Parking in electric car spot

Turtle-TM

Well the town council (or whoever) have decided in their infinite wisdom to take 2 parking spaces away from the town, and designate them as electric charging stations. In the 3 years I've lived here I've seen exactly 0 electric cars. Any ways apart from my irk at this happening, I'm wondering what the story is with parking in one of these spots if there are no other available. Do they get treated the same as a disabled spot by the wardens?

rebel.ranter

Buy an extension lead & when you park there just run the wire under the bonnet & fix it to the charge point somehow.
Sure it would provide amusement for others, especially if yours is a particularly old car!

Turtle-TM

just pulled in to charge me 3.0 daysul boss

dougie-lampkin

Turtle-TM wrote: »

Well the town council (or whoever) have decided in their infinite wisdom to take 2 parking spaces away from the town

No they haven't. They're still perfectly valid parking spaces, they just happen to have charging point access. Once you pay and display as appropriate you have as much right to park there as any EV.

goz83

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

No they haven't. They're still perfectly valid parking spaces, they just happen to have charging point access. Once you pay and display as appropriate you have as much right to park there as any EV.

I'm not sure about that. If the council designate the spots for use only by EV, then only an EV can park there without risk of being ticketed/clamped/towed. It's not like a private carpark, where nothing happens even if you park in a wheelchair spot (not that I would park in one either way).

Turtle-TM

I'll take a pic on Monday. The actual spaces have been painted bright green, and the charging station in front of the 2 spots. From what I see they aren't operational yet.

I'll try to look up county council website for info, but I've not had luck in that in the past!

TheChizler

Unless it's specified in the bylaws I'd say you're fairly safe. However probably best to leave them as there are probably a couple of electric cars floating about.

Turtle-TM

Just saw over on the thread for ev charging stations that's there's actually now 4 charging stations in Trim.

The town has enough trouble with lack of parking, if it does in fact become the case that only ev's are allowed park in the spaces there'll be an uproar. Just like when the 10 min grace period for pay and display was abolished. It lasted about 6 weeks

djimi

Uproar over 4 spaces? The people of Trim must have little else to concern themselves with...

bobin fudge

One on nelson st d1 by the mater hospital the last year or 2, have never ever seen an electric car parked there, but petrol cars and no clamps or fines so far

Turtle-TM

You've obviously never tried getting parking in the town with a comment like that.

bobin fudge

Can you elaborate further please on my comment? I live in "the town" My point was that I see petrol cars parked in an electicty spot and there is no penalties that I have seen for doing so. This was to show to the OP that it might not be an issue at all

Turtle-TM

bobin fudge wrote: »

Can you elaborate further please on my comment? I live in "the town" My point was that I see petrol cars parked in an electicty spot and there is no penalties that I have seen for doing so. This was to show to the OP that it might not be an issue at all

It was in response to the post above yours

bobin fudge

oh **** haha, apologies :cool:

johndaman66

Turtle-TM wrote: »

In the 3 years I've lived here I've seen exactly 0 electric cars.

I'm just wondering how you can be so sure of that?

djimi

Turtle-TM wrote: »

You've obviously never tried getting parking in the town with a comment like that.

Its 4 spaces in a town. If parking is already bad its hardly going to make matters much worse. If it was 40 spaces, or 400, id understand, but uproar over 4?

rebel.ranter

johndaman66 wrote: »

I'm just wondering how you can be so sure of that?

Shur he just said; he has been watching them for 3 years, as a full time job we must assume, in order for the information to be accurate that is.

keithclancy

Do not quote abuse!

Sure Ireland is tiny, why should the parking spaces just be for the residents of trim.

dougie-lampkin

goz83 wrote: »

I'm not sure about that. If the council designate the spots for use only by EV, then only an EV can park there without risk of being ticketed/clamped/towed. It's not like a private carpark, where nothing happens even if you park in a wheelchair spot (not that I would park in one either way).

Show me where they're designated for EV use only? Certainly the ones in Limerick are signed with regular pay and display spaces, just painted green and with charging point access.

keithclancy

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

Show me where they're designated for EV use only? Certainly the ones in Limerick are signed with regular pay and display spaces, just painted green and with charging point access.

Gah come on ... I don't see EV Drivers parking for 30 minutes at a Petrol pump just because its convenient

galwaytt

keithclancy wrote: »

Gah come on ... I don't see EV Drivers parking for 30 minutes at a Petrol pump just because its convenient

Gah come on yourself.......petrol stations are not for parking. You're being obstreperous...:)

The spaces OP is on about are public parking spaces. They just happen to have chargers in front of them....

What next, "diesel only" parking spaces ?

keithclancy

galwaytt wrote: »

Gah come on yourself.......petrol stations are not for parking. You're being obstreperous...:)

The spaces OP is on about are public parking spaces. They just happen to have chargers in front of them....

What next, "diesel only" parking spaces ?

Exactly, the points are for charging electric cars.

Do you think it makes sense that the council should go and spend a rake of money on painting special spots and put bye laws in place to tow away cars that aren't there to charge up ?

I mean my logic is:

Well that spot is for electric cars so I won't park there.

Rather than:

Well f*ck it, I know electric cars charge there but its not really convenient for me to park somewhere else so i'll just dump the car there anyway.

Turtle-TM

keithclancy wrote: »

Exactly, the points are for charging electric cars.

Do you think it makes sense that the council should go and spend a rake of money on painting special spots and put bye laws in place to tow away cars that aren't there to charge up ?

I mean my logic is:

Well that spot is for electric cars so I won't park there.

Rather than:

Well f*ck it, I know electric cars charge there but its not really convenient for me to park somewhere else so i'll just dump the car there anyway.

Or as happened to me, the only 2 spaces left in the car park are these lime green eye sores. Going to check with one of the town council and the parking warden tomorrow as to whether the bye laws have been changed and prohibit parking in them. I mean, how is would it be enforced, "sir is your car and electric car?" Are they going to have lists of current electric cars available in Ireland? What if I say my car has been modified to be electric? I really can't see it working.

djimi

Its the parent & child space debate all over again. Certain things shouldnt require a law; common decency should dictate that if you are on someone elses property and you asked to not to park somewhere then you dont park there...

keithclancy

Turtle-TM wrote: »

Or as happened to me, the only 2 spaces left in the car park are these lime green eye sores. Going to check with one of the town council and the parking warden tomorrow as to whether the bye laws have been changed and prohibit parking in them. I mean, how is would it be enforced, "sir is your car and electric car?" Are they going to have lists of current electric cars available in Ireland? What if I say my car has been modified to be electric? I really can't see it working.

Sure wouldn't it just be written on the tax disc.

dougie-lampkin

keithclancy wrote: »

Exactly, the points are for charging electric cars.
...

put bye laws in place to tow away cars that aren't there to charge up ?

...

Well that spot is for electric cars so I won't park there.

I've asked already, but so far nobody has shown a shred of evidence that suggests they're for electric cars only. It might be convenient for them to park there, but they have no right to it.

Sure I'll paint the road outside my house blue and that means only I can park there, because it's convenient for me. Do you want a section of purple road to park your moral high horse wherever's convenient?

djimi wrote: »

Its the parent & child space debate all over again. Certain things shouldnt require a law; common decency should dictate that if you are on someone elses property and you asked to not to park somewhere then you dont park there...

Nobody is asked not to park there? Seriously, is there an "EV only" sign I'm missing?

djimi

Does the great big green charging unit not serve as a bit of a give away that the space just might be designated for a certain type of vehicle?

delta_bravo

Different jurisdiction I know but I saw two cars in newry get a fine for parking in these same spaces

dougie-lampkin

djimi wrote: »

Does the great big green charging unit not serve as a bit of a give away that the space just might be designated for a certain type of vehicle?

Absolutely, I'm not arguing that the charging unit is intended for an EV. But there is nothing saying the space is reserved for one.

I find it dead handy, the spaces are always free in town because of people who live in fear of "THE BYE LAWS". Same goes for the motorbike spaces. They're covered by the same pay and display signs as all the other on street spaces.

Turtle-TM

djimi wrote: »

Does the great big green charging unit not serve as a bit of a give away that the space just might be designated for a certain type of vehicle?

There's no signs I've seen saying electric cars only. Even if there was, if there's no bye laws backing up the sign I'm going to park there. It's a public car park.

On the parent and child parking spaces, again, they are on privately owned car parks, and there's nothing stopping you park there, apart from a sign asking nicely that you don't. I don't park in them as I've used them before with a small child and know how handy they are, and also because parking beside people with buggys trying to get a child into the car is a sure way to get a nice dent!

Turtle-TM

djimi wrote: »

Does the great big green charging unit not serve as a bit of a give away that the space just might be designated for a certain type of vehicle?

Also if we're in the game of different parking spots for different types of vehicles I'd like the council to make some nicely painted red spaces, for people like me with a wider and longer than average car that only we can use, and stick some little spaces for hatch backs and the like down the end of the car park. I don't want them parked too close to mine ye know, might open the door and touch off it.

September1

I think this is just painting on the road and Irish legislation is not recognizing those spaces as reserved for any kind of vehicles - so there should be no consequences. If possible please leave at least one space or your phone number. We are quite screwed if we do not charge as car range is quite limited. If a charging station seems to be not operational or broken (some stations then have ring of red LEDs on) then ignore my humble request ;-)

keithclancy

September1 wrote: »

I think this is just painting on the road and Irish legislation is not recognizing those spaces as reserved for any kind of vehicles - so there should be no consequences. If possible please leave at least one space or your phone number. We are quite screwed if we do not charge as car range is quite limited. If a charging station seems to be not operational or broken (some stations then have ring of red LEDs on) then ignore my humble request ;-)

Don't know about Trim, but in Ennis.
http://www.ennistowncouncil.ie/roads-and-transport/news/e-car-charging-points-and-bus-parking-included-in-ennis-bye-laws.html

The provision of a 10-bay bus parking facility and two free electric car (e-car) charging points in Ennis town centre are among a series of proposals included in draft bye-laws for the Clare County capital which go on public display this week.

So really I would Guess that the Town Council have to make a proposal to the County Council to alter the bye laws.

Perhaps check first before you chance it.

GavMan

Have you thought to ask the council?

Sesshoumaru

If you don't see electric cars in these spots it's at least partly because there are nearly always non electric cars parked there. My wife had our third child in the Rotunda last week and I would have loved to park my electric car at the charging point just outside the hospital, I never could because there were always people parked there. I think someone mentioned the charging point at the Mater hospital, I've also tried to use that when visiting a family member in hospital, never could use it for the same reason. The odd time we've managed to use one (on street charger), they were very handy. It's nice when you're in an area for a little while and can come back to a fully charged car and a remotely heated cabin (using juice from the charging point).