Wednesday 5th December | 2018
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OF TONBRIDGE
We came, we sat, we conkered: Tree could be saved after vigil By Andy Tong STATION RANK The vast majority of cab drivers are safe and reliable
Investigation uncovers trend of women being ‘abused’ by taxi drivers WITH Christmas parties now in full swing the Times this week publishes an investigation that should act as a warning to all women travelling home by taxi, particularly after nights out in town. This newspaper has uncovered several incidents involving altercations between cab drivers and women. And we believe it to be the tip of an iceberg. In one case a 23-year-old was left lying shocked and bruised in the road, her mobile phone smashed, after allegedly being attacked. On another occasion a teenager was ‘petrified’ after a driver suggested she could pay for part of the journey by having sex with him. Two young women were forced to run away after an angry driver tried to lock them in the car and charge them more than the agreed fare. One woman, perhaps summing it all up, told us that because of her experiences she had ‘not felt safe in taxis for about three to four years’. Such incidents are not limited to Tonbridge and are almost certainly repeated across the country. The purposes of this investigation is to send a clear message to drivers tempted to take advantage of
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EDITORIAL COMMENT
vulnerable young women: People are aware of your actions and they will not be tolerated. The vast majority of drivers can be viewed as safe and reliable. It is a minority who appear to be involved in such incidents. The problem for the police and the borough council’s Hackney Carriage office, which licenses drivers, is that most of those who suffer abuse of one kind or another do not register a complaint. They are reluctant to make a fuss. Until they do, drivers will think they can get away with it. As the owner of Castle Cars, Terry Hill, told us: “If you have three or four examples of incidents, I would multiply that by 50. It is happening a lot more than is being reported.” We know it can be difficult, but we would urge people to report these incidents and help make travelling home safer for all women.
Full story, pages 12-13
andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk PROTESTERS are anxiously awaiting news about the condition of a tree on River Lawn that they are fighting hard to save from the developers’ axe. For eight days a protest was held around – and in the branches of – the mature horse chestnut that stands on the boundary of the new Tonbridge Medical Centre, which will be built on the site of the old Teen and Twenty Club. Supporters of the pressure group Keep River Lawn Green [KRLG] and local people held a 24/7 vigil to stop the conker tree being felled, even strapping themselves to it with harnesses overnight despite high winds and heavy rain.
‘It’s testament to the town’s community spirit, really heart-warming’ They have gained 2,000 signatures on a petition calling on Assura, the developer who will build the surgery, to save it. Assura reacted to a barrage of tweeting by issuing a statement saying they will delay taking down the tree while further assessments are made – and if there is no threat to public safety they will consider how the plans might be altered to accommodate it. On Monday [December 3] Essex-based arboricultural consultancy Sharon Hosegood Associates carried out a survey on the tree. They are due to report their findings early next week. They used a ground-penetrating radar to examine the root system and assessed the general vitality of the structure. Assura were going to bury a concrete bar in order to connect six supporting pillars in the foundations of the new
TIE A RIBBON Wellwishers decorate the horse chestnut Tonbridge Medical Centre building but they say they could look at an alternative method. The tree is scheduled for removal as part of the original planning application, which said it had a bleeding canker which may cause it to become unstable. Specialists will now take away old soil and replace it, adding nutrients which would resist the disease, and monitor its condition throughout the construction. Protesters claim the architect working on the surgery told them tweaks to the plan for the upper floors would mean the tree did not have to be taken down.
These claims were denied by Assura, who said: “This is not – and has never been – the case. We have discussed this matter again with the architect of the building, who feels his discussion has been heavily misrepresented.” After a meeting with KRLG chair Mark Hood on Friday, however, Assura said: “We have proposed to carry out further investigations into any potential for the safe retention of the tree whilst allowing the construction of this much-needed medical centre to proceed.”
Continued on page 4