The recent incidents involving severe fires on TX4s raise questions about automatic door-locking on London black cabs. If I understand correctly, the doors automatically lock when the driver uses the accelerator and unlock when the brake is applied. Since unlocking the doors requires action by the driver, doesn't this put the passenger at risk in such emergencies ? I know that the The recent incidents involving severe fires on TX4s raises questions about automatic door-locking on London black cabs. If I understand correctly, the doors automatically lock when the driver uses the accelerator and unlock when the brake is applied. Since unlocking the doors requires action by the driver, doesn't this put the passenger at risk in such emergencies ? I know that TX4s have been taken out of service but the dangers of automatic door-locking still apply.
Apparently it is a motion sensor (not the driver using the accelerator) that causes the doors to lock, and when the vehicle comes to a halt the doors unlock *unless* the driver presses the brake. LTI, the manufacturer of the TX4, has recently issued a statement: The door locking system on the London taxi works through motion sensors so that when the vehicle is in motion the locks in the passenger compartment operate to prevent the doors from being opened from inside the taxi. When the vehicle is not in motion the doors can be opened unless the driver depresses the brake pedal in which case the doors remain locked from the inside of the passenger compartment. In normal operating circumstances the rear passenger compartment door locking system is designed so that the door can be opened from the outside and overrides the vehicles motion locking system. In the event of a fire causing electrical failure the motion locking system would fail and would not engage the rear passenger door locking thus allowing the rear passengers to exit the vehicle. The passengers would also still be able to open or break the rear window and open the doors using the outside handle. In some circumstances, although this is not usual, a driver might engage the manual central door locking system. In this instance, a passenger is still able to disengage the central door locking by flipping the lever by the door handle clearly marked “unlock” and then is able to exit the vehicle in the same conditions as above.
You can always walk, get the tube, cycle, drive or get a bus
