will also be able to help taxi drivers who may suffer from abusive behaviour and contact the police to report any trouble-makers.
As well as the four marshals, Wokingham Borough Council will be turning a section of its Wellington House car park in Elms Road into a temporary taxi rank during peak times during the evenings in December. This will provide a well-organised rank away from pedestrians where the marshals will be able to make sure only licensed hackney carriages are operating and drivers and passengers are protected.
Contact numbers for Wokingham private hire vehicles will be provided to bar staff at late night venues in the town for customers who prefer to pre-book their journey home.
Council community safety officers are producing posters to be displayed in bars and clubs warning revellers of the dangers of drinking too much and advising how they can have a fun night out and stay safe.
Executive member for Wokingham Corporate Services Cllr Rob Stanton (who has responsibility for community safety) said: “Many people enjoy an evening out or two in the Christmas period and it is important to help them get home safely. By asking bar staff for private hire vehicle contact numbers, or by taking advice from the marshals, people will be able to ensure they only travel in properly licensed vehicles. Taxis and private hire vehicles provide a particularly important service at this time of year – especially as we really need to make sure people don’t drink and drive.”
The marshals will be on duty in Wokingham town centre on Friday and Saturday evening from Friday December 5 until the new year and on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Wokingham Borough Council community safety officer Stephanie Nagiel said: “We have been working with taxi drivers to find ways to help protect them and help people get home safely. All drivers were invited to a meeting to discuss these initiatives and some good ideas – such as a Cabwatch scheme that could be run along the same lines as the Pubwatch scheme came out of those meetings.
“We just hope that by working with police, drivers, marshals, pubs, bars and clubs we can help people have a good night out and get home safely.”
Inspector Nigel Scarratt, Wokingham Town Centre neighbourhood policing team said: “We are working with our partners to continue to show that Wokingham is a safe place to spend an evening by using safety marshals within the town centre on Friday and Saturday evenings. These provide a visible presence, assisting with the queues, helping people to the taxis to have a safe return home with the reassurance that the police will also be in the town centre to deter and deal with any potential problems. They will be wearing a uniform so they can be identified and also carry a radio to have a link with CCTV. They have not been used in Wokingham before but are used in Reading where positive comments have been received.”
The Wokingham council has teamed up with the police to employ safety marshals to patrol in busy areas at peak times for people pouring out of clubs and pubs. They will be able to help people find their way safely to taxi ranks and the make sure the ranks are well-organised and orderly. The marshals will also be able to help taxi drivers who may suffer from abusive behaviour and contact the police to report any trouble-makers.
As well as the four marshals, Wokingham Borough Council will be turning a section of its Wellington House car park in Elms Road into a temporary taxi rank during peak times during the evenings in December. This will provide a well-organised rank away from pedestrians where the marshals will be able to make sure only licensed hackney carriages are operating and drivers and passengers are protected.
Contact numbers for Wokingham private hire vehicles will be provided to bar staff at late night venues in the town for customers who prefer to pre-book their journey home.
Council community safety officers are producing posters to be displayed in bars and clubs warning revellers of the dangers of drinking too much and advising how they can have a fun night out and stay safe.
Executive member for Wokingham Corporate Services Cllr Rob Stanton (who has responsibility for community safety) said: “Many people enjoy an evening out or two in the Christmas period and it is important to help them get home safely. By asking bar staff for private hire vehicle contact numbers, or by taking advice from the marshals, people will be able to ensure they only travel in properly licensed vehicles. Taxis and private hire vehicles provide a particularly important service at this time of year – especially as we really need to make sure people don’t drink and drive.”
The marshals will be on duty in Wokingham town centre on Friday and Saturday evening from Friday December 5 until the new year and on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Wokingham Borough Council community safety officer Stephanie Nagiel said: “We have been working with taxi drivers to find ways to help protect them and help people get home safely. All drivers were invited to a meeting to discuss these initiatives and some good ideas – such as a Cabwatch scheme that could be run along the same lines as the Pubwatch scheme came out of those meetings.
“We just hope that by working with police, drivers, marshals, pubs, bars and clubs we can help people have a good night out and get home safely.”
Inspector Nigel Scarratt, Wokingham Town Centre neighbourhood policing team said: “We are working with our partners to continue to show that Wokingham is a safe place to spend an evening by using safety marshals within the town centre on Friday and Saturday evenings. These provide a visible presence, assisting with the queues, helping people to the taxis to have a safe return home with the reassurance that the police will also be in the town centre to deter and deal with any potential problems. They will be wearing a uniform so they can be identified and also carry a radio to have a link with CCTV. They have not been used in Wokingham before but are used in Reading where positive comments have been received.”
Wokingham Borough Council
<< Home