Answering the concerns of downtown business owners and patrons alike, the Lexington Parking Authority introduced the first taxi stand to service one of Lexington's highest trafficked entertainment areas.
"It's not often that for less than $100 you can roll out a program that is friendly to the environment, probably saves lives and definitely bolsters our nighttime economy," said the parking authority's executive director Gary Means about the new taxi queue which began operating Monday night at the old courthouse on the corner of Main and Upper.
An outgrowth of the Downtown Entertainment Development Task Force, Means' group along with the Downtown Lexington Corporation spent the past year meeting with taxi companies to coalesce around one area in the downtown to help patrons find safe rides home more easily and keep taxis from becoming traffic nuisances.
"Having these centralized taxi stands, we believe it will be good for a number of reasons," said DLC president Renee Jackson. "Having this stand has a number of benefits; now the taxi drivers will know where to go, people will know where to go to wait for a cab and restaurants and bars can feel secure that their patrons are getting a safe ride home."
The aim of the taxi stand is to change the perception about downtown's nighttime safety and ease of return. The new queue between Main and Short should keep riders from crossing in the middle of streets to get to a taxi that has been driving by, keep the taxis from impeding traffic while loading passengers and make it easier for those who've decided its best for them not to get behind the wheel to find a taxi rather than wandering streets looking for one, and possibly changing their minds.
"It will promote our public safety by offering an alternative for those who prefer to ride as opposed to drive or may need to ride as opposed to drive," Mayor Jim Newberry said.
The stand will operate the same as taxi queues at airports do with taxis lining up and taking passengers. The cabs will use parking spaces along the Westside of Upper Street along the side of the old courthouse. The spaces will be reserved for taxis only between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. nightly and operate the same as metered spots the rest of the time.
Means said if this proves successful they will look to locate another stand near Victorian Square and Rupp Arena and could expand further as more entertainment options grow in the downtown.