Wangaratta - Consider 7am closing

Taxi drivers say later, not earlier weekend pub trading, will reduce bad behavior

Written by JEFF ZEUSCHNER. - Wangaratta Chronicle

WANGARATTA Taxis believes expanding, rather than reducing hotel trading hours, could rid the city further of lawless behavior.

Taxis spokesman, Rick Thewlis, said the city’s taxi drivers believe 5am closure is working well, and they don’t favor any push to revert to earlier closure times.

In fact, Mr Thewlis suggested any change should instead be towards 7am closure.

"It’s done elsewhere and it works…it could further help reduce behavioral problems and we would be in a better position to service patrons," he said.

"People are like possums…they see daylight and they’ll go home, without the vandalism."

Rural City of Wangaratta councillors are re-examining 5am trade in light of recent early morning vandalism, and calls by councillor Doug McPhie, himself a former police superintendent, that businesses have "had a gutful" of it.

But Mr Thewlis, who is also a former policeman, said fellow taxi drivers feared a return to 3am trade would create more problems.

"Drivers say it was a nightmare with 3am closure…some 600 people coming out at once from the hotels, screaming for a taxi, getting cranky and then the trouble starts," he said.

"The State Government limits us to running nine taxis and two maxi-cabs, and that isn’t enough to deal with that sort of crowd, particularly when you’ve got a couple that have passengers wanting to go to Benalla or Myrtleford, which is common.

"But with 5am, you have people leaving gradually throughout the night and we’re able to handle the numbers, reducing the prospects of people walking home and causing any issues."

Wangaratta police last week told Wangaratta Chronicle that they had not seen any marked increase in violence since 5am trade was introduced.