Yellowknife (Dec 24/04) - The city of Yellowknife needs to create more stopping zones for taxis, which are slowly being squeezed out of downtown, says one cab driver.

"People pay for door-to-door service, but on some streets there is nowhere for me to stop," said the cabbie, who asked to remain anonymous.

He chastised city officials for the lack of stopping zones along Franklin Avenue and several side streets after receiving a $40 ticket for dropping a customer off outside of a downtown bank.

The driver said he was forced to stop in a no-idling zone because the metered spots outside the bank were full.

"Where am I supposed to go?" he asked.

The no-stopping zones -- located mostly on the corners of busy intersections -- were created to protect pedestrians and give turning cars a clear line of sight, said Dave Nicklen, director of Public Safety and Development for the City of Yellowknife. "We don't want people stopping their cars on a cross-walk," said Nicklen. "That presents a danger."

Cab drivers have other options when it comes to dropping off customers, Nicklen said, including stopping in a metered stall, alley way or loading zone.

The driver said other cities he was worked in, including Edmonton and Toronto, have made allowances for taxis. He suggested city hall remove parking stalls from high traffic areas to create space for taxis.

Nicklen said any decision to remove parking meters -- installed to encourage a constant flow of customers to downtown businesses -- would only come after extensive consultation.

The driver, who told Yellowknifer he was resigned to paying the ticket, said he still regularly drops off customers in no-stopping zones.

"I stop in those places thousands of times," said the driver, who has worked in Yellowknife for six-and-a-half years.

In an email to a city-councillor, Nicklen said the majority of cab drivers who break the no-stopping zone regulations are never caught.

But he told Yellowknifer anyone who tries to flout the law is "taking their chances."