Bill would increase Queens taxi stands

Several City Council members are drafting legislation to bring more taxi stands to New York City with $5 million in extra funds from a recent taxi medallion sale, which netted $76 million more than expected earlier this month.
Where these stands would be placed, however, should remain up to the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) and the Department of Transportation, should the bill eventually become law, said Councilman John Liu, chair of the City Council's Transportation Committee. Liu, along with Councilmen Miguel Martinez, James Gennaro and Larry Seabrook, are drafting the plan, which would require the TLC to establish 10 new taxi stands, two in each borough, at major transportation hubs.
Following Liu's press conference to announce the bill, TLC Commissioner and Chairman Matthew W. Daus said, “As always, we look forward to discussing this and all other ideas the Council considers worthy of dialogue.”
Liu said that a taxi stand installed three years ago at the corner of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing has already seen tremendous success.
&#8220People in Queens would like to have taxi cab service as well,” he said, explaining he hopes the stands would be for all types of taxis - handicapped-accessible vans, alternative fuel vehicles and the standard variety Ford Crown Victorias.
&#8220There is no reason why with the small investment from the city, cab stands like the one we have in Flushing can not be set up in other parts of Queens,” he said.
During the mid-June auction of 308 taxi medallions, expected to raise $65 million, alternative-fuel medallions, which comprised half of the medallions sold, went for as much as $554,147 each, and medallions for handicapped-accessible cabs sold for over $470,000 apiece. In total, the medallion auction raised $141 million.