Train bosses are facing pressure to tackle taxis repeatedly ignoring parking restrictions at St Albans City train station, with local residents demanding stronger enforcement action.
Despite prominent “No Taxis” signage from car park operator APCOA, local taxi operators continue to obstruct the Ridgemont Road car park near the Platform 4 entrance, causing what residents describe as serious congestion for both pedestrians and other drivers using the car park — particularly during the evening rush. Frustrated locals are calling on rail operator Thameslink, parking firm APCOA and St Albans District Council to step in.
One resident said the council should “send a licensing enforcement officer on-site to investigate and enforce appropriate penalties,” adding that informal warnings were unlikely to be effective and advocating for licence revocation if drivers continue to avoid the official taxi rank outside the station’s main Platform 1 entrance.
A Thameslink spokesperson confirmed the operator is responsible for the car park, while APCOA said it enforces parking restrictions on Thameslink’s instruction, issuing parking charges to any taxis found illegally ranking within the car park or occupying premier bays. St Albans District Council has said it has no jurisdiction over the issue, since the car park sits on private land owned and controlled by Network Rail and Govia Thameslink — though the council has sent informal reminders to drivers about blocking the car park. Local district councillor Sean Hughes is understood to be monitoring the situation.
For drivers using St Albans City station regularly, this is a useful one to know about — with enforcement clearly on operators’ radar and residents actively pushing for stronger action, using the designated Platform 1 rank rather than the Ridgemont Road car park is the safer bet, both to avoid a parking charge and to stay on the right side of any future licensing scrutiny.
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